Strange electrical problem

[fmwaz]

Hello,
I am experiencing an odd problem with my 2012 Volvo S60. I was able to take it to the dealer but did not have a scheduled appointment so they did not have time to do a full diagnosis. Apparently it is not something simple that came up with a quick scan since they said I would need to bring it back and they would need to do a full checkout of the system which may take 4 or 5 hours. Any ideas are greatly appreciated.

Car sits for a period of time and Start Car and either
No display – All screens are blank or Display shows Mileage, T1, --:-- and oF (but no temp reading)
No fan/heat
No radio
No speedometer or tachometer
No door locks
No window control
Cruise control works
Turn signals work but no indication on dash

Drive car for a short distance and open the driver’s door (discovered this getting the mail)
The following only occurs if the car has been driven and will not occur if the door is opened without first driving it.

Volvo logo flashed on the infotainment screen for a few seconds then dark
Multiple warning lights appear Brake failure, Brake, Check Engine, ABS, etc.
No radio
No speedometer or tachometer
No door locks
No window control
Cruise control works
Turn signals work but no indication on dash
Fan and heat work

Stop engine - Warning lights stay on after engine is stopped – these will stay on for at least 10 minutes. Not sure how long they stay on but eventually they will go off.

Turn off car and start it with the driver’s door open

Sometimes radio comes on and after a few minutes shuts off
If radio comes on there is no control over volume or stations
Sometimes the beeping sound for either the door or seatbelt starts and will not stop until the car is turned off and sits for a period of time.


Before this started I had intermittent issues with the door locks and the window control on the driver’s door. Sometimes the doors would not lock from the key fob. There were times when the power window controls on the driver’s door would not operate so I tried the following.

Disconnect the large wire harness that feeds into the driver’s door

Everything works – only warning message on the dash was the door open light.
Radio controls work, backup camera display etc.
Turn car on and off several time and took it for a short drive and everything continued to work.
I thought that this solved the problem and assumed the problem was related to something in the door (DDM or some other part)
Turned it off again and it reverted to the behavior described as No display,

Thank you

[SwissXC90]

Very first thing to check is battery voltage and if it is being charged.

Low voltage can cause havoc

Once you have confirmed the battery and charging system is OK, then start looking for CAN bus problems, a chaffed bus wire somewhere.
Diagnostics will help enormously.

[GusGecko]

^^^^ I remember having issues 3-4 years ago with my c30 - heated mirror and rear view stopped working, (some other electrical things stopped too but can't remember - maybe seats) but car worked....next day or so went to start it the dash lit up like a Christmas tree (with all the red and amber warning lights) media screen went crazy and car didn't start... thought the worst...all caused by a dead battery.

New battery solved everything...consider this first. Modern cars rely so much on electricity.

[AndyJudge]

My Old S60 used to randomly Light up the Airbag warning light if the battery charge got too low.

Complete PITA as the light can only be cancelled by hooking it up to diags.

[fmwaz]

Thank you. I will check the battery this weekend.

[fmwaz]

Hello,

I purchased a Vida/Dice unit and followed the troubleshooting in the Vida software by checking the resistance between pins on the OBD connector. The value indicated that the CAN bus was shorted to ground. I removed the drivers door and pulled back the rubber from the connector and found three broken wires. There was also some insulation missing on a couple others. I soldered the three back together and taped over the wires with missing insulation. So far so good - everything works and when I ran the diagnostics in Vida everything passed.