V60 D3 multiple system faults, power issue?

[rbcohen]

Hi!

Having some weird issues with a Volvo V60 D3 2011, tried a few things and looking for any advice. If issue gets resolved hopefully this will help someone else too.

Original issue was with the alternator, driving along a charging failure light popped up on the dash - followed quickly by lots of other system failures (power steering, dstc, city safety, etc). AA confirmed and took me to my mechanic, who replaced the alternator (not OEM, but presumably fine). Battery seemed to be OK after a charge, so didn't replace battery.

Drove car to work and back (20 min each way) for a week after the alternator was replaced without issue. Figured car was back to normal.

Driving to Manchester at the weekend, 160 miles in to trip and in torrential rain, all the system failure messages pop up and car enters limp mode. AA turn up and check fault codes, only fault code is "about the alternator". The fault code is reset, incase my mechanic forgot, and the AA escort me the rest of the way without issue.

Car sits in NCP carpark for 2 days, and I drive the 250 miles home without a problem. Drive to work the next day (20 miles) without a problem, but when I try to start the car that evening all the system messages pop up again. Seems to be enough power for everything, although interestingly the boot wouldn't open until I turned ignition off.

Plug in a OBD2 adapter, and the only fault code is U0001. Resetting the fault code, the car will start and seems to idle fine. Leave car off for a few hours, but when turning it back on U0001 and all the service lights are back. Voltage from battery with everything off is 12.4v (a little low?) after charging it with a battery charger and trying to read the error codes for 20 minutes.

So, what should I try next? I've got a replacement battery on the way, as it looks like U0001 can be triggered by low voltage. Not sure the fault should have triggered while driving along the motorway if its the battery though? I suppose I did have lights, wipers, AC, etc etc on.

If the new battery doesn't solve it, has anyone had similar symptoms or got any ideas of what to try next? My only other hunches are that 1) the new alternator is faulty, 2) the two times things have failed, its been raining pretty hard, so maybe water ingress somewhere?

Many thanks for reading, apologies for the long story!

[Rooster]

Check earth lead from gearbox to body under air filter box,

I bet leads loose on engine side

[cheshired5]

Spend £5 on a multimeter instead of buying parts based on error codes.
Your battery may well be done for but it's cheap and easy to confirm.

[mattievrs]

As stated, check the earth under the air box assembly. Does sound like a battery with a dry cell in it though.

[rbcohen]

Many thanks for the replies so far.

Spend £5 on a multimeter instead of buying parts based on error codes.

I have a multimeter and have checked the voltage of the battery with the ignition off (12.4v) and while starting the engine (dropped to 9.6v). What else should I be looking for with the multimeter? (P.S. had a look at https://youtu.be/sWIHbDAhv4Y)

Check earth lead from gearbox to body under air filter box,

Will take a look at this. To be honest, I'm not sure I understand exactly what I'm looking for, but will see if I can find anything obvious or mention it to mechanic. Is it visible without removing the air filter?

[rbcohen]

Quick update on progress so far! New battery in, switch ignition on and I'm left with just one warning light "City safety service required". The car starts and seems to drive just fine.

I've made three trips, totalling 2 hours of driving. Too soon to tell whether the issue is fixed, as managed 6 hours of driving in-between the fault last time.

Two things I've noticed that I'll get checked out at the same time as the "City safety service required" message:

1) When I pulled up and left the car idling for a few minutes with torque lite hooked up, the Voltage (control module) sensor was sometimes as low as 12.5v. Normally sits around 13/14 when driving however.

2) When turning the ignition on (position II), there is a high pitched buzz from the engine bay, sounds like its coming from near the air filter box. Reminds me of a stuck electric motor. Can't hear it with bonnet closed. Could be perfectly normal, just something preparing the car to start, but didn't stop after a minute or two so thought I'd mention it in case it becomes important later. Any noise sets me off at the moment!

[Clan]

Originally Posted by rbcohen

Quick update on progress so far! New battery in, switch ignition on and I'm left with just one warning light "City safety service required". The car starts and seems to drive just fine.

I've made three trips, totalling 2 hours of driving. Too soon to tell whether the issue is fixed, as managed 6 hours of driving in-between the fault last time.

Two things I've noticed that I'll get checked out at the same time as the "City safety service required" message:

1) When I pulled up and left the car idling for a few minutes with torque lite hooked up, the Voltage (control module) sensor was sometimes as low as 12.5v. Normally sits around 13/14 when driving however.

2) When turning the ignition on (position II), there is a high pitched buzz from the engine bay, sounds like its coming from near the air filter box. Reminds me of a stuck electric motor. Can't hear it with bonnet closed. Could be perfectly normal, just something preparing the car to start, but didn't stop after a minute or two so thought I'd mention it in case it becomes important later. Any noise sets me off at the moment!

the noise is normal , I would suspect an incorrect alternator , they are controlled by the CEM in the car not a self contained unit as on most cars .

you havent mentioned what the BATTERY voltage is when the engine is running .. might be a good idea to monitor it AT THE BATTERY from in the car on your multimeter when driving around .

[NigelDay]

Originally Posted by Clan

the noise is normal , I would suspect an incorrect alternator , they are controlled by the CEM in the car not a self contained unit as on most cars .

you havent mentioned what the BATTERY voltage is when the engine is running .. might be a good idea to monitor it AT THE BATTERY from in the car on your multimeter when driving around .

You can get voltmeters which plug into the accessory socket. Check on eBay. A cheap and convenient way to monitor what's going on relatively speaking (OK, it is not "at the battery").

[Clan]

Originally Posted by NigelDay

You can get voltmeters which plug into the accessory socket. Check on eBay. A cheap and convenient way to monitor what's going on relatively speaking (OK, it is not "at the battery").

Hi Nigel , not good enough as there will be volt drop along the cable and junctions it could under read by 0.5 to 1 volt or more perhaps .. the CEM has its own separate wire going direct to the battery pole to monitor the battery voltage .

[Agouti]

You will only get voltage drop and under-reading if significant current is drawn down those same wires OR there was a wiring issue causing high resistance (volts equals current times resistance). A 1V drop between battery and accessories plug without load would be of concern.

Both multimeter and plug voltmeters are cheap so it is easy to check. Just make sure to get ones which state the accuracy.

You should be sitting at between 13. 8 and 14.2V when the car is running. Too high means the alternator regulator is bad and you will boil dry your battery (plus possible electrics issues), too low and the battery will not charge properly. It may be a little low at idle and/or immediately after starting, ideally test across a range of rpm.