Hi, new user here, always loved Volvos since my parents had them years ago, so jumped at getting one for going to France on holiday biking.

Anyhow, recently, I've had a few issues.

First, I accidentally left the headlights on the low setting overnight, draining the battery. I recharged it, but when trying to start it, the car seems to go quiet and just stall, as if it can't keep the engine running somehow. Putting a bit of pressure on the accelerator balanced it out until after a few seconds, it would keep running. Then when I went to try it again next day, the battery was dead again. I left it charging longer than before and it's running a lot better, but the bite point seems to be a lot different, and I keep stalling it now, as the engine tries to cut out at lower revs.

Second, and has developed today, there's the noise you get from the power steering when you put it to the limit of it's turn, but it's started doing it for most corners now, so it's a little noisy.

If anyone has any ideas about these things, I'd love to know, as I'm due to drive from Scotland to the Alps a week on thursday in it, with a pile of bikes and luggage, and I'd love to avoid a breakdown.

Cheers!

 

sounds like your alternator might be on its way out...

also sounds like the power steering pump is dying.


now that i think about it maybe you have a bad serpentine belt or a bad tensioner...

 

Why would these problems suddenly appear just because the battery went flat though?

It doesn't make sense to me.

 

because its a volvo? haha.

i dont think that the issues are related at all.

 

Sounds to me like your episode with the lights pushed your battery over the edge; i.e. it may have one or more shorted cells now.

That would explain your serp belt squealing; the alt is trying to charge a dead short (possibly)!

I would get into a shop pronto; have them load test the battery and ck the charging system.

 

hmmmm, thats an interesting thought.

 

Getting the battery load-tested would certainly be cheaper than getting a new alternator. I'll give that a try.

 

The belt could have given up trying to spin the alternator with heavy load and might have glazed to the limit that it started to slip/squeek. I would replace the belt and while doing that will get an idea of the tensioner's condition. It should have enough pressure to keep the belt in required tension.

 

New revelations!

It worked absolutely perfectly today. Started with no problem, bite point is as normal, no trying to cut out while idling or pulling away.

However, returning home, it decided to put up a fight to start, and it's now decided the washer fluid is nearly empty, with the light for it going on and off.

Finally, I'm thinking the power steering pump might just be on it's way out, as it was making distressed noises trying to reverse into my parking space. I'm going to try and source a part. How hard is it to change them over?

 

not that bad of a job to do the pump.

as far as the washer fluid goes... umm put more fluid in it! haha

 

Seemingly, I'm a retard.

Found a replacement pump on the Bay, went to check on the washer thing (I recently travelled to Newcastle, so topped the fluids up before I left, hardly used the washers, which is why I thought there was something wrong because the light was coming on), and it turns out that the power steering fluid is very low. This could be the reason the pump is being noisy. I'm getting fluid tomorrow.

 

haha, ya usually those things like fluid haha. might want to check if there is a leak or something though if ur that low.