Hi,

This problem only happens in the winter when temperatures are below 50. The car will start fine in the morning but the alternator is not charging up. Which means that for the 1st 20/30 minutes of my journey to work I'm running off the battery. So for about the first 10 miles, everything but the gauges work. Once the inside has nicely warmed up, the gauges come on and the battery starts charging up again.

I should add that the fuse of the blower will blow about twice every winter. And that seems to happen when the alternator comes back on which may send a power surge to the fuse(?).

Has someone any idea of what it could be? Relay? Fuse box?

Thanks in advance

 

Year and model?

 

Sorry... I completely forgot: 1987 740 SW Turbo with stick transmission.
I bought the car about 5 years ago and put around 120.000 miles on it. The problem has always been there and I've lived with it so far but this year it seems to get worst. It takes a lot longer for that "faulty part" to warm up which drains the battery badly.

 

replace the brushes in the alternator I think they are worn to the point they are not touching when cold. You can buy the brushes separately (about $7 it is a fiddily job difficulty 2)or buy the brush regulator as a unit (I think about $27) at fcp groton. You do not even have to remove alternator from car.

 

Thanks!
That's easy and cheap enough.
I'll try the Brush regulator unit and keep you updated.
In the meantime if anyone has another idea let me know.

 

Agree with jeepster. Something with the alt. Could be loose drive belts, bad regulator, poor electrical connection. While cranking the engine does the "batt" light come on?

 

Hi,
I've ordered the regulator unit through FCP Groton (Great prices there. I had never heard of them and I was primarily using IPD. Thanks again Jeepster!). When changing the unit I will also clean up and check loose connections.
The problem happens in three stages:
1) The car starts at the first turn of key. At that point; head lights, wipers, power windows, etc... work but dimly. No lights or gauges in the dash are functionning.
2) The battery light comes on once the car has been warming up for a while (5 to 10 mn depending on weather). Oddly enough, at that point it seems that the battery is charging as the head lights, wipers, etc... are working at full strentgh(?!?). However, no gauges work.
3) After about 5 to 8 miles of driving, the gauges come on and the battery light goes off at that point.

 

Hi Guys,

I did change the brush unit last week end but it wasn't the problem! But, once going, the alternator is really charging up nicely.
So, the problem is still as described in my last posting.
Any other ideas?
Thanks

 

Your hint about "Once the inside has nicely warmed up, the gauges come on and the battery starts charging up again." leads me to think that the connections to the battery light bulb in the dashboard might be corroded. Worth a look.

 

Hi Fred,

Thanks for the hint, I'll work on it. I'm dreading getting into the dashboard though... are these easily accessible?
I went to your site and it's fantastic! I love my 740 and intend to keep it for as long as possible, hence why I'm now learning how to work on it myself. I'm sure your hints will come handy at some point.

 

JF,

Do you have the Haynes 740 manual? Go to p. 277. There are screws hidden behind plastic trim surrounding the transparent panel. Once you remove the panel, the instrument cluster is supposed to slide out. I haven't done this myself yet.

Also, for more on alternator, go to www.vlvworld.com, (1) click on "740" next to Repair Manual (after scrolling 1/2 way down), (2) then click on "Engine," "2.3 Charger," and "2.3.0 Starter, Battery, Alternator Troubleshooting Guide," (3) then click on "Alternator Charging Fault." This guide has great fundamentals on the alternator and charging circuit, though the alternator may vary from what you or I have.

They reinforced what I told you. If the warning light is faulty, the alternator may not charge properly.

 

Hi Fred,

I have the manual. I'll look into removing the dashboard later this evening.

Thanks for the link to vlv. I see that you have the same car as mine. Have you experienced any electrical issues?

Cheers,

 

My two most importantVolvo tools are myfluorecent worklight and my VOM.

 

JF,

Some of the insulation on my wiring harness has dropped off. And just learned that some of my Bougicord spark plug wires are no good. Otherwise, not too bad.

Oh, those screws for the instrument cluster are under the snap-on plates at bottom left and right, where the knurled ***** are. One knurled **** is for clock and other, I believe, is for adjusting lighting of instrument panel. Once screws are removed, it's supposed to be easy to pull instrument cluster out. But, as I said before, I haven't done this procedure yet. Be careful you don't pull any wires loose or break them.

 

Hi,
Sorry but you're talking to a neophyte here: why a fluorescent light and what is a VOM?
Thanks.

 

Hi Fred,
I've also noticed that some of the ground wires (attached to the intake manifold) coming out the harness had lost their insulation. I recovered them only as far as I could reach because the prospect of getting any further into the harness is too daunting for me.

Thanks for the tip about the screws for the dashboard. I haven't had a chance to look at it this week end but I'll try to find some time this week to fiddle with it. I get worried when looking into this kind of stuff because if more that two wires are attached I get electrical dyslexia...