Son in law borrowed my 98 V70 and the battery went dead. I have had the car for more than five years and have never changed the battery so no big deal. But when he had it jumped to take it home, it started when a little ways and then stalled again and would not start. I bought a new battery this morning and going to put it in later today. When he got it started by jumping again he tried taking the cables off the battery just to get it home and it would not run.

 

I would check the Alt. output it sounds like the Alt. might have went bad.
Also check to make sure there isn't a bad connection at the positive terminal.

First check output at the Alt. itself. See how much you get. Then measure at the battery. If there is a bog difference probe the wire just before the terminal and see what the difference is before and at the terminal. If it is a 1/2 volt or more replace the positive terminal as well.

 

OK Son in law has equipment to do this checking and is going to do it after I put the battery in. He was thinking the alternator could be bad too. Wouldn't hurt to drive it home with the new battery and then order an alternator if it is bad would it? About a 30 mile drive and then I would let it sit until the alt comes in.

 

It should make the 30 miles ok.
Make sure you turn as much accessories off as you can. If the Alt is bad the less on the better.
Turn the daytime running lights off as well.

 

It will be dark so I have to have lights on. If it's really low I will just leave it at his house and make him put the alternator on when it comes in. Heck I might do that anyway if it needs one. He does these things 10 times faster than me anyway.

 

Oh ok well you could always chance it and if the battery dies swap it out of the other follow car till you get home.

Either way let me know how it comes out.

 

OK went and put the battery in at lunch. Car started, but stalled right out after running very rough. Kept restarting it but it would not run. Went and get the ODB-II reader and no codes were present. After it stalled again got a whole bunch of garbage on the reader. I called AAA to have the car towed to my son in laws house. The tow truck driver kept trying to start it over and over, he got under the hood and pushed on some fuses and relays then tried to start it and it started right up and ran. He followed my to me to my son in law's house and he said when I got on it it blew some dark smoke. It studerred when I did this the first time, but ran fine after that. Pretty strange.

 

Did you see what relays he was messing with?

 

He just opened the fuse box and the box below the fuse box and just kind of touched them. I don't think any of them were labled Fuel Relay though. That's what we were both looking for. He could tell I knew a little bit more than the average person about my car when I said I think it might be the fuel relay and I just want to get it to my son in law's house. I also told him I had read and the codes and was not getting anything.

But it was my Steelers hat that got him to not even count it as a call and he followed me to my son in law's house and gave me a ride back. He was checking out my white R and said that's a kind of rare one isn't it? I just said not as rare as the yellow one I have at home. Although I am not sure the white with charcoal interior is very easy to find either.

 

Recheck in your fuse panel there should be a connection with a cable that goes to a stud that feeds the fuse panel make sure those connections are clean and tight. I wonder if maybe that was it.