I have a 93 Volvo 240dl. The battery light was flickering on and off occasionally for a long time. Even more occasionally, the speedometer and gas gauge would stop working, but then would start again pretty soon after. Last week, the dashboard lights cut off, the headlights went, and the car died. I got it towed, and the mechanic said the alternator wasn’t holding any charge. He had it rebuilt and off I went to visit family out of state. Last night, the battery light went on and stayed on & all the gauges died while I was on the highway. I made it the last hour to the city, but at the first stoplight, it just shut off and all the lights went on. I restarted it, and the battery light was no longer on and the gauges worked again. I made it home and parked it. Since the alternator was just rebuilt, I don’t know what the heck it could be. I don’t mistrust my mechanics, but I’d like some idea of what it could be before I bring it in. Anyone have any ideas?
When the alternator was rebuilt, your mechanic should have known that the battery needed to be replaced also, because when your original alternator was in the throes of death, it drastically weakened your battery. Now, the rebuilt alternator is working overtime to keep that bad battery charged, and as a result, you have killed the new alternator.
I believe that it is time for:
*Another new or rebuilt alternator
*A new battery
*A new mechanic
i would think at a minimum the battery needs replacing, but even though the alternator was replaced last week, it MAY be shot too.
both the battery and the alternator can be tested to see if they are putting out and holding a charge. (but the battery probably should be replaced anyway, since it has been drained, recharged frequently lately)
It may also be something simple like a bad connection to the battery or to ground. The fact that it’s an intermittent problem makes me suspect it is not necessarily the alternator or battery, but something more sneaky.