1997 850 wagon electrical problem?

jaypaulstrong · Post by **jaypaulstrong** » 30 Nov 2011, 16:30

So I am planning on taking my car to a mechanic, actually a second mechanic because I just got it back from one mechanic and I'm not sure if I should take it to him again. I just wanted to get some advice from yall about this problem first. My wife was driving our '97 850 wagon to a friend's house the next town over. About half way there all of her cation lights started going off together. She said the car drove fine, but all the lights were flashing. Well about 30 minutes later the car dies. Luckily it died within a block of her friend's house so I was able to come push it the rest of the way. Not before I tried to jump the car. When I jumped it, it started just fine and ran great for about a minute and then the lights dimmed and the car died. I thought it was the alternator, but I took it to auto zone and they said the alternator is working just fine. The battery is only a year old. I had the battery charged back up at auto zone and drove all the way back home without incident, not even any flashing warning lights. The trip took about an hour. The lights flashing isn't a new problem by the way, we have been seeing that along with some other symptoms for about a month now. I took it in to a mechanic originally because the car was running really rough, leaking oil, and blowing black smoke out of the exhaust. It was also putting on a little light show on the dashboard with all of the warning/cation lights and shutting down in the middle of the street as soon as the engine warmed up. The battery never died though. When it would break down before, I just had to wait for it to cool off completely before I could start it again. This time the battery was completely dead.

I just got it back from a mechanic and I'm not sure if this problem is something he should have fixed or if this is something new. The mechanic changed out a bunch of hoses and some little black plastic box that was clogged with oil and crud, (I'm not a mechanic if you haven't noticed,) and cleaned a bunch of stuff. The engine runs a lot smoother now, and the light show did go away for about a week but here I am $1,300 later, with a car that left my wife stranded an hour away from home.

One more little detail: one of the headlights just went out a few days before the car broke down, I don't think that could cause an electrical problem, but then again, I'm not a mechanic.

FCPEURO · Post by **FCPEURO** » 30 Nov 2011, 16:42

When the car died the second time, after coming back from the mechanic, was the battery died again? If so, then it is your battery.

Just because it is only a year old does not mean that it cannot be bad. The problem though it what is causing the battery to died so fast. I would have the battery replaced, should be under warranty, and then check all of your ground wires and your main power cables.

Let us know how you make out after that.

Post by **BEJinFbk** » 01 Dec 2011, 00:15

You may have a bad ignition switch. The back half is the electrical portion
and many 850's this car's age have had them go bad. Try jiggling the key.
I know it sounds flakey, but from the problems you've described, it's possible.
Are there a lot of keys on the ring? The extra weight can push the problem along.

The good news is that it's a pretty cheap and easy fix.

bistrohenry · Post by **bistrohenry** » 01 Dec 2011, 11:21

Similar symptoms... (96 850) additional material:
CEL comes on when going over a bump. Hit dash, light goes out.
Tested ignition switch with light and seems to be ok. Power goes where it is supposed to.
Speedo erratic. Am considering replacing speedo. Have access to a parts car.
Have not run current Volvo OBD either. My wrench ( Matt, Long Trail Auto, Dorset VT) has the current software and should be able to diagnose further.
Curious about ignition switch, however. Last I looked, the replacement was about $300.
Keep it cosmic.

Post by **BEJinFbk** » 01 Dec 2011, 11:34

In many cases, only the electrical portion is at fault.
And it's much easier to change than the key side.
If they quote $300 for just for the contact block,
keep shopping.

jaypaulstrong · Post by **jaypaulstrong** » 02 Dec 2011, 21:20

FCPGroton wrote:When the car died the second time, after coming back from the mechanic, was the battery died again? If so, then it is your battery.

Yes, the battery was dead after coming back from the mechanic. But I hadn't had an issue with the battery before taking it too him, which is why I think this is a new problem and not really his fault. Before when the car would die, I just needed to let it cool off and it would start again. This time when it died the battery was completely dead. I had to take it to auto zone to get re-charged.

jaypaulstrong · Post by **jaypaulstrong** » 02 Dec 2011, 21:31

So I had the battery charged a few days ago and my wife and I have been driving it around ever since without any problems or warning lights. I'm sure it will happen again, but I'm not sure what to do about it. I've already dropped $1,300 into this car, and I don't really have the money pay a mechanic to screw around with it just to try to find a problem. I've read posts on this forum from people with similar problems who have changed out the alternator before only to have the same problem come back. I think I'm going to just have my wife drive my truck and I'll drive her car until I can get this figured out. If it breaks the exact same way as it did last time I'm thinking I can use those flashing caution lights as a sort of "30 minute warning" before my battery is completely drained.

Post by **Pauloil** » 03 Dec 2011, 07:53

http://volvospeed.com/volvo_repairs_how ... witch.html