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S80 '06-'16 / V70 & XC70 '07-'16 General Forum for the P3-platform S80 and 70-series models |
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Low battery warningViews : 5112 Replies : 24Users Viewing This Thread : |
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Mar 20th, 2021, 14:26 | #1 |
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Low battery warning
Car has had very little use and is on only 40,000 miles. This message came up along with tpms service required.
Can a duff/failing main battery also cause issues with other systems I.e. the tpms |
Mar 20th, 2021, 17:32 | #2 |
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That “low battery” warning is an absolute PIA. My daughter’s XC70 does it. eg: stopped at a level crossing, may be there some minutes so switch off engine but keep radio on. After a couple of minutes the “low battery” warning pops up and the radio is switched off. She has a crash proof dog cage in the load area. It has a fan attachment powered from the load area 12v outlet to help ventilate the cage when the car is parked up with the tailgate open. But within a minute or two it is shut down by the car’s system. The only way to keep it running is to have the engine running. Sort of defeats the object of the exercise.
I am advised by others who have other makes of car that this is a common feature now. System is designed to progressively shut down various electricity consuming items to preserve the battery so that it will still start the car. That’s all well and good but in my opinion it kicks in far too early. I’ve never owned a car with this feature and never had any problems, other than when I stupidly left the parking lights on when parked up at work one day.
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Ian. Since 2005: 1992 Volvo 940 estate 2.0L. Manual. Daily driver and workhorse. |
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Mar 22nd, 2021, 23:45 | #3 | |
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If the car isn't getting much use, try charging the battery. Don't leave it constantly hooked up to a charger though (plug it out when its done). Then leave it for two weeks or so before charging it again. If you do manage to get a drive in between charges, that'll help of course. Although, short journeys won't charge the battery much either. You need to go on a decent drive to charge it up properly. Under the current restrictions, that's not possible (unless you're travelling for an essential reason of course). Charging the battery is probably your best option now. If the battery loses charge quickly, then its probably knackered & you'll need a new one. Its still worth giving your existing battery a boost though to see if that helps.
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2007 S80 2.4 D5 - 110,000 miles Last edited by Kev0607; Mar 22nd, 2021 at 23:50. |
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Mar 28th, 2021, 13:37 | #4 |
SimboC2004
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I have the same problem with mine - I like to turn off the engine when waiting (like a manual stop-start system!) and keep the radio on, but it disappears very quickly. The battery seems fine, but perhaps needs a top up.
I am told that the absolute vital part about topping the battery via a charger is that you MUST connect the negative lead to a chassis earth point - NOT to the battery itself - as the computer needs to be "told" that the battery has been charged and it cannot do it if you connect the leads to the terminals... what a daft system! Surely the computer should monitor what's actually in the battery, not what it thinks has been put into it!!!
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Volvo V70 P3 ES D3/D4 2011 - 170,000 miles in Black Stone Volvo V40 R-Design Nav Plus D4 190 - 60,000 miles in Osmium Grey Past: '90 944 2.0 turbo, '91 944 2.0, '92 945 2.0 turbo, '95 945 2.3 HPT, '09 C30 2.0D R Design 180bhp+, '13 C30 D2 Lux. |
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Mar 28th, 2021, 13:42 | #5 | |
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So where's the earth point in the Volvo's, just clip the negative to the wing or something?
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2007 S80 2.4 D5 - 110,000 miles |
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Mar 28th, 2021, 14:06 | #6 |
SimboC2004
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Good question. Find something metal that starts your charger working, I guess... bolts into the chassis would be perfect. I have used shock absorber top mounting bolts before, but I have now made them difficult to access... most engine parts are not linked to the chassis due to the isolation offered by the engine mount rubbers
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Volvo V70 P3 ES D3/D4 2011 - 170,000 miles in Black Stone Volvo V40 R-Design Nav Plus D4 190 - 60,000 miles in Osmium Grey Past: '90 944 2.0 turbo, '91 944 2.0, '92 945 2.0 turbo, '95 945 2.3 HPT, '09 C30 2.0D R Design 180bhp+, '13 C30 D2 Lux. |
Mar 29th, 2021, 08:56 | #7 | |
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My CTEC MXS5.0 manual says the charger can be left connected long term. My car's Volvo manual says: "To maintain the battery in good condition, at least 15 minutes of driving/week is recommended or that the battery is connected to a battery charger with automatic trickle charging." |
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Mar 29th, 2021, 18:21 | #8 |
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I have a CTEC charger with a set of permanent connection wires that have a plug connector for the charger. I secure the + to the terminal using an attachment bolt on the clamp which seems to be there for the purpose and the - is bolted to one of the near side slam panel attachment bolts. The charger is permanently plugged into the connection and lives strapped in behind the nearside headlight housing and when I want to charge the battery I run out an extension lead to the car and pug the charger into it. If over night the charger cable can exit in the wing gap over the headlight and the bonnet can be closed.
The reason for not connecting a charger across the battery terminal posts is that the car has a battery monitoring system which is shorted out if you do connect across the terminals. While this might appear to be a nuisance, it is the monitoring system which tells you the battery charge state which is why you get warning of a low battery rather than not finding out until it's flat.
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2012 XC70 SE Lux Polestar 230 bhp D5 Auto Oyster Grey Last edited by Tatsfield; Mar 29th, 2021 at 19:49. |
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Apr 6th, 2021, 15:19 | #9 | |
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Apr 6th, 2021, 18:04 | #10 |
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It wouldn't have done damage, just by passed the monitoring system and blinded the ECU as to what was happening in the battery during charging. I did it before someone on the forum advised against bolting to the terminals.
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2012 XC70 SE Lux Polestar 230 bhp D5 Auto Oyster Grey |
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