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98 V70 Alternator -- is there usually a warning light if there is a problem?

Need some advice -- got road service to jump start my car after they had run down the battery by setting off the alarm on a prior visit, and they told me that I needed to replace my battery. I should point out that the "check engine" light had been on for a while prior to the battery change and that after the new one was installed, the light went OUT. I could not swap the battery at the place where I bought it so I had to go to a nearby place and went to Pep Boys. They told me they would have to check to make sure the alternator was not also involved after they installed the battery. After a long time the guy came out and said that I needed to change my alternator, said that was what was draining the battery. He gave me a high price and I left. I then stopped for gas at a place I have gone many times and mentioned the alternator. The proprietor then came out and I talked with him. He said he'd take a look under the hood and he put a meter of some kind on I guess the battery. He then told me that he didn't know whether the people who had told me I needed a new alternator were just trying to take advantage (of a female in distress) or whether they didn't know about European cars. He said that the reading recommended for American cars is higher and that European cars don't have to register that high and he thought I may not need an alternator at all. I am planning a long trip next week. I called the Volvo dealer even though I don't like this one much (boston) and the person there told me that there is not usually a warning for an alternator going bad. But the manual indicates that the warning light that looks like a battery is indicative of a problem with the charging system which would included the alternator. What should I do and who should I believe? I have been driving with the new battery, not a lot, but driving, for 5 days.

Reply to
dorothy flynn
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I should also include that the proprietor of the gas station/garage gave me his card which identified him as an "electrical specialist"

Reply to
dorothy flynn

to start w/ you have good instincts. i don't like the boston Volvo dealer & i live thousands of miles away. next consider taking a boy w/ you next time. i know it's sexist but the automotive industry is sexist. my lady friend is a better driver than i, but the only reason she gets respect @ the track is that everyone knows if they screw w/ her they will have to deal w/ me. it's a bit pathetic.

if you have a glt then Ransley was fairly right about the #'s. Yank cars have bigger alternators than rice burners but they are comparable to Euros of the same size. i would report everyone you talked to to the BBB. they were all just spinning tales, though the gas station guy was really just trying not to say anything bad about fellow local businesses.

the check engine light should never be ignored!!! it resets when you change the battery because you have just done a cold boot of the ECU. you should get an alt (battery icon) light if the alternator is not producing power or the voltage regulator (inside the alt. nowadays) isn't providing charging voltage. but a bad ballast (battery) will show up as a check engine error code. i don't know if Volvo was doing error logs by 1998, but if you are really ar read the log & use the internet to translate.

btw 12yrs is good for a lead/acid battery. it was time to replace it. if you spent more than$45 & don't mind a little dirt (wear glove gloves, dirt & electrical insulators) you were robbed. please study correct procedure before you attempt any electrical repair. i don't think it's difficult but i don't think it's difficult to work on high tension lines & they are 10,000,000,000,000 volts.

electricity is magic to most people -- car owners, home owners, whomever. it's always a good basis for a scam. strangely enough some of the best electrical subcontractors, that i know, are women.

Reply to
Richard W Langbauer

The warning light will come on if the output from the alternator is very low or completely absent, but you can have a weak charging system that is still not bad enough to trigger the light. A better test is to measure the voltage at the battery with a multimeter with the engine off, then start the car and measure it again. It should raise to above

13V within a few minutes of starting the car.
Reply to
James Sweet

That doesn't necessarily mean anything. Even someone with experience may not be familiar with the nuances of any particular car. Most of the alternator failures I've seen in Volvos are actually the regulator which is part of the brush pack. The brushes wear out and at first you get intermittent low output from the alternator and eventually it conks out completely. In the case of the older Bosch alternators, the regulator is about 50 bucks and can be replaced separately, I'm not sure what the newer models use.

Reply to
James Sweet

raise the tach above 2000 for a few seconds that should be enough to exite the diodes. true there are borderline problems. they have gotten better. i still think Ransley had the right #'s.

Reply to
Richard W Langbauer

for your vehicle the brushes & regulator should come together. never a bad renewal on a vehicle of your age. it should be alot less than $50. i would say it's easy, but people tell that it requires finicky hand skills. it's something i would pay my 14 y/o niece to do. (small, deft hands) an electrical test is the right first step. i would probably pull the brushes & have a look anyway, but i'm crazy. the new Bosches are made in china & best used as small boat anchors.

Reply to
Richard W Langbauer

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