I have a 98 v70 wagon 140,000 miles bought used and except for things you'd expect to go over time still rides nice and is good on gas. However, lately I've been experiencing dead battery issues. One mechanic said the clock and odometer should not stay on ... which it does when turned off and key is removed. I am not a mechanic but understand the alternator is ok. On occasion I'll hit the hazard lights switch when putting it into park(poor design location) and not notice it .... dead the next day. Now I check all interior lights and doors before leaving the car. Question, should there be no dash lights on when the car is turned off and if so why does the odometer and clock stay on.
Read in a previous thread about alarms being a drain. Sometimes the alarm stays on when the door is closed ..... I usually open and close the door again and the alarm goes off. Any suggestions?
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I just went out to the driveway and looked at my V70 - car is parked with key out - and my clock and odo are on. Your problem sounds like a battery drain. Checking your courtesy lights are off is a good idea - mine have been a constant problem. The standard method of checking for battery drain was to disconnect the neg. cable and put a test light or voltmeter between the cable and post - there should be no voltage. However, this doesn't work as well with newer cars as some items always have voltage for memory (ie., radio, etc.). You can still use this method by pulling fuses for suspect circuits (hidden items such as glove compartment light) and the test light should go out. Hope this is of some help.