2008 V70 Alternator Issue?

volvooh · Post by **volvooh** » 07 Sep 2021, 07:34

I got an red triangle and message of issues with charging over the weekend. I hooked my icarsoft up and received an error message from the ECM regarding the generator. I checked the voltage reading at the ECM and it was varying around 11.5 to 11.7 volts. Going into other modules and checking voltages it was pinging at 13 to 14 volts. So is my alternator bad?

After a few minutes of run time at idle the code disappeared and voltage jumped to 13 volts.

Any thoughts on this? Changing out the alternator is no easy task so obviously I'd like to look at other options before just throwing a part at it. I'll add that the car has been sitting in the garage for the last few months being driven infrequently.

Post by **abscate** » 08 Sep 2021, 09:52

Have a good long hard look at the battery.

Maybe get it on a charger for 24 hours at 4-6 amps to see if it is tired.

volvooh · Post by **volvooh** » 09 Sep 2021, 06:52

Thanks, Abscate. I have not yet. I am hoping to take a look at the battery and do a load test on it tomorrow. I'll post back the results.
Autozone has a supposed alternator test as well, but I don't put much credence in it. This happened of course in the middle of a project on my 2005 V70 to replace the cataytic convertor, drain and fill the trans and change out some front end components in the suspension.