Electrics: Power System Service - Urgent, you're going to die!

[Bonefishblues]

So, brave comrades of the Volvo, what's happening here please? (I made the last bit of the message up, mind)

For the couple of weeks or so I have been getting this message and the red triangle of doom.

A bit of context:

Car's not doing many miles at all - I mean probably under 10 a week at the moment.
New battery at the start of Oct - proper spec, lots of CCAs and all that.
Terminals clean and tight.
Alternator giving 13.6-7 at idle.
New aux belt last spring.
Heated seats on or off makes no difference.
Car drives entirely normally, starts fine and so on.

So I am puzzle. What else can/should I check before it goes to The Man?

TIA

[Millie20]

Have you been able to plug it in to vida?

[Bonefishblues]

No, have been checking the obvious first. The Man has Vida, but I operate at cheaper rates than him.

[paddy74]

Can you get your hands on a DICE/VCX and readout the DTCs (error codes)? Maybe someone in your area? That would help a lot, as it would state the exact error.

Depending on your model, there can be a battery monitor in place. If so, did you reset it after changing the battery?

And did you check the battery? It's not unusual, that new batteries aren't fully loaded. In normal times not that much of a problem, but with stay-at-home orders, this can effect the battery. If possible, just put it on a charger for a few days and give it full charge.

EDIT: again, too late...

[cheshired5]

Battery negative lead will need to be removed first then remove the alternator brush pack/regulator to inspect the brushes for length and condition.
As they wear down, the spring force applied to keep them in reliable contact with the slip rings reduces.
You can also see if there's uneven wear.

You can also check the slip rings for condition and resistance.

This was my old and new brush pack for comparison.....

[Willow place]

Can the Brushes be changed without buying the complete set up ?

[Bonefishblues]

How many miles was yours pls Chesh? I'm about to turn 170K

[cheshired5]

Originally Posted by Willow place

Can the Brushes be changed without buying the complete set up ?

It was £27 for a genuine Bosch unit which includes a new regulator so didn't even bother checking.

Originally Posted by Bonefishblues

How many miles was yours pls Chesh? I'm about to turn 170K

It was at around 14 years and 180k miles.
Wear is based a lot on runtime though so lower mileage done at slower speeds could wear just as fast as high mileages covered quickly at motorway speeds.

A 1 hour journey could be 15 miles in heavy traffic or 60 miles on clear roads and motorways yet produce similar brush wear as the alternator is turning for an hour regardless.

[Bonefishblues]

Interesting. Wouldn't I be showing a lot less than 13.6v if it was dodgy, or is there a different dynamic when actually driving?

You'll gather I still think electricity is witchcraft...

[cheshired5]

There may be drop offs or spikes so you'd need to monitor it over an extended period with something that can capture high/low readings.

This is on top of checking for clean and tight connections and acceptable voltage drop on all main lives and grounds.