95 850 turbo - car won't start without jump

[volvo850hbg]

Parasitic voltage draw. Take the bulb out of the glove box if you haven't done that yet.

There is a thread or two on checking unwanted voltage draw. I will add a link if I come across one.

My glove box somehow got locked while it was out of alignment, so that killed my battery about 7 years ago. He couldn't get the box open (it's still locked shut) and pulled the bulb from beneath. In fact, I've made sure every thing that can be a draw is turned off, including the door lights which causes a stumble or two out of the car at night.

How can I find the draw on my own?

[abscate]

You put an ammeter in series between the removed negative battery terminal and the negative battery post. You should not see more than .050 amps like this.

[scot850]

I just did the testing with our 98 V70XC and 00 V70R as both were pulling more than expected.
Dealer service foreman says it should actually be nearer .010 amps. Mine pulled more as both cars have aftermarket Viper alarm systems. Pulling the plug on that brought it down to around 0.010amps.

The 98 also had a problem with the built in garage door opener. It was constantly sending a signal and was pulling the battery down.

Abscate has told you how to check for current drain (don't open doors when testing or you will blow your testers fuse). clamp the tester connections in place, and start pulling the fuses one at a time and see if any make a significant difference. Another favorite is the vanity mirror lights.

I don't have a 850 any more, but does it have a B+ cable from the battery positive to the main fuse box? In the V70's (particularly 99-00) this has a problem of melting in the main fuse box.

Good luck!

Neil.

[alschnertz]

My glove box somehow got locked while it was out of alignment...He couldn't get the box open (it's still locked shut) and pulled the bulb from beneath.

It's more likely that the glovebox latch mechanism broke. Very common.

Are you sure he got the bulb out? I didn't think you could reach it from underneath. There's no light emanating from behind the glovebox door, right? You may only be able to see it at night.

The procedure is easy. It's just putting a multimeter (reading amperage) between the positive battery post (cable still connected to the battery) and the negative cable (not connected at the battery) and then pull / replace each fuse one at a time while monitoring the amperage draw. At least that will narrow it down to one circuit.

I can't find the link now either. It's here somewhere.

[cameronj]

I have a '97 850 that I have had for about two years now. I've replaced a few basic parts, so I'm somewhat capable of whatever needs to be done. About 4 months ago, my car would intermittently go dead. No lights, turnover, anything-- it was absolutely dead. It did this about once a month for three months (4 months ago).
This past weekend, it went completely dead. No more intermittence, just straight dead, every time, even if it was only 10 minutes. (No door lights, not even the digital clock in the dash, the same as before). I hoped it was the ignition switch, so I replaced it yesterday. It fired up great-- at least 8 times yesterday. However, I go out there today--dead, again.
Alternator and battery replaced last fall. Although, after having to jump the car so many times lately, Autozone told me the battery was only at 85% and cranking amps were barely low.
PLEASE- any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I just separated from the military yesterday, my finances are very limited, and I am moving within the next few weeks to start school 6 hours away so I need a reliable vehicle to get me there and keep me mobile. PLEASE let someone have an idea or know what's wrong with it.

[abscate]

How old is the battery? If it has been sitting for a long time (months) batteries can "sulphate" and never really hold a charge. Listening to the radio for 10 minutes can drain it below the starting threshold, for example.

The 'complete dead' scenario, points to a bad cable or ground which is both preventing electrical flow as well as good charge. High mileage/year Volvos are known for having a lot of grounds which can go bad.

[cameronj]

The battery (new Bosch) was replaced last fall and no, the car is my daily driver. The longest it may ever sit is a day or two. Autozone said that my battery was "good", but only holding 85%. They also said corrosion may be the culprit. I'm going to do some investigating today and see if I can find anything.
Additionally, they said my starter was only cranking at 45 (amps?) and should usually be much higher. They also attributed that to the potential corrosion issue or that my starter may going out. I've tested the alternator and it's running strong so it's looking like I may have some hidden corrosion. I could only be so fortunate if that's it..
If that's not it, what more do you suspect that it could be or where should I start looking? I've been scouring forums, but besides the corrosion and ground, I am only finding things that don't apply to my issue.
That you for the reply!! I will work on that this morning, but please KEEP ANY OTHER SUGGESTIONS COMING! Thanks in advance.
-C.J.

[tryingbe]

Take the battery connectors off and check for corrosion, if found, replace the connectors.

[erikv11]

Yes, or just clean them.

[cameronj]

I'm cleaning them now. The positive one has some corrosion on the clamp itself, so we'll see if that works.
I meant to ask before; if the starter is actually going bad, will/could it drain my battery to leave me with my current situation?