My Volvo (car) has a gremlin....ideas?

paulspaddle · Feb 18, 2010

This morning....again, my wife's 1996 Volvo 850 didn't start. I've replaced the battery on this thing numerous times.

It will be fine for months, then suddenly it will be completely dead.

This seems like I've left a light on or something, but I've turned off the hood and truck lights and we can see the car while in the kitchen so if there was an interior light on we'd see that also. (and we watch because of this)

I've taken it to the garage where I've purchased the battery and they put a load test in it and they don't see that there is a draw of any kind.

Also, it might be dead everyday now for three or four days....then be fine for another 3 months. Seems random.

Summer or winter doesn't make a difference.

It's never a good time for your car not to start, this is very frustrating.

Any ideas/suggestions?

dolluper · Feb 18, 2010

Re: My Volvo (car) has a gremlin....ideas?

Check your charging rate....meter at battery when running is the first step

642mx · Feb 18, 2010

Re: My Volvo (car) has a gremlin....ideas?

Sounds like it has an intermittent parasitic drain. You'll probably have to wait until it has troubles to find it. (next time it won't start).

Remove the positive battery cable and hook a test light between the cable end and the battery post. (clip on post, test light end on cable). And see if the bulb lights up. If it does, then you have a drain. Start pulling fuses until the light goes off, this will tell you which circuit its on.

I've seen door switches, factory amplifiers, alternators, and many more electronics cause this.

Word of warning, low batteries produce hydrogen gas. Be sure you clip the light on the post first, and then stretch the cable as far away from the battery as you can before make the connection to the light. Even the smallest of sparks will blow up a battery. Use eye protection and have water available and ready.

paulspaddle · Feb 18, 2010

Re: My Volvo (car) has a gremlin....ideas?

642mx said:
Sounds like it has an intermittent parasitic drain. You'll probably have to wait until it has troubles to find it. (next time it won't start).

Remove the positive battery cable and hook a test light between the cable end and the battery post. (clip on post, test light end on cable). And see if the bulb lights up. If it does, then you have a drain. Start pulling fuses until the light goes off, this will tell you which circuit its on.

I've seen door switches, factory amplifiers, alternators, and many more electronics cause this.

Word of warning, low batteries produce hydrogen gas. Be sure you clip the light on the post first, and then stretch the cable as far away from the battery as you can before make the connection to the light. Even the smallest of sparks will blow up a battery. Use eye protection and have water available and ready.

That "next time" is this morning.

Thanks for the detailed advice.....this what I was looking for.

Now, where is that test light of mine? (we moved 6 months ago....its in 'one' of the boxes in the basement)

paulspaddle · Feb 18, 2010

Re: My Volvo (car) has a gremlin....ideas?

Left the charger on the battery for the morning...completely dead, not taking a charge.

Now, this is the third battery in less than a year.

Each time I take it to the shop they shrug their shoulders, say the alternator is fine and there seems to be no parsitic draw....and give me a fresh battery.

How can this car be killing batteries?

642mx · Feb 18, 2010

Re: My Volvo (car) has a gremlin....ideas?

paulspaddle said:
Left the charger on the battery for the morning...completely dead, not taking a charge.

Now, this is the third battery in less than a year.

Each time I take it to the shop they shrug their shoulders, say the alternator is fine and there seems to be no parsitic draw....and give me a fresh battery.

How can this car be killing batteries?

What brand of battery?...

paulspaddle · Feb 18, 2010

Re: My Volvo (car) has a gremlin....ideas?

642mx said:
What brand of battery?...

It's called a "Parts Master" from Piston Ring. (Cdn auto parts store)

It wasn't exactly cheap....I think $120 with a 5 year warrenty which is good as I keep changing them out.

642mx · Feb 18, 2010

Re: My Volvo (car) has a gremlin....ideas?

I like 2 batteries (not sure if you can get them in Canada) one is Interstate and the other is Optima. I think I would ask for a refund and get one of the two.

windsors03cobra · Feb 18, 2010

Re: My Volvo (car) has a gremlin....ideas?

Starting batteries cannot take the abuse of being deep cycled many times before they give up the ghost, deep cycling is a true death sentence for starting batteries if they get cold/freeze while flat.
Your PartsMaster battery is a quality East Penn Mfg'ing battery, one company of only a few core domestic battery producers left. The others being Exide and Johnson Controls, and all are very good quality. Interstate, Optima, Delphi and Wal-Mart Everstart batteries among other are all made by Johnson Controls.

Do the test light troubleshooting and find the draw in order to fix it.
I would think a 96 would still be pretty user friendly for this kind of testing, Newer higher tech cars not so much.

paulspaddle · Feb 18, 2010

Re: My Volvo (car) has a gremlin....ideas?

windsors03cobra said:
Starting batteries cannot take the abuse of being deep cycled many times before they give up the ghost, deep cycling is a true death sentence for starting batteries if they get cold/freeze while flat.
Your PartsMaster battery is a quality East Penn Mfg'ing battery, one company of only a few core domestic battery producers left. The others being Exide and Johnson Controls, and all are very good quality. Interstate, Optima, Delphi and Wal-Mart Everstart batteries among other are all made by Johnson Controls.

Do the test light troubleshooting and find the draw in order to fix it.
I would think a 96 would still be pretty user friendly for this kind of testing, Newer higher tech cars not so much.

Thanks....wow....how/why would you know that information? Good to know.

What's nice is the fuse compartment is right beside the battery so doing the light test will be relatively easy. And because it's a Volvo they supply a fuse puller in the fuse box. It's a love/hate relationship with these cars sometimes.

ezbtr · Feb 18, 2010

Re: My Volvo (car) has a gremlin....ideas?

paulspaddle said:
Thanks....wow....how/why would you know that information? Good to know.

