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The Car
My 1995 V940 (yes, it's been customized w/V90 trim) is just 900 miles shy of hitting 300,000. I gave her a nice makeover about 5 years back and she's been soldiering on as a daily driver but is clearly getting very tired.
The Symptoms
Recently, she stalled in traffic for my wife (dash lights coming on, but restarting). I drove it for a couple weeks w/o trouble and then all dash warning lights came on and have stayed on. I returned the car home immediately and have not driven it since. Starting it up, I still have dash lights stuck on.
A Diagnosis
Some quick searching suggests that the alternator (Denso type) may be failing (seems that it sends a signal that switches off those lights - when it's working. Visual inspection doesn't reveal any obvious damage or problems with the wiring, belts or grounds. I've not done a full multimeter diagnosis yet.
The Big Problem
I had planned to replace the brushes and regulator, but it looks like those parts have been discontinued. Currently, none of the local junkyards have any volvos of this vintage, so it looks like I'm stuck with buying new... for a car I'm almost ready to retire to Valhalla.
Thoughts?
First off, does this dashlight issue really sound like a failing alternator?
Assuming that the alternator is the problem, do I have to stick with a Denso? Can I switch it a more widely available Bosch?
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