Hi, I'm new Volvo forums but read the forums all the time, last night on my way back to work my 95' 850 Turbo started acting funny, first the radio started to flicker on and off. I turned it off and went back to work, a couple hours from then I then got in the car and started it, it was find until I stepped on the brake then the radio goes off and I see all these lighs at the bottom of the cluster, a.b.s., gas etc. So I began to drive it and it goes into limp home mode which was weird cause I got that part replaced a couple of years ago by Volvo. By the way this is at night, so i drive the car and the headlights cut off and I stop at a light and the car shuts off. The car was hesitating really bad but it just shut off, I try to turn it over and nothing happens. Does anybody know if this is the battery or the alternator, this is tough because it all started when I stepped on the brake to put it in drive.

 

if your alt is failing it would cause your battery to drain it sounds like an alternator to me, can you start it all now? if you can and have a volt meter, see what voltage its putting out when its running, it should be in the 14v range

 

agree with 91 shelby check voltage with car running it should read 13.8 volts not less than 12.5 . if so your alt is bad . if you check it with it off all thats going to tell you is the battery is dead

 

Your car can run on just the battery as long as there is enough voltage for the crutial components. When the battery voltage gets down in the 6-9volt area you will start to see the things happen that you described. If your alternator was working fine it should be able to keep the car running, even without a battery(dont do this). So I agree with the previous two...your alternator is not charging and you have been runnning on whats left in your battery until the battery drained beyond what the car needed.