About 4 miles into my trip the engine dies. I was going 45mph. This could have been in response to using turn signal. My son had a similar problem the day before. The rear fog light and ABS lights went on. It will start up, although superstition was to not turn on the headlights and just head home. I made it home.

Or maybe something has driven my week old ignition switch to go bad.

I see the car has overload relays.

I'm wondering if your battery has a shorted cell....how old is the battery?

Battery is over 7 years old. I have it out of the car and have been Milton load testing it and charging it but I've misplaced my battery hydrometer. It was reading a bit low at 12.2v, but it's up to 13+ now. European cars (BOSCH?) like my 83 audi and 95 Volvo never seem to keep a battery fully charged, base on the fact that I can throw a batttery charger on and it takes 10 minutes for the green light to go on. My 89 Dodge, 84 Ford and 2000 SUBaru get the green light on the charger after only 1 minute. I tend to get extra time out of a battery due to charging top ups. I have an battery in my 83 Audi that is 14 years old. The 850 battery now passes the Minute after test on my Milton charger but at 12.2 Volts it was already close to the fail area for that test. I had always purchased my batteries from Volvo , but now it comes up as DISCONTINUED. My Volvo dealer claims to have the battery though - but the price is $170. Would be nice if it's just the battery. I thought you could drive a car with a dead battery though.

Bosch batteries at pep boys are the highest rated

The Wally World battery t5 max I got a couple weeks ago is also highly rated. Made by Johnson controlls. Volvo has 550 amps this one 650. Paid 128.00 for it.

As long as it fits perfectly. I have this plastic clip that holds the battery bottom. So far, my 7 year old battery still pulls an OK load rating on my tester. i'LL Have to buy another hydrometer if I don't find mine soon.

Fuel injection cars must have a battery charge. Carb'd cars can run with a dead battery.

At 12.2V, the battery should be good enough. BTW, Costco and Walmart sell batteries. Just make sure the fit is the same.

$170 for a Volvo battery??? Nuts.
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My name is Klaus and I am a V♂lv♂holic

Maybe it's too high tech a battery for a 20 year old Volvo. Problems do seem to be gone for now, I.e. lights on dash and buzzing. The old battery did have a cell that was low.

Now this new battery claims to be sealed - I might not be able to use a battery hydrometer on it.

The newer sealed batteries loose less due to evaporation, but figure 6-8 years of life. The new battery can have the top pried off, but I don't suggest ever doing that.

Time to get the alternator checked at a parts store. It is possible to replace just the voltage regulator on your car (new brushes), if the voltage is too high or too low. It should be at around 14.2-14.4 at idle. Above 15 will kill the battery and below 13 will be too low to do a good re charge.
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My name is Klaus and I am a V♂lv♂holic

Car runs great with new battery. Battery behavior can be mysterious. Old battery did well on a load test. My Milton load tester is probably primitive, just a toaster with a volt gauge. The hydrometer was needed to see cell variation was outside the acceptable range. I wonder how much one must spend on a tester to determine with confidence if the battery is bad. Well I have the old battery still, maybe I'll take it about and have it tested at bulbs & batteries. I tested my alternator by running the car with headlights on and blower full blast. Read about 14volts.

Bottom line is car does not just die at 45mph or set off dash lights with the new battery. I probably didn't need that ignition switch.

This isn't the first time I thought a battery was good, and it was not.

I replaced the ignition switch and then battery in January. Both Volvo parts from the dealer. Yesterday the engine ran well but absolutely every thing else was dead. No power windows, strange clicking noises from the dash , especially if I put signals on. Dead instruments. No headlights , probably no brake lights. Turning off and restarting engine 3 or 4 times was no help. Rev engine no help. I ran an errand, once home I disconnected the battery , did a quick load test with my Milton tester (looks like a toaster) which showed a decent 800 (amp/hr) and then put on my battery 10 amp automatic charger. The charger started at a fairly high for me 8amp rate . Once the charger was happy and the green light went on a test drive found the car running perfect. It also ran well today. My thoughts are , car is sensitive to battery discharge, or maybe all this stuff that wasn't working was under the control of a load reduction relay that cuts power to stuff when starting the car. Any ideas?

There comes a time when you need to burn up a platinum visa card at the dealer i'm afraid. I believe you have a loose wire somewhere that you will never find on your own....

Do yourself 2 favors, check the battery for voltage rather than amp/hr and toss your charger in the closet replacing it with a good trickle charger. Charging it at 10 amps can cook the plates in the battery, not that bad for a new battery but it can mean death for an older one (more than 4 years old).

If you would have had a 2003+ car, a low battery will create havoc with the computers. The 1995, not so much. B.B. is correct about finding a rusty ground wire and it could be time to replace some of the engine to body grounds as well. The higher voltage might be able to ground through the rust, but not lower voltage.

Once the engine warms up, check the large red wire to the battery. It should not be hot to the touch, if it is then check for corrosion at the battery connector end of the wire.

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My back feels better when I sit in a Volvo seat

Do you have the Volvo Wiring diagram for your car?
The wiring varies between 4 and 5-door models.

Here's my hunch from your fuzzy description.
A better tally of exactly what's quit would aid troubleshooting, but from
what you say is dead, I see a potential problem with the Central electrical power ground 31/50. This is located at the fusebox on the firewall.

The wiring diagram gives a complete list of what ground paths 31/50 supplies.
Check it out and see if it's your list of dead stuff.

Each electrical component needs a + and a - supply, and all you need is
a loose ground or a ratty connection at 31/50 to give you that headache.

Bill

I'll hunt for grounds. I never got around to ordering a service DVD for $35 or so. It's probably widely available. On my 30 year old audi I think a cable goes straight from the battery to the alternator. I'll check for that type of thing also. Yep - I'll disconnect the battery before killing myself.

My local dealer claimed to give a Volvo club parts discount , but one dude was a bit mental about it and was determined not to give it to me. So I dropped the volvo club and the dealership.

Hi __,

Just search for "Volvo 850 wiring diagram", you get:

http://www.volvowiringdiagrams.com/?dir=volvo/850%20Wiring%20Diagrams

Your problem is likely a bad ground between the battery and the main fuseblock.
It is likely to be in a ratty crimp connection, and could be at the battery
or at the fuse block. The grounds involved are:

1. The negative connection to the battery with 2 wires crimped (The smaller one
is the one killing you)
2. Beneath the battery near the driver side headlight
3. And around the fuseblock near the firewall, probably on the fender.

Just get them apart, check the crimps, wirebrush everything and put some dielectric silicone and bolt them up new.
If you see green or any corrosion at the terminal ends then fix it.

Happy hunting, Bill

Try a Costco battery. Very good quality and now they sell Interstate batteries. Spent about $60, with a good warranty. Any problems and Costco is very good about returns and cash credit.

I have never seen an overload relay go bad, they are normally for the seats, sunroof, and window motors to prevent the motors from getting hot if they get stuck trying to move their respective parts.

The rear fog and ABS lights? At least you can check the codes for the ABS and clear them.

Sounds more like a grounding problem or alternator wiring problem.
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My name is Klaus and I am a V♂lv♂holic