Hello - I've seen several posts that address one or the other of my issues, but none that go to both. (Warning - I'm talker I have a 1993 Volvo 850 GLT. After driving on the highway for 10-15 minutes, I exited the highway and as I feathered my brakes, my entire dashboard lit up like a Christmas tree. All of the lights came on and flickered continuously until I came to a complete stop. Upon acceleration (over 3K) the lights went off again. As I traveled thru town and many stoplights, sometimes they would flash back on but either a hard brake or heavy acceleration would darken them again. There were no issues with the engine, acceleration, stalling, starting, etc. After 6-7 hours of being parked I made the return trip home with no issues whatsoever. The car sat for several hours untilmy husband & I returned to town for dinner.The lights would would flash on occasion, but not consistently throughout our evening travels. We stopped at a car parts place and had the alternator tested. We were told there was no reading & that this was unusual. We were told if the alternator were going bad, there would at least be a reading and it was suggested we had a loose wire somewhere. The battery tested fine. We attempted to return home but about5 minutes into our trip, the dashlights began to flash again and within 2 more minutes, everything dimmed to almost dark. The gas, temp & speed went to 0 and the car began to runsluggishly. It would lurch and smooth out during some acceleration attempts and others it would accelerate smoothly. We made it the 6-7 miles home and nearly coasted into the driveway before the engine completely gave out. The car would not immediately restart. This morning, however it starts fine. The lights still flash but disappear after revving the engine to 3k. So do I need an alternator? a battery? new wiring? or the new XC90 (my personal choice). Any help would be greatly appreciated - especially before my husband decides taking the car apart would be a good solution!

 

Welcome to the forum.

(Warning - I’mthe talkiest

>my entire dashboard lit up like a Christmas tree.
It is normal because this is the right season. It is called Volvo Integrated Holiday Season Enchantment Function...

...just kidding[8D].

A retiring alternator would do that. If it has never been replaced, it may be a time to put in a rebuilt alternator. Mine failed at 14 years/140,000 miles. I would buy a rebuilt Bosch with lifetime warranty (Pep boys sells them for approx $220 with core charge). Other members may have different opinions so wait to hear from them until spending $220.

Tell us the age & brand of your battery. I would stay away from cheap franchise batteries as they are known to fail prematurely. I would go with the Interstate Battery. If it is more than 4 years old, I would replace it just as a safety precautions. Also, if you should decide to put in a rebuilt alternator, make sure that the battery is at full charge or the alternator may be damaged.

I personally would stay away from XC90s. They are known to have many issues and you would be spending thousands of $$$ fixing it (not sure about the 08 models, though).

The other experts would be joining shortly. Moderator Tech is our top dog FYI.


JPN

 

Thanks for the input! It ended up being the alternator. My garage/mechanic had a bit of a problem with it as the parts store delivered the wrong one 3 times! Thankfully,I didn't get charged for that. Of course, he found that my serpentine belt has some dry spots and that the tensioner is loose. To replace both is $250. Do you think that's reasonable? More importantly, is it something that a backyard mechanic can do? Thanks!!

 

Yes it sounds fair. I would make sure that your mechanic uses the longer belt; there are original-length short belt and the improved longer length belt. The OEM brand is Continental Tech.


JPN