I have a Volvo V70 my son has a Suzuki Vitara. The car will not start on the key but will only start when I jump it using jumper cables. I suspect I need a new battery but cannot understand why the windscreen wiper work as though the battery was full, also the lights do not dip when I try to stat it which is a sign of a dead battery. Any thoughts before I go out ad buy a battery as they are expensive as they are a square battery.
Have a look at Costco. My 240 has Kirkland battey from Costco and so does my S90. Paid about a quarter of what Volvo dealer wanted. And they do the same job...
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windscreen
Check that the batteryposts are properly tightened, a loose post will reduce the possible amperage draw significantly
-- Brian Sørup Volvo V70 2,5T Aut.
Clean and tighten the connectors on both battery terminals, and the ground cable termination if you can get to it.
When you hook up the jumper cables, you're connecting to the terminals on the cables, not the battery posts, correct? You'd be bypassing a bad/dirty connection if so...
Check voltage drop with a meter, preferrably a digital meter. Lights and wipers aren't an accurate test of voltage drop. Test between the battery terminal and the cable terminal--there should be virtually no voltage difference; if you see more than .5V, the connection is the problem. It'll show more drop (i.e., a higher reading) under heavier loads.
The probable reason they seem to work is that they're low current loads, so there's not as much voltage drop across a bad connection (acts like a resistor). With a high current load like the starter, the voltage drop is much greater, therefore starting problems.
Buy a meter first. Inexpensive DVMs can be had for $10 or less, and are invaluable for troubleshooting electrical issues.
Gary
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