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2002 Volvo V40 Wagon - Page 7 Questions & Answers
Electrical fault somewhere
Hi,
I think the problem is not the alternator but the conection in the 120Amp fuse to the main engine fuse box.
The actual contacts to the spade fuse are enclosed and the contact area cannot be cleaned (scraped) easily. The fuse does not pull out like the rest but is bolted in with two bolts (one 8mm and one 10mm) No one knows this at first, release the bolts on either side and work the spade fuse up and down many times to score the contact area.
When I first tested it it was showing some 20 ohms with a high impedance meter but after it was cleaned it showed close enough to zero.
The high resistance connection on the 120Amp fuse may have caused a volt drop (with all systems on ie engine, air, wipers, and headlights) sufficient to drop out the engine relay and it conk it out. It starts