Battery not charging. Suspect alternator fault.

[chiptivo]

You would get a dashboard error if it was that.

I would personally, remove the alarm siren fuse. (Known issue, draining batteries).
Check I did not have the side lights on over night.

[pacman67]

I have a virtually new bosch regulator, if you need one.

[Bernard333]

No missing zero, I bought one for a D5 from a scrapyard in Accrington for £25, as you see can its virtually new complete with voltage reg and freewheel pulley. I dont buy any new parts and even £25 is well over my normal budget. If you can buy from scrapyards rather than Volvo specialists they normally dont charge a premium price. As soon as you mention D5 to a specialist the price becomes an arm and a leg instead of the £10 I normally have in mind. Search around and you will get one complete for £15 and there is as much chance of it lasting as something costing £100.

[cheshired5]

Has anyone bothered doing even the most basic of multimeter tests on your battery?!
1 minute's worth of voltage results at rest, during cranking and at idle will shed so much light on this situation.
Have the basics even been covered?
Why do the dealership think you need a new alternator?

[reesky]

Totally agree with bernad333, I got a re-con for £50 off eBay that someone had bought in error, absolutely perfect, no problem

[pacman67]

If you do go second hand, check numbers etc, as there are three different types of alternator fitted, with different Amp ratings.

[Orca2]

Originally Posted by cheshired5

Has anyone bothered doing even the most basic of multimeter tests on your battery?!
1 minute's worth of voltage results at rest, during cranking and at idle will shed so much light on this situation.
Have the basics even been covered?
Why do the dealership think you need a new alternator?

Cheshire is right, you need to do a multimeter check, intermittent alternator problem sounds like bull**** to me, if you had a failing alternator it would be showing as a code or a warning light.

[rogereld]

Originally Posted by cheshired5

Has anyone bothered doing even the most basic of multimeter tests on your battery?!
1 minute's worth of voltage results at rest, during cranking and at idle will shed so much light on this situation.
Have the basics even been covered?
Why do the dealership think you need a new alternator?

The AA mechanic put a volt meter on the battery terminals. Measured voltage at rest and under load. Also measured at tick over and at around 2000rpm.
He also put the meter on the terminal connection under the bonnet to see if there was a poor connection between there and the battery in the boot. Also metered at the starter motor. He said he could not safely meter directly at the alternator with the engine running due to moving parts.

He showed me the meter readings. None of them were much above 12v and did not show the 13-14v which I was told should be reaching the battery with the engine running.

The dealer tells me they have spent a lot of time checking today. They fitted a new battery in February which was a warranty replacement for the previous one which only lasted 18 months. They have done all the battery tests and more. If I have understood the message which came from the mechanic to the front desk to me, they have found some charge going to the battery but not consistent and not sufficient to charge the battery.

This question and answer on another site describes very similar conditions.
http://www.justanswer.com/volvo/1awa...0xc-wagon.html

It may be the voltage regulator that is failing, but the volvo dealership will not repair or replace the regulator, they just fit a new alternator including the regulator.

[rogereld]

Originally Posted by chiptivo

You would get a dashboard error if it was that.

I would personally, remove the alarm siren fuse. (Known issue, draining batteries).
Check I did not have the side lights on over night.

I am aware of the common problem of a failing siren battery causing battery drain and have had a couple of random alarm activations in the last few months. I was thinking the siren battery may be failing again as I thought I had replaced it five or six years ago. When I looked back at my paperwork I discovered a new siren was fitted in 2011. With this in mind I asked the dealer to check codes at the service on Friday. They found one for the rear glass sensor. That would make sense because one of the button contacts at the top of the rear side window glass is a bit loose and it was suggested this has probably triggered the alarm. No fault codes were found for the alarm siren.

I am fairly confident I did not have lights on overnight. The car had started fine in the morning. It was the third journey of the day, mid afternoon, when the car would not start. I had just driven for 30 minutes, stopped for 15, then could not start the engine. If it was simply a flat battery due to leaving lights on, the engine would re-charge it with normal driving.

[Orca2]

If you aint getting 13 to fourteen volts alternator or regulator is probably cuffed, you should be able to get your hands on a scrappy one or a regulator fairly cheaply, main stealers are famous for changing out the whole assembly when you might well get away with a regulator. I used to regularly change out regulators and brush packs rather than the alternator on other cars, you could also get a rebuilt alternator. They are pretty easy to replace.