My charging system warning lite has been on for a while. At first it would go out after I got up to 2000 rpm or so but now it stays on. My battery died. Got a new one and had the system checked at two places and the alternator is putting out about 13-14 volts and 47 amps @ 2000 rpm. Both people said this is fine. So why would my lite stay on. A short maybe? Also my check engine lite is on but the onboard diagnostics returns 1-1-1, no fault. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks,
Bob

 

Hi Bob,

Greetings from Yokohama, Japan.

As to the charge lamp, I would like to know how old your alternator is. If it's over 100,000 miles/10 years, I would replace it with a rebuilt Bosch. Some may argue with the replacement interval, but mine failed at 140,000 miles/12 years. You don't want that thing to die in the middle of the road; the battery will eventually discharge completely and you won't be able to move.

The alternator should put out 13-14V even at idle, and if it doesn't produce those numbers until 2,000 RPM, I would get it checked or replaced (I personally would do the latter). If a female (your GF, wife or any member in the family) drives the car, get the alternator replaced. If it dies, a driver is left without power assist to the steering & brakes as engine will eventually cease to operate. While men can still navigate the vehicle without power assist, I doubt if average women can do that; Volvos are made very heavy.

As to CEL, if the engine control ECU is reporting 1-1-1, there may be a problem in the transmission ECU. Make sure to check the tranny ECU for possible codes.

I hope this helps.


JPN

 

Exactly what JPN said. Get the alternator checked/relaced.

 

My mistake. I'm getting 13-14 volts at idle also, that's my problem. The two places I checked said it was good and I was wondering if anything but a bad alternator would cause the charging sustem lite come on.