What's nice is the fuse compartment is right beside the battery so doing the light test will be relatively easy. And because it's a Volvo they supply a fuse puller in the fuse box. It's a love/hate relationship with these cars sometimes.

I had a 91(?) 4 cyl, non turbo wagon, seated 7, great car, HIWAY mileage was 29 at 70 mph, city maybe 20, that 4 banger PULLED, and the tranny and diff were all fine at 175K, but the electronics sucked! Replaced every relay i could, it would just STOP at times when driving, then be fine.....the BASIC internals on these cars are great , but god all the little things that go....

paulspaddle · Feb 19, 2010

Re: My Volvo (car) has a gremlin....ideas?

ezbtr said:
I had a 91(?) 4 cyl, non turbo wagon, seated 7, great car, HIWAY mileage was 29 at 70 mph, city maybe 20, that 4 banger PULLED, and the tranny and diff were all fine at 175K, but the electronics sucked! Replaced every relay i could, it would just STOP at times when driving, then be fine.....the BASIC internals on these cars are great , but god all the little things that go....

I hear ya, I really like the car. Bought it from the original owner. It still has more safety options than a regular new car. The body is perfect, leather is perfect everything is mint. Unlike yours, mine is the 5cyl and it's completely gutless. Has a spoiler and 'looks' sporty, but thats it. The car weighs a few hundred pounds less than my truck!

BUT its has these quirks...when the exterior temp exceed 30 C it stalls for the first while, then is ok.....huh? (its a sensor...Volvo guys say, "live with it" rather than pumping money figuring it out)

paulspaddle · Feb 19, 2010

Re: My Volvo (car) has a gremlin....ideas?

Well, I'm extremely embarrassed and red faced to write this.

When I said the battery wasn't taking a charge, I....ummmm.......accidentally unplugged the charger from the wall. :redface:

There is still some kind of parasitic draw, but the battery is ok.

SuperNova · Feb 19, 2010

Re: My Volvo (car) has a gremlin....ideas?

I was a Volvo Master tech for 11 years and I have a couple of suggestions for you. We had a little problem with the glovebox door not closing tight enough to shut the glovebox light off at times.....you may want to check this. There was also a problem with the radio drawing too many milliamps when in sleep mode and also the alarm module (it's just a relay in the CEM under the dash on the driver's side) drawing at times when the alarm is armed. The glovebox light you can check for yourself, the other things take a little more know-how. As far as the stalling, get the throttle body cleaned and adjusted properly, that should fix that. The old 740 with the intermittent stalling was either the fuel pump relay circuit board had a cold solder joint or the Crank Position sensor was starting to go bad.

Lastly, Volvo was always at the leading edge of the technology curve, and as such, that '96 850 is in a lot of ways much more evolved than most brand-new 2010 cars of other brands. It is therefore, not necessarily an easy vehicle to work on or diagnose. Good luck to you.
--
Stan

paulspaddle · Feb 19, 2010

Re: My Volvo (car) has a gremlin....ideas?

SuperNova said:
I was a Volvo Master tech for 11 years and I have a couple of suggestions for you. We had a little problem with the glovebox door not closing tight enough to shut the glovebox light off at times.....you may want to check this. There was also a problem with the radio drawing too many milliamps when in sleep mode and also the alarm module (it's just a relay in the CEM under the dash on the driver's side) drawing at times when the alarm is armed. The glovebox light you can check for yourself, the other things take a little more know-how. As far as the stalling, get the throttle body cleaned and adjusted properly, that should fix that. The old 740 with the intermittent stalling was either the fuel pump relay circuit board had a cold solder joint or the Crank Position sensor was starting to go bad.

Lastly, Volvo was always at the leading edge of the technology curve, and as such, that '96 850 is in a lot of ways much more evolved than most brand-new 2010 cars of other brands. It is therefore, not necessarily an easy vehicle to work on or diagnose. Good luck to you.
--
Stan

Thanks Stan. I've spent some time on Volvospeed forum, but no one suggested these.

Actually your glovebox suggestion is good. Last year the lock malfunctioned and I had to 'force' it open and replace it. (to the tune of over $100...ah Volvo) It fits a few millimeters differently now, I think I turned that light off manually, but I'll double check.

Thanks for your other suggestions also. I'll check them out as time permits.

We are going back into records and trying to pin point when this battery draw happened the first time and see if there was some work done around that time that might give us a clue also.

jonesg · Feb 19, 2010

Re: My Volvo (car) has a gremlin....ideas?

I have a 1990 volvo 740 wagon, great cars once you learn the elec quirks.

The 850, I think that is a renault design block, the turbo version goes like s^%t off a shovel.

The 4 banger 740 is a lot easier to work on though.
Cold solder joints in relays are a typical occurence, had to change my injector relay when it became hard starting.

Good volvo techs are rare, they pretty much have to be specialists.

rjlipscomb · Feb 19, 2010

Re: My Volvo (car) has a gremlin....ideas?

We had a 1996 Volvo 960. Great car, my wife loved it until she killed it one day. She drove it down I-95 without any coolant, locked up the pistons and cracked the head. We had the problem with the glove box light. Though we had to jump it, we never had to replace the battery. I believe it was an Interstate.

Side note: We bought the car used from the dealer, the original owner was Greg Norman, the golfer. All of the original maintenance records/receipts were still in the car.

paulspaddle · Feb 19, 2010

Re: My Volvo (car) has a gremlin....ideas?

You owned the 'Sharks' car....you just went up in my cool book!

My Volvo (car) has a gremlin....ideas?

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