1996 volvo 850 NA. Owned three weeks, it's the orphan from Durand.



Put in a new battery after I put in a new fuel relay, since the PO had used a jumper wire to get it to my house, then stuck in a used relay.

Got the OEM relay and car ran well.

Last week the battery was dead, so I replaced it, because his old crummy battery did not look right. Got a new battery that is supposed to be the correct one for Volvos.

Put the battery in and started it, but didn't drive.

Parked the car for a week. Car will not start. 100% dead on IP no dash lights, no starter noise/actuation.

Attached my Schumacher battery tester/charger. After 30 min charging it says that the battery is 100% charged for 6 volts.

Where did the other 6 volts go?

What's wrong? This one has baffled me.

Any ideas, suggestions, directions for advice?

Thanks!

 

Use the warranty on the battery.

 

Concur......Actually I would first check the water level in the battery, then get the battery load tested at the parts store. If it is bad, replace it. Hopefuly it is just a bad battery and you do not have a current draw that you have to track down

 

Not sure what "looks right" for an 850 battery :-) Batteries now have standard numbers which standardize footprint and terminal location. You want a size 47 for the 850. Yes other sizes can fit but may not work properly with the tie down... They will also come in various capacity, ie 600, 650 or 700 CCAs (cold crank amps) but all will meter out to about 12.5V. The battery is actually a set of 6 cells each making 2.1V wired in series so if you see something less than 12V it means one (or more) of the cells has failed. If its new from the store, it should have come fully charged and should measure at 12V+ with nothing attached. Try disconnecting the positive terminal and measure again = but it sounds like the store didn't set up the battery correctly so time for a return (and confirm you are getting a 47).

 

All,
Thanks for the advice. I returned the battery and got another 47. Car started fine. Question : what's the most common short/battery drainer on the 850 cars?

 

Glove box light........

 

BTW, take a look at the DIY sticky at the top of the board. there's a nice article on how to work on a battery drain problem using a VOM.