2000 V70R electrical issue continues

[scot850]

Well this frickin car is back to its' nonsense. It has run fine for a week, has been used at night and my wife (I think the car hates her) used it tonight and switched the lights on and back to no lights, speedo, dash illuminating lights, full beam light stuck on, and rough running engine.

I really hate this car. It is time to find a fix and get rid of it!!

Neil.

[abscate]

Was that a new or used ignition switch you replaced last time? I would be looking at that.

[scot850]

Brand new blue box original part. Car has been used twice during the day since including a 80 mile round trip during daytime.

I struggle to figure out if:

1) Is using the light switch adding sufficient load to the electrical system to cause enough drain of some sort to cause the problem

or

2) Is the lighting system the issue?

Neil.

[scot850]

Thrown in the towel. Sending to the pros to figure this poop fest out.

Actually the new dealership is being great about it. As they are newly opened their mechanics are getting paid full-time pay (40 hours) per week until work levels build up, they are only going to charge me for 1 hours diagnostic (about $165 CDN) but work until they find the issue. I told them I can leave the car with them as long as they like (maybe permanent!!) to find the issue!

I am fortunate that the main guys there know me. The best tech they have is now the manager in the service department and he has had the misfortune to work on the 'R' a couple of times in the past. At least he knows P80's!

I have asked them to check the battery as the voltage is back to just over 12.1V again. So either the battery is bad and not charging or the charging system is a problem, They are going to do a load test, alternator test and battery drain test.

What I hadn't thought about is the aftermarket Viper alarm and immobiliser system on the car. Oops! Don't see why it would be an issue as it is not armed while driving.

Time will tell and if they find a solution I will let you all know!

Neil.

[abscate]

What I hadn't thought about is the aftermarket Viper alarm and immobiliser system on the car. Oops! Don't see why it would be an issue as it is not armed while driving.

Uh oh, I bet thats the problem.

[scot850]

Abscate, can you remove the green tick as solved on this please? Clearly I was overly optimistic!

Update from the dealer is that the current draw is ok from the battery (<0.05A) which is what I expect from the alarm system.

The battery was only at 38% they said which I don't understand as it was charged at 2A for about 16 hours and was reading 13.2V when the trickle charger was removed. I think the battery is screwed but the dealer has it on charge to see if it will charge and hold a charge. They have the car as long as needed.

They have not confirmed if the alternator/charging system is good to me, they may have tested it but not communicated it to me.

They think that the DIM is the issue and that it is shorting. Still not sure why it is only an issue when the light switch is turned on. That is when the speed drops out, engine runs rough and the various warning lights come on.

I have a separate post to find if DIM units on 99-00 are interchangeable and what the potential problem in doing so may be. There may be one locally at the junkyard from a 99 S70. Going tomorrow to liquidate it if still there. If not then I am on a hunt for a good used one.

Looks like there is a potential oil leak from the turbo. Oh here we go again.................!

Good news is apparently the Volvo dealer parts manger wants to buy the car! Have to check with my buddy as he was promised first refusal!! Maybe the time has finally come.

Neil.

[matthew1]

Abscate, can you remove the green tick as solved on this please? Clearly I was overly optimistic!

Done. Sorry you're having all these problems with this R, Neil.

[scot850]

This has been the car for the last 9+ years. It never ceases to be a PITA. So maybe it is just time to let it go and be someone else's issue? Appreciate the sentiments.

Neil.

[scot850]

Dealer has just updated me. Battery was only at 38% charge. They have charged to 100%% on their fancy charger and it seems ok.
They also said the alternator is charging fine too at 13.5V on high load and 13.62V on low load. I thought the alternator should charge at over 14V? Alternator was replaced about 9 years ago with a direct from Bosch re-manufactured unit. It has only done about 8000 miles in that time.

So that still makes me wonder if the car only has a <0.05A draw how the battery gets to only 38% charge so quickly. It doesn't get used every day (none of our cars do) but still makes me think something is hokey.

I will get the car on Monday and we can re-check the battery then to see how much it has discharged and if the DIM is still acting up.

Neil.

[RickHaleParker]

So that still makes me wonder if the car only has a <0.05A draw how the battery gets to only 38% charge so quickly. It doesn't get used every day (none of our cars do) but still makes me think something is hokey.

Battery Sulfation. The lead is converting into Lead Sulfate Crystals which reduces the capacity. This is caused by deep discharges or the car not being driven enough to reach full charge. Lots of short runs and/or infrequent use will do that.

You can reverse the lead sulfate crystals back into lead with a float charger. It will take a long time to get all the Lead Sulfate Crystals back into lead, weeks or longer depending on how bad it is.

If you don't use it much and use it for short runs when you do, it would be a good idea to install a battery maintainer and leave it plugged in when it is at home. If plugging it in is not an option, a solar battery maintainer would help. If you go the solar route get one of the bigger panels. like 20W or bigger. As far north as you are, you will need the bigger panel in the winter.