So on my way to work yesterday my alternator quit charging. I figured I could make it home (15 miles, 25 minutes), but when I got out it was the proverbial dark and stormy night. I turned off the radio, didn't use the rear window defroster, and tried to use the wipers on intermittent trying to conserve the battery. It was raining too hard and I had to run the wipers. The warning lights on the dash were all glowing with varible intensity as Idroveand my headlights were not what you would call bright. Most fuel injection systems do not like low voltage and will quit when you get around 10v. I made it home, and put the battery on charger. Today I undid the two screws that hold the voltage regulator to the back of the alternator and saw the brushes were worn short. Replacing them is fiddlely work but I got the new ones in and replaced the regulator brush assembly. It works!! So after a quarter of a million miles my brushes wore out and i replaced them in an hour for a couple of bucks without removing alternator. I love my volvo for its incredible reliability and hate my madza for the same reason (two engines 25,000 miles, never again)

 

Congrats