89 740 GL altenator/battery issues... please help us

mburse · Post by **mburse** » 01 Apr 2004, 18:18

I have this ongoing problem with our volvo

First off is a 89 740 non turbo... 16 valve i beleive... with 150k miles on it

I have just put a new altenator in it and it has had a new battery within the last 18 months...

When driving I notice that all my "idiot" lights come on sometimes... Finally the srs light comes on bright.. the car stalls with a dead battery... let it sit overnight and the battery charges itself and its good to go... Now other than a poor connection somewhere is there anything else that could be preventing the battery from charging? I have also noticed that when all the lights turn on the power steering starts to fail (steering becomes tight) ... it has plenty of fluid... and the belts on the front are tight and new....

If someone could shed some new light on this I would really apreciate it... I have spent almost 1000 bucks on the car in the last 6 weeks and would hate to see it go to waste... which i think it will

Please help

mburse · Post by **mburse** » 02 Apr 2004, 06:06

ok this morning the battery was still dead.. I put a multimeter to it and it read 11.8 V dc.... then jump started it... put the meter accross the posts and it read 11.75 v dc... so the altenator is not juicing the battery... or so it appears to me. Now I plan on going through the system ... cleaning wires both hot and ground... ...

Is there anything else in the system that could cause this? regulators?

LaRy · Post by **LaRy** » 02 Apr 2004, 08:08

In the back of the alternator you have 3 wires connected by flat AMP connectors. The enviroment is not good for them. They use to get broken by vibrations, oxidation and also bad insulation. If they get broken you get odd problems and of cource the alternator will not be working. I made an extension to these wires and assembled new flat connectors.

If everything is working perfect, all lights should turn on when the key is in ignition position before starting the motor, to make it possible to check the light bulbs. If one specific wire is broken at the alternator, this will not happen. Check that!

About the power steering, I don't think you should connect this to the alteranator problem, the power steering is totally free from electronic. It could be the flexible joints at the steering shaft that needs some grease.

Gary Cook · Post by **Gary Cook** » 03 Apr 2004, 05:37

From doing this type of repair everyday, my first suggestion is one that may suprise you but has saved me a lot of labor. Unless you bought a new alternator from Volvo, remove it and take it to a knowledgeable electric repair shop in your area and have them test it under load to completely remove it from any possible problem. Some of the national chain parts houses do not sell the best alternators. Secondly, think to yourself what has changed from your initial problem to the problem you now have...could it be in the installation or the part itself. It has been my observation that Volvo has one of the more simple charging systems around and by chasing both + and - leads and making certain that they are clean and tight may help you. I have a wiring diagram of the complete starting and charging system and a little time will save you a lot of money.