V70: Electrical ABL light

[tommyweaves]

For the past 2 days, when starting the car, I've noticed the ABL light come on, it goes out with all the others once the car's started, but I've never seen it before. (The light is top left side of the dash display; a headlight symbol with arrows going left and right around the top part of the light symbol).

Now, it may be I'm just getting old, but I've had the car from new and I'm sure it's never come on before. Also; I don't have ABL lights!

Battery is a bit low (and currently on trickle charge) but otherwise nothing's changed apart from the weather is colder!

Does anyone have a similar car and could see what happens on theirs?

Car is MY2011 V70 D3 Manual ES spec.

[Spike56]

I asked the very same question some time ago. My S60 has bog standard lights but the abl warning comes on every time the dash runs a check. Never got a definite response but assume it is easier to have just one full dashboard than making different ones for different options.

[tommyweaves]

Thanks Spike. You're probably right. It's just odd I never noticed it before, after more than eight years!

It may be that because it's getting cold and my battery was a bit low I was watching out for the glowplug light, and had never actually really looked at the dash properly before!

[I-S]

Just curious...

Why did you need to see the glowplug light?

Our P3 V70 you simply hit the start button with one foot on the brake and the car would do all of that for you - in very cold weather there was a noticeable delay (up to a second or two) between pressing the button and the engine cranking as it let the glowplugs do their thing. I don't recall there actually being a glowplug light on that car.

[tommyweaves]

Originally Posted by I-S

Just curious...

Why did you need to see the glowplug light?

Our P3 V70 you simply hit the start button with one foot on the brake and the car would do all of that for you - in very cold weather there was a noticeable delay (up to a second or two) between pressing the button and the engine cranking as it let the glowplugs do their thing. I don't recall there actually being a glowplug light on that car.

Fair question. Only because it wasn't firing quite as sharply as it usually does, so out of old habit looked for it to see if it came on and went off before the engine cranked.

As you say, I've spent 8 years pressing the clutch and hitting start without really taking any notice of the dash becauwe generally it starts after about 1 second!

Battery all charged up now so it's back to its usual starting behaviour, but I still notice the light now!

[Spike56]

Drivers who are of a certain age, ie old, still use old school driving methods. I still wait. Don't know why, probably out of habit. But....if it isn't necessary to check, why then do you need the light at all? I don't have a dipstick or engine temperature guage, both of which are still in use on many, many cars and were once a godsend and aid to maintenance. But they're below spec on computer driven models.

I wonder more about the unnecessary warning lights. I can actually work out when my washers bottle is empty!

[I-S]

Don't get me started on the low washer fluid warning on the V70.

Yes, it's a useful reminder - it would be great if it behaved like the service reminded and came up when you started and when you stopped the engine.

However, pinging up on the dashboard with a bong and the yellow warning exclamation EVERY 5 MINUTES WHILE I'M DOING 70 DOWN A MOTORWAY IS STUPID!

What, exactly, does the car want me to do about this particular fact as I'm travelling at 70? Not only that, but it's doing that when there's about 1.5 litres left in the washer tank - on my Leaf that's known as "three quarters full". So the volvo tank takes 5 litres, but 1.5 litres remaining isn't exactly a small amount of screenwash!

Re the glowplug light, I spent ages trying to find it on my mum's Landcruiser 3.0. Eventually I did, the trouble being it was going out way too quickly (56 plate 204bhp Invincible). Modern glow plugs work so quickly that it's barely relevant (but I do take your point about habituation - however, the landcruiser and our old V70 (now gone) are the only diesel vehicles my family has ever had and ever likely to have, so I guess we never had the glowplug habituation.

[Spike56]