Hey folks, My mother has a 1996 850 Sedan non-Turbo version. For the past three months she has been experiencing a repeated battery failure. The battery has been replaced with a Die-Hard, has a brand new alternator, a sensor for the fan has been replaced, they said it had water in it and was causing the fan to run and drain the battery down, Volvo dealer tune-up, has had the glove box light and trunk light disconnected and the thing still is not fixed. She said that when she first noticed the problem, was after it had been raining. She also said that a tech at the Volvo dealer mentioned that it might have something to do with the security system but did not elaborate. She is so tired of dealing with it and spending money that she bought a new car and is trying to give me the Volvo! I just don't want to keep spending money on this thing. Since buying the new car, she has had the Volvo parked in the driveway with the doors unlocked and said that the car cranks everytime. This has been for about a week now. Security system? Or because she is not driving it in the rain is the moisture not being sprayed and swirrled around on the electrical system? HELP PLEASE!!!

Had a friend with a 7 sreies that had a battery drain. Turned out to be the light in the visor was not going off when the mirror was closed. Hard to find, but easy to check. Just feel the visor to see if it is warm.

The security system is not an aftermarket system.

Thanks,
Tim

My folks had a similar problem on a '96 850
No accessories were on, but the battery drained down to zero in only about 4 hours.

During previous 2 months they had noted an occasional "funny" sound when starting, but didn't think it was related.

Dealer kept car 2 days, then decided it was the starter. Apparently it didn't fully disengaging on an occasional basis - leaving either a mechanical connection and/or electrical circuit open (even w/o key).

This may take some diagnosis.... good luck.... keep us posted.

You might be on to something here. The good news is you've been given:

1. A decent and safe car.
2. A good lesson in how to diagnose problems.

Some background:

1. If the security system is "aftermarket" ie not dealer, then consider removing it. I've seen a lot of real butcher install jobs and I just like to get them out of the way so I know they're not the problem. If the Volvo tech said something about it, they might feel the same way.

2. My brother's 240 was suffering dead batteries and we started swapping out parts like it was a new religion. One day as I re-connected the battery I got a big fat spark while re-fitting the ground (off first, on last) and heard the door locks "click" loudly. The central locking mechanism in the driver's door had dislodged and stuck in the "unlock" position. This meant the locks were always trying to "unlock" and he never noticed. This caused a huge drain on the battery and after fixing the mechanism no more dead batteries.

I doubt your Mom's car is suffering the same problem that my brother's was, as I think the tech would have caught it. Also if the car is always unlocked but the battery is good, then you can't have the lock motors always running.

I'd try this:

Make sure you have the radio code if the Volvo radio is still there.

Open the hood.

Roll down the driver's window and close the door. Lock the door via the driver's door knob.

Wait a minute, and then disconnect the battery ground.

Wait another minute, then re-connect the battery ground. PAY ATTENTION while you do this. Do you get any big sparks? Do you hear anything click or buzz either in the engine compartment or passenger compartment?

Reconnect the ground and unlock the central locks. Repeat with locks in the unlock position. If same result as before, then locks are not the problem.

Anyway tell us if the security system is aftermarket or not and I'll tell you how to eliminate it if it is.

-Dylan