Is this a paradigm shift that I’m just catching up to? Somebody say it ain’t so! Please! My '03 S60 T5 (stick shift) started up fine. A quarter of a mile after I set off, weird things started happening - the radio slowly died, only the tachometer on the instrument panel worked, brake/ABS warnings flashed, etc. A half mile later, the car simply died. All I got on trying to restart it was the "clickclickclick" of a dead battery. I figured the alternator was probably bad, called for a tow and walked back home. 3 hours later, the driver drove it off the tow truck into my driveway. He said he hadn't jumped it and was very sure all I needed was a new battery and not an alternator.

I’ll check this weekend, but if he is right, this is the first time in my experience that a dead battery by itself has killed a stick shift that had a good alternator and was running. With all the previous stick shifts I've owned (other makes apart from Volvo), a dead battery alone was a problem only when starting the car, easily taken care of by a jump or kick start. I could then go on my merry way till I had to restart it. Are stick shifts different these days or should the tow truck driver stick strictly to towing and not diagnosing?

 

Listen, a car runs off of the battery. The alternator charges the battery. If the alternator fails to change the battery, the car will die in motion, regardless if it is a manual stick or automatic. I'm not saying that your alternator is bad, you need to get it tested. Get the battery tested and charged (or replaced). Then take the car to a shop or parts store to have the alternator tested (or test it yourself) to see if it is good.

If the alternator test good, and the battery is good (has been charged), figure out why it is not charging. Could be a bad battery cable or something like that.

 

 

...for the feedback and the helpful video.