Volvo RWD 120-130 Forum

INDEX FOR 1/2026(CURRENT) INDEX FOR 6/2002 120-130 INDEX

[<<]  [>>]


 VIEW    REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE    PRINT   SAVE 

battery drain 120-130

pick up a multi-meter if you don't have one already.
how old is the battery? If the voltage regulator misses a step even once it can damage the battery very fast.

to check:
w/ engine & ign off read across the terminals. Should be 12.5
w/ starter turning, shouldn't drop much less than 11.5. If it did, you probably have a damaged cell in the batt.

then run it & read across the batt again:
at 3500rpm or so, it shouldn't top 13.5 volts
if it goes higher than 14 or 14.5, you have an overcharge situation which is damaging the cells & depleting the electrolyte. You might be able to wing it a while by topping off the batt w/ distilled water in the cells & adjusting the VR, or replacing it entirely.

If there's condensation & fluffy white stuff around it; that indicates the same.

otherwise, you'll have to check your connections, primarily the grounds or check for something that's making a ground that shouldn't be. Whenever I leave a car for more than a couple days I remove the neg terminal to prevent a slow drain or a quick steal by someone.
--
1966 122s, 1970 142s, 1974 142e... Blue is beautiful






THREADED THREADED EXPANDED FLAT PRINT ALL
MESSAGES IN THIS THREAD

New battery drain [120-130]
posted by  Fiorano  on Wed Jan 31 17:49 CST 2007 >


<< < > >>



©Jarrod Stenberg 1997-2022. All material except where indicated.


All participants agree to these terms.

Brickboard.com is not affiliated with nor sponsored by AB Volvo, Volvo Car Corporation, Volvo Cars of North America, Inc. or Ford Motor Company. Brickboard.com is a Volvo owner/enthusiast site, similar to a club, and does not intend to pose as an official Volvo site. The official Volvo site can be found here.