alright so this is the MAIN problem im having with my car now; It only will start up and run if i jump it with my little portable jumper cable thing. it was running fine before and now if i let it run a little bit after jumping; and turn it off, the car won't start back up again. when its on NOW, the check engine light is on.

seperate issue i had before..
RPMS going up and down oddly, speedometer not working right at times; car will stall out whilst going slow and the battery light, up arrow and another light come on( sorry cant remember right now)

I bought a brand new battery after buying this car less than a year ago. probably bought the battery in Sept 16' so its brand new basically still. I barely drive my car, purchased with 136xxx something miles and probably put on a total of 800 miles since buying it in august. I replaced the starter because i thought that was the problem originally. temporarily solved the problem that im having now that I always had still, same things keep happening that i've previously said. I put in all new volvo sparkplugs, the battery, the starter, a new fuel pump relay fuse (thought this would solve problems too but no).

I need some GOOD advice from a mechanic whos worked on these hunk of **** wagons.

I am running low on money and i want to replace and fix this car once and for all and get it over with.

my theories are as follows ::::: bad cables from batt. to starter, need a new alternator, or a new key ring antenna part?

I honestly have no ****ing clue about cars but i really love this car and volvo's run in my family so I have to keep tradition alive!! li

like i said before I have had mecahnics look at it and they all tell me the car is fine and yadda yadda yet i keep having this same problem. this one guy said it was something with the car alarm thing thinking my car is being stolen so it wont start?

the previous owner said he lost the original key and had a spare made, which is the only key.

 

If it only starts with a jump, its not related to the alarm.

Have you had the battery tested? Just because it was replaced a year ago doesn't mean it is still good. What brand battery is it?

 

i had the battery tested roughly a month after i bought it. i took it in and demanded a replacement because i didnt want THAT battery. they said they couldnt etc so they charged it and it showed it was fully charged and the battery wasnt the problem. for some reason i dont believe it but its brand new. i cant tell you the brand right now because also i cant pop my hood without someone yanking on the hood as i pull on the handle. will get back to you on that; some side info on the battery, appeareanrly the old battery was the wrong one (smaller size than the required volvo battery) so i bought this new one which is the right one. (ignorant previous owner)

 

you say that you don't drive the car much, that in its self doesn't help, a battery with eventually discharge if the car isn't used to recharge the battery, even the clock will drain the battery eventually. The first thing I would do would be to check the alternator to see if it is charging the battery then I would buy a battery charger such as a CTEK battery charger and fix it to the car in the motor bay, then when the car wasn't in use you could trickle charge it keeping the battery healthy.

 

Sounds like a battery problem, possibly coupled with a parasitic draw. If the battery light does not come on when the engine is running, the alternator is charging, but an alternator test can't hurt. Also, find out what the check engine light is.

This really shouldn't be very hard to diagnose for a competant mechanic. Of course, diagnosis isn't free.

 

i was driving the car at least once a day for maybe 3 miles or something just so i drive it a little each day. im not completely clueless.

I had the car diagnosed, they said alternator was fine; they only said it was something with the anti theft override and they "fixed" it but no.

i just tried to go start it up and now im getting NO dash lights or AC at all, just the dash clock and temp.

is it possible the brand new battery I bought was a DUD? the stoner highschool worker there at autozone or whatever it is looked it the proper battery in the computer and went and got it. when we took out the old battery, it was A LOT smaller and didnt even fill up the space in the battery base (sorry not sure thats the right word/part)

 

Yes, it is possible the battery was a dud.

 

I have a feeling for some reason even if i buy a new battery again that the same things will still happen.

 

sorry didn't mean to imply you were clueless but if your alternator is 'tired' it might not recharge the battery that quickly. Could you get the garage to check to see if you still have a phantom draw on the battery, and said before, the battery could be a dud but they should be able to check that. The battery should hold a charge, so if it is a dud it will either not hold a charge or drain quickly. Charge battery up, then disconnect it from the car, check 24 hrs later if it still holds the charge then it should be ok.

 

MULTIMETER should be the first words from anyone that offers help.

Don't have one? Go to Harbor Freight and spend the $5.99 for one.

Without one, everything you do is a guess. Buy one, measure the battery voltage. If lower than 12.0, take it to an auto part store and have it charged THEN tested.

If pass, then something is wrong with your changing system, alternator and / or cables.

 

once you back from Harbor Freight, Autozone, Sears etc with your new volt/ohm multimeter, check out this guide:

https://volvoforums.com/forum/volvo-...g-101-a-42655/

Procedure is pretty much the same for all cars...

 

the battery is a "AUTOCRAFT" SILVER

 

Most auto parts stores will do a load check for free on the battery

 

TOOK THE BATTERY IN DEAD, THEY CHARGED IT AND IT READ THE BATTERY IS GOOD. am going to order a new alternator tonight just because. will have someone install it for me, and hopefully I will not need to post again.

 

A volt meter is about $300 cheaper than the alternator. And more fun too.

 

I bought a multimeter; but cant really figure out what im measuring; its different than the one in the tutorial;.....

already ordered the new alternatr and it was only 98$ and i will just have to have someone in the neighborhood help me put it in; or the local garage and pay someone to put it in for me.

so if this new alternator doesnt fix the problem than it must be cables?

 

Well everyone thank u i got a new alternator installed and it seemed to fix the problem.