97 850 battery drain

[bullshark]

I seem to be having some trouble with my 1997 850 GLT.

The battery is running down over night. It had enough to run
the keyless remote and lights, but not enough to start up...

I took it(battery) in for testing and it's just barely serviceable. I had
the technician put a tester between the Neg terminal and the cable, and
with the key off, it lit up really bright. I haven't had a chance yet
to put my ammeter in line yet so I don't have a number.

Being a damned genius (the Wile E. Coyote super-type), I pulled the
obvious fuses and found the circuits #15
(courtesy light/Keyless remote/Diganostics) to be the problem.

First off, I know that ther should be some current with engine off,
but I don't know how much. Keyless remote/alarm etc...I would
expect a few tens of milliamps...but this is a Volvo, after all...

Does anybody know what is normal here?

(Oh - yes, I made sure interior lights were all off)

In the meantime, the car is in service with # 15 pulled. My wife
has a minor emergency (of course) and the car is running fine with
no apparent side-effects except the key-in-ignition 'ding' keeps
ringing...

As soon as she gets back, I'll get to work tracking it down.

Is there one component in this circuit that is 'famous' for causing
grief?

I have a serious doubt about the A/C 'after-blower', but I have no
idea what circuit it's on. This is a "warranty-gift" that was installed
by the dealer while it was in for normal service while still under
warranty. It is some kind of time delay circuit attached to the A/C
blower motor relay. About 15 minutes after the car is shut down, it
turns on the A/C blower and runs it for a while. Ostensibly the purpose
is to dry off the evaporator to keep it from getting moldy and smelly...

The service manager was really proud of his "gift" and when I told him
I didn't want it he got all pissed off. He told me how grateful I should
be for anything that was 'free', so I let him leave it in. I hate
the thing, and don't trust it.

Does anybody know where this booger is, or how to get rid of it?

I'm thinking that if it is a simple capacitor/resistor timer and
it's on circuit #15, that it might well be the culprit...

I will replace the battery when this is sorted out, but it's good enough
for the moment. A few minutes running and it has enough juice to restart.

Thanks in advance for any light you can shed,

bullshark

 

[Mick Rooke]

You seem to have done exactly what I would do.

Now you need to identify which part of that circuit is causing the drain and
either isolate / repair / or replace the knacked item.

You might be able to get a wiring diagram for your car from this address:-

http://www.volvotechinfo.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=wiring.main

It does cost but it's not too bad, cheaper than going to a garage to do
diagnostic work, when you seem capable of doing it yourself.

Hope you sort it.

Mick

 

[Jimbo]

We had the exact same problem ('96 850) ... I checked everything I could
think of and could not track a problem down. Eventually the drain
destroyed the battery and the alternator later died ... after replacing
both ($600 later) ... it happened again ... finally I flicked the roof
light switch off (i think) and the problem never happened again ...

 

[bullshark]

We had the exact same problem ('96 850) ... I checked everything I could
think of and could not track a problem down. Eventually the drain
destroyed the battery and the alternator later died ... after replacing
both ($600 later) ... it happened again ... finally I flicked the roof
light switch off (i think) and the problem never happened again ...

You mean the one on the roof in the cargo area?
On my car that light turns off when the tailgate closes.
Mine was on anyway...

thanks for the reply,

bullshark

 

[L David Matheny]

You sound like you know what you're doing. Normal current draw
for my 97 850GLT is about 30 or 35mA. Check lights in places
like the glove box. I once had a Honda Accord that ran its battery
down in a couple of days, and it turned out that a wiring harness
was keeping the fuse box light switch from operating properly.