So, last night the battery was dead... time to jump start.

One thing I know this car has developed a tendency for is the fan staying on (the heater fan not the radiator one) so that is what I thought happened.

Jumpstarted the car and went for a quick drive, park the car. I verified I had the blower OFF so I wouldn't have a dead battery again this morning.

WRONG! Battery dead again.... now I'm almost sure it's not the fan since I verified it was off. I didn't have anything plugged into the cigarette lighter.... which turns off anyway. Any suggestions as how to kick off my search?

For the record, I'm not sure if that positive terminal under the hood is meant to be a place to put jumper cables, but IF it indeed is I would love a chance to ask the guy who designed it what exactly kind of jumper cables he was using when he mocked up this ridiculous excuse for a positive terminal.... about 1" of space to put a big fat jumper cable clamp into - yeah brilliant idea!!!!

 

Before the battery started dying were you having an alarm system service message?

If so the alarm siren might be bad draining the battery.

 

Check your glovebox, vanity mirror, and trunk lights. Had a bad switch on a mirror once. Spent a week trying to track it down, finally took it in and it was one of the first things they checked.

 

No alarm system service message. To be honest with you I don't think the car even has an alarm. Do they all ?

Will check glove box tonight. Did your mirror light stay on when the switch was bad?

 

I believe all the 2001 an up models do.
The 98-2000 most did but not all.

 

Supposedly the switch in the vanity mirror went bad. It stayed on even when it was closed and eventually discharged the battery. the first few days it was hard to turn over, and then it was just dead. I have a short commute to work and the battery didn't have enough time to charge.

EDIT: As far the the heater fan goes, it will run for a few minutes 50 minutes after the car is turned off. This removes any condensation that accumulated in the system and prevents you from getting that musty smell some a/c systems are known to develop.

 

OK.... here's a new couple of twists:

#1: This car does not have a vented battery installed. WTF!!!! IS that not a hazard? Anyways... No matter the outcome, looks like I'm replacing the battery (runs to the battery thread a few below this one)

#2: My dome lights don't work now, and neither does the sunroof! It gets weirder!!! They work when I open the door, but they cannot turn on w/ the buttons like they used to! This goes for the front dome lights, the rears and the sunroof is dead also. Visor lights are also toast! Checked all fuses labeled anything closely resembling interior lights and they are all good!

#3: Wow, this car has lights underneath the side mirrors. When exactly are those things supposed to come on ?

 

I'll be of little help, but the lights on the side mirrors come on when you push the small yellow round button on the key fob. Makes it nice to see in the immediate area of the door when getting in. I heard the term "puddle lights" which I thought appropriate!

Jerry

 

Had this happen when I replaced the battery in my old 01 S80. Cycle the key in the drivers door and in the ignition a few times and everything returned to normal.

If that doesn't work, completely disconnect the battery and touch the negative and positive cables together for 5 mins. This will drain the system and reset any computer issues. then reconnect the battery, POSITIVE cable first. Make sure the connections are secure and try them again.

 

Well well well well... wouldn't you know it. You learn something new everyday. What a neat feature. You know the whole 10 months I've been driving this car i've always thought that was a panic button with the logo worn off HA! Thanks for the heads up.

I started the car this AM to put it in the garage and it started right up, so at least the battery is either doing a heck of a job holding a charge OR I found the drain.....

Glad to hear about the cycling of the key - I will try that when I get back tomorrow.

 

Hmmm... ok - disco'ed the battery for 15 minutes and then reconnected it. Drove around for a while and now I think i'm good all of a sudden! Dome lights work again, obviously the check engine light is off (for now)and the battery seems to hold a charge pretty well. Still kinda wondering what drained it to begin with...

 

Glad to hear you fixed the problem! I'm having minor power issues with my V70 as well but some of it went away, others are still there. I think it gets a little better every week now that I have a new battery. I also cleaned all of the dirty connections going to the alternator and that seemed to help a bit. The power is still a little bit goofy but I just decided I'll wait and see if it works itself out when the warmer weather hits.

 

Same thing happens to my 99 $80

 

New "dummy" to this forum and new V70 owner (2001) having same problem, battery draining. Will try some of these suggestions but can anybody offer any more? Thanks. Think I will enjoy this forum! Fred H

 

"Supposedly the switch in the vanity mirror went bad. It stayed on even when it was closed and eventually discharged the battery. the first few days it was hard to turn over, and then it was just dead. I have a short commute to work and the battery didn't have enough time to charge. "

Same problem as above, dead battery. Had problems with the glove box before disconnected the light, still drained batt now going for vanity lights on the visors. Also, had the dome / interior lights not work, cycled key in door now ok. If not vanity visors, Elect Control Module?, Volvo dealer?
Need to get this resolved.....

 

Looked at a new one on Volvo Parts about $135.00 USD. And do I have to take it back to the dealer for VALADIS?

 

I think I have chased my battery drain down to fuse#32, "Central electronic module, ECPS, courtesy lamps, glove box lamp" What is ECPS? courtesy lights seem OK, glove box light is OK. Where is the module located and how do I fix that if needed? Is module gonna' cost me $135? Any body able to help me? Thanks in advance!











Fred H here, think I have chased my battery drain problem down to fuse#32, "central electronic module, ECPS, courtesy lamps, glove box lamp" Glove box lamp is OK, courtesy lamps seem OK, what is ECPS? Where is the module located and how do I fix that if needed? Gonna' cost me $135.00? Any body able to help me, thanks in advance. Fred H

 

When your battery drains or is weak, it plays havoc with your car's upper electrics. This includes your sunroof, courtesy lights, etc. The reset is to disconnect your battery for 10 minutes to allow residual current in the system to drain away. When you reconnect, postive terminal first, the upper electrics will reset and should cure the problem. But you need a decent battery before you try this.

 

Is there a drain on the battery at all times when the engine if off? Since I don't use my car an awful lot, I disconnect the battery when I'm not using the car thereby saving my battery! May not even have a battery problem at all after doing that for some time. If there is a drain, how much is it? Thanks for your reply! ===Fred===

 

There is power going all the time to maintain the memory of certain electronics. If the car is locked then the burglar alarm would be taking additional power. I am not sure how much it is supposed to be, and of course electronics vary from car to car, but it would have to be much less than 1 amp.