So I have gradually noticed my car having a harder time starting until the other day it wouldnt start altogether. I jumped the car and ran home (20 miles) and it refused to start again. Charged the battery to full and checked the voltage after it was started and it was over 13v. My battery was bought in august and had it tested not too long ago. My question is, could this still possibly be my alternator? Or should I look for something draining power when the car is off? I just want the closest thing to an answer I can get til I go and replace parts.

 

Could be the battery(new batteries go bad sometimes!), alternator, battery cables.
I would unfasten the battery cables and clean them before replacing them. Look for alot of corrosion right before the end. follow both cables to their other end and check that connection as well. You can check your alternator wit a voltmeter, or any auto shop can do that for you.( mine made it 190,000 miles so they can last along time).

If you drove home and the car would not start again I would forget the drain theory - if it wasn't sitting there it couldn't have drained, right?

 

Well I just took the car to advance and they said after it was jumped it was running 12.7 volts, therefore my alternator is barely working. In addition I noticed driving down my bumpy road any big bumps causing the dash to flash and the car to sputter for a split second. One of rspi's videos mentioned something about the alternator failure throwing some dash lights, but could it cause this too?

 

I would clean the battery terminals and chekk the battery connectors. rspi has a video on this. The bumpy road causing your lights to flicker make me think you have a loose connector. If you see white powder on the terminals or corrosion between the wifing and the connector, you need do clean it. The Volvo connector is not exactly the best connector . If I remember right, in rspi's video he talks about soldering the wiring to the connector.

 

 

 

I agree with taking the battery cable connector apart and cleaning it up first.

 

I cleaned the connection to the battery but the problem was the part of the positive that goes into the cab. The nut holding that onto the other part of the positive cable wasnt the right size so it felt tightened but it was still leaving a gap. Once again, completely overthought. I feel dumb as hell lol

 

Thanks for updating. I always appreciate closure because sometimes when you are in the middle of an issue you can't see stuff that may be apparent to anyone on the outside.