I have a 1995 850 with just over 100K miles. It appears to be eating batteries, and I'm worried that there's an intermittent short. Does anyone know of any likely culprits on this model?

Here's the background:

The car's garaged in San Francisco--no cold weather. I've had it since 1998, put on 80 miles a day for two years, but since 2000 it has been driven only about once a week. At the beginning of 2005, the battery was 2 years old and had been installed by my shop. The car has had only one electrical-related problem--the gas cover lock had stuck shut, and a new latch motor was installed in early November 2004.

In mid-January 2005, I went to start it and the battery was dead. I had it jumped, it started right up, but a week later it was dead again. I jumped it again--same thing. I took it into the shop in mid-February, and they couldn't find anything that would be draining the battery, and we just concluded that the infrequent use had been hard on the two-year-old battery, and we replaced it.

By the beginning of April, the new battery was dead. I took it back to the shop, and they still couldn't find anything that would drain the battery. So either we got a bad battery that wouldn't hold a charge after just 6 weeks (unlikely), or there's an intermittent short. If anyone has any suggestions, I'd really appreciate your help. Thanks!

Ed Batista

Thanks to all for the suggestions. It looks like I spoke too soon when I said my shop had ruled out the glove box. I just got the car back (the shop replaced the battery under warranty and said they couldn't find anything that was draining the battery) and I stuck my head down in the passenger side well. There's a hole in the underside of the dash panel that allows you to see up into the glove box, and it's apparent that if the glove box isn't shut firmly, the interior light stays on. The light also comes on if the glove box handle is lifted, but the door isn't opened. When the glove box door is shut firmly, the light goes off every time, and I'm assuming that this is what happened at the shop--they shut the glove box door, checked for any drain on the battery, found none, and moved on.

Although this isn't conclusive proof that the glove box is the culprit, I'm 99% sure. Shortly before the dead battery problems started (after 6.5 years without any electrical problems), the glove box lock broke and the door was stuck shut. The shop had to cut it open and replace the lock, and it seems likely to me that in the process they slightly warped the door so that the light kill switch wasn't working all the time.

I'm going to mount a screw on the inside of the glove box door to insure that the light kill switch is firmly depressed when the door is shut, and I'm going to call my shop and express my disappointment. Thanks again for your help, guys.

Ed

Hi Ed, I just took a nickel (because it is thick) and taped (clear packing tape) it to the inside of the GB door in line with the black light switch plunger. It has stayed there for some time now and seems to have done the trick.
Do you think I should still consider using Popular Mechanix or has your opinion really changed about their abilities due to this problem?
Good luck, Brad

I've been thinking that over. OTOH, I am disappointed by their failure to sort this out. OTOH, they've otherwise provided top-notch service for 6-7 years, so I'm inclined to cut them some slack. I'm going to ask around and see if any other long-time customers feel like things have gone downhill at all. If it looks like this situation was an anomaly, I'm going to stay with them. But if it looks like there's a pattern, I might find another shop. Will follow up here if I do that.

Ed

Ed--I have a 97 GLT wagon here in Norway with a similar problem. I bought the car in the US in 2000 and stored it for six months in a friend's garage. I had a new XC Volvo battery installed in it. After six weeks my friend went out to start it and the battery was stone dead. He jumpered it, drove it around a bit and no more problem. Six weeks later it was dead again. I attributed it to the slight drain the security system puts on it. Drove the car down to Oakland from Oregon to have it shipped to Norway, put it in a cargo container, and off it went. Met it here on this side. Battery totally dead after its two month's sea voyage. Hellava problem getting it out of the container because the tranny was locked in park and wouldn't release with a dead battery. No more dead battery problems until about a month ago. Wife drives it back and forth to work, about two kilometers each way. One cold winter day about two months ago it started weakly in the garage, she drove to work, and that evening it was dead in the parking lot and had to be jumpered. Like you I was ready to grab my ohm meter and see where I had a short--glove box, whatever. I tend to agree with the post who said on a lot of short driving, especially in the winter, you slowly run the battery down because the headlights are on all the time you're driving, so there's a heavy drain there. Below freezing starts and running lights are hard on batteries. I haven't had another battery problem with the car to date, but like you I'm keeping a close watch on it. If it craps out this summer I'll know for certain I have an intermittent short somewhere. Dick

Not sure if anyone has said this yet. I had a similar problem and I was very concered after I swapped the batts out checked everything so I took it to the mechanic. Apparently the battery connection to the solenoid for the starter was loose and shorting out, he tightened it up (because I felt so stupid I couldn't see it) and I was A-ok. Check that and see if that may be it.

--Erik

Then all you can do is get an Ohm meter and with the engine off, check the voltage draw on both sides of every fuse to narrow it down.
Klaus
--
98 V70Rawd(101Kmi), 95 854T(85K mi), 75 164E(173K mi)

Thanks, Klaus. That's precisely what's so baffling here. It's my understanding that my shop has already checked the voltage draw everywhere they possibly can, and they've found nothing out of the ordinary that would drain the battery. We're guessing there's some sort of intermittent short--it's very frustrating, especially since this car's been so good for the last 7 years.

Ed

Thanks for the suggestions, guys. I've already discussed the possibility of the glove box light with my shop owner--he had seen that problem before and has ruled it out in this case. And I know the trunk light isn't permanently on--I've checked through the back seat myself.

Has anyone seen any other common electrical shorts in 850s?

Mystical, I go to Popular Mechanix, http://popular.thewavemedia.com/index.html, 252 Fourteenth Street, San Francisco, 415-621-0376. Talk to Andy, the owner, or John, the Service Manager, and feel free to say I recommended them.

My car was still under warranty when I bought it used, and I took it to Royal in the city for a while, but I wasn't really happy with them. No single major problem, but I just didn't feel like I was getting great service. Then I went to Putnam on the Peninsula for a while, and they were fine, although not a convenient location for me.

Finally a friend recommended Popular Mechanix, and I've probably been going there for about 6 years. I'm very happy with them--I trust their judgment, their estimates are on the money, they work quickly, and they have a loaner car. I've been a little frustrated that they haven't been able to track down this electrical problem, but that's the nature of intermittent shorts. In general, though, I give PM a big thumbs-up.

Ed Batista

Hi,
My troubles with batteries, such as you are having, all had to do with the glove box door not turning the light off when it was shut. Problem showed up when 850 was not driven often or for very LONG distances so the the battery was not getting FULLY recharged enough to overcome the small steady drain from the glove box light.

Question. I live near San Francisco and have been looking for a GOOD mechanic for newer more electronic Volvos. Any recomendations? Thanks and good luck, Brad [Mystical@pacbell.net}

Don't forget the trunk light. Just pull down the center armrest and look in the trunk. Don't get mad at the battery.

Klaus
--
98 V70Rawd(101Kmi), 95 854T(85K mi), 75 164E(173K mi)