# 1996 Volvo Turbo 850 **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** 850, batteries, volvo, alternators\ **Created:** [November 16, 2009, 2:43pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1996-volvo-turbo-850/39573 "2009-11-16T14:43:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![turneri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f04885/32.png) [@turneri](https://community.cartalk.com/u/turneri)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2009, 2:43pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1996-volvo-turbo-850/39573/1 "2009-11-16T14:43:39Z")
I drive my 1996 Volvo approx. 4 miles each way to the train station and back on weekdays. I rarely drive it on the weekends. Awhile back the battery was dead on more than one occasion on the Monday morning. I thought this must be due to not being used and the battery has beconme dead. One morning I broke down on the way to the train station, and it seemed the lights on the dashboard shut down and the car just stopped. I called AAA and they jumped it and I by this time frustrated I took it to our local mechanic - he didn’t see anything wrong with the battery, alternator or electrical - but for my peace of mind I had him put a new battery in. Last night, about a month after the above - as I was going to run an errand I see that my battery is flat again. I jumped the battery with my wife’s car, and the Volvo started up. I then kept the car running for about 2 hours to charge the battery. This morning she started up fine. I’m wondering if anyone has a clue why my battery is flat? Any thoughts would be welcome. Kind regards, Ian Turner ---
**Author:** ![circuitsmith](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/circuitsmith/32/40376_2.png) [@circuitsmith](https://community.cartalk.com/u/circuitsmith)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2009, 8:34pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1996-volvo-turbo-850/39573/2 "2009-11-16T20:34:14Z")
Get an automatic battery charger approx. 5 amps. Charge the battery overnight once a month. It takes several hours to thoroughly recharge a battery. 4 mile trips won’t keep the battery healthy. ---
**Author:** ![turneri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f04885/32.png) [@turneri](https://community.cartalk.com/u/turneri)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2009, 8:40pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1996-volvo-turbo-850/39573/3 "2009-11-16T20:40:49Z")
Many thanks CS, but apart from the battery charger, which I will go ahead and get, do you feel there is some other problem why a new battery, after about a month just went dead? My last battery lasted a couple of years before it started to act up? Kind regards, IT ---
**Author:** ![circuitsmith](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/circuitsmith/32/40376_2.png) [@circuitsmith](https://community.cartalk.com/u/circuitsmith)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 3:52pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1996-volvo-turbo-850/39573/4 "2009-11-17T15:52:48Z")
Was the new battery tested? Was it fresh? Sometimes the clerk at an auto parts counter will wonder why, but I insist. Often a new battery will sit on a shelf a few months and need a full charge before use. If it gets that charge first it’ll be fine. If not it can quickly sulfate. ---
**Author:** ![circuitsmith](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/circuitsmith/32/40376_2.png) [@circuitsmith](https://community.cartalk.com/u/circuitsmith)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 3:56pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1996-volvo-turbo-850/39573/5 "2009-11-17T15:56:21Z")
Did the mechanic test for parasitic drain when the car is off? ---
**Author:** ![turneri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f04885/32.png) [@turneri](https://community.cartalk.com/u/turneri)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 4:00pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1996-volvo-turbo-850/39573/6 "2009-11-17T16:00:19Z")
Dear CS, I’ll check - thanks for all the advice, and I’ll make sure to ask the mechanic the above. These past two days I have let the car run for two hours each night, and I haven’t had any start up problems so far. I’ll be getting an automatic charger this weekend on your advice - many thanks for that - why wouldn’t my local mechanic have thought of any of the above? best Ian ---
**Author:** ![turneri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f04885/32.png) [@turneri](https://community.cartalk.com/u/turneri)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 4:14pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1996-volvo-turbo-850/39573/7 "2009-11-17T16:14:22Z")
CS, Having looked up parasitic drain, I think the mechanic knows about this - as he had asked me questions along the lines of - “Was anyhting lights left on…keys in the ignition…” etc. So he was fishing. I’ll see what he has to say when I being it in on Thursday. Thanks again. Ian