Does the battery light come on before starting? (Key on, engine off)

Try clamping a jumper cable from the alternator body directly to the NEG terminal of the battery. Volvos use the rubber bushings on the alternator mounts, so you need a ground wire. (Mine is big and green! Yes they CAN break down inside.)

Battery cables can LOOK good but have high resistance. More info here, including how to check:LINK to Charging FAQs

HTH

 

I would start looking in the speedo cluster. I think there is a sensor or soemthing like that in there. That if it burns up it won't charge.

 

That can be it. But I don't know where to look in the speedo? Also a mechanic is coming by tomorrow to look at the car, hopefully he can find something. I will keep you all posted thanks.

 

Ok Also try to find a wiring diagram and look through it.This way you know where all the wires go to.

 

I also think I have a bad positive battery cable. If its bad that will make the car shut off also correct?

 

Maybe and maybe not. You can test by starting the car and disconnecting the battery. The Alt should keep it running.

 

Don't do that! Running the engine without the alternator could fry the regular diodes.

Wait a minute...isn't that what is happening? Bad alternators all the time? HMMM...

Better check the battery cables using the link I posted before, as a guide.

 

With a good Alt. the car will run without frying anything.

 

Do you know what tool I need to remove my battery cable? It looks like a bolt, but I am not sure

 

You will need either a 1/2 inch wrench or a 10mm wrench.

 

So I am back again. Now the car is just dead last week I removed the cluster and took it out partially and removed a cable(boost cable). And now the boost gage doesnt work. Can a car drive without a cluster? Cause I think thats where my problem is, so I am going to pull it out then get a boost and see. TIA

 

Some ill run without the cluster and others won't.

Exactly what wire did you disconect? The turbo boost guage should only work off of vaccum.

 

I disconnected a wire in the back on the right hand side. I think I put it in backwards.

 

Could be there is a wire that I believe is on the right side that you can get messed up. I think it will burn up the cluster if you put it on the wrong connector.

 

It works now!. It was a wire in the cluster that was dead. The mechanic replaced the wire and the gauges works again, expect for the speedometer thats another time. But the car drives again. Thanks for your help Tech and everybody else great site!

 

A lot of people might think that power comes from the battery, and that is true to some extent. But the point is that the source for all of that energy is the gastank. Yep. And the link from the gas tank to the battery is that mysterious thing called the alternator.[/b]