dear brick board,

my 89 240 dl sedan stopped running while my wife was driving it to work. this is the first time this has happened but she was none too pleased.

i suspect an electrical problem related to driving through deep water during a storm the other day but i am not sure that is the problem.

i left the car air out with the hood opened today. the battery was down so i jumped it and it ran fine for a minute or two. then it started fading. the ide slowly dropped and then it stalled. it seemed almost like the fuel supply was slowly being cut off.

i made sure there was fuel in the tank. i have checked the fuses including the one under the hood.

after it stalled, i jumped it again and it did the same thing; it ran fine for a minute and then slowly faded until it stalled.

does anyone have a suggestion where i should begin getting to the bottom of this problem? please advise. thank you.

2oldvolvos

The alternator warning lamp is your guide. You charged the battery overnight. The car will run on the battery voltage until it starts to drain. Thus cuasing your slow steady loss of operation. Once the battery is drained below the required needs for your car, it will surely stall.
How deep into the water was the vehicle? If it was up to the doors, you may have shorted out the alternator. Water conducts..
Is your charge lamp on solid, or does it dimm if you rev the engine? If the light dimms when you increase engine speed, I would check the alternator brushes. Volvo alternators have replaceable brushes

I had a battery with a bad cell. I had similiar problems. The battery was not that old and it would start when I jumped it but if too much load was put on it it would stall. It was hard to diagnose too.

just get the brushes done at a starter/alternator place; it's a $20 job. You are letting yourself get taken if you replace the entire alternator.
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Stef (81 245 B21A SU M46 3.91) 325000km my volvo pages

Fist, unplug the AMM and restart to observe. Starting fine and running 10-30 seconds to die off is a typical 016 AMM scenario. Then suspect the crank sensor or fuel relay.

Gotta agree with Tony H. If the car runs strong with a fully charged battery, you probably have a charging problem. With luck, it may be only a bad voltage regulator. Pull it and check the brushes...

Good luck.

Jump again and check voltage on battery. Make sure your are Charging. 13+ volts at just abouve an idle.

Will it stay running if the idle is up or if you keep slightly revving the Engine?
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'75 Jeep CJ5 345Hp ChevyPwrd, two motorcycles, '85 Pickup: The '89 Volvo is the newest vehicle I own. it wasn't Volvos safety , it was Longevity that sold me

tony,

thanks for the reply. when you say measure the voltage do you mean to just put a volt meter across the + and - poles of my battery? please advise.

by the way, my alt light and parking break lights have been on after i start the car lately. before today (when the car stopped running) the lights would go off as soon as pressed the gas pedal so i didn't worry about it.

2oldvolvos.

Yes, right at the battery terminals. You just want to make sure you are charging the batt. Very low voltage will cause havoc for the injectors.
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'75 Jeep CJ5 345Hp ChevyPwrd, two motorcycles, '85 Pickup: The '89 Volvo is the newest vehicle I own. it wasn't Volvos safety , it was Longevity that sold me

tony,

i think you are correct. i charged the battery overnight. the voltage was 13.5 before i started the car. the voltage started at 12.46 with the car running. i idled the car for 51 minutes and the voltage dropped constantly to 11.92. i am going to pull the alternator and check the brushes.

by the way, my alt warning light was on and did not go out over the 51 minutes.

i am pretty sure a new alternator is my fix. i had no idea the car would quit running if the voltage dropped too low. my bad.

thanks again. i will report my results.

2oldvolvos

You mentioned wet weather.

Make sure your connections to the alternator are all good. Including the Ground strap from Alternator to Frame.

That may be the source of a No Charge. Not the alternator.

Just a thought.
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'75 Jeep CJ5 345Hp ChevyPwrd, two motorcycles, '85 Pickup: The '89 Volvo is the newest vehicle I own. it wasn't Volvos safety , it was Longevity that sold me

Tony,

You were correct. It was a bad alternator. I replaced it and all is well. My idiot light does not come on anymore either! Thanks again for your help.

2oldvolvos

I'm glad you got it solved. I'm sorry you had to spring for an alternator.

Did you attempt to look at the Brushes on your alternator? For about $40 bucks you can put in a new regulator and brushes. The Windings and bearing don't usually go bad on Volvo alternators.

Glad you are running again
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'75 Jeep CJ5 345Hp ChevyPwrd, two motorcycles, '85 Pickup: The '89 Volvo is the newest vehicle I own. it wasn't Volvos safety , it was Longevity that sold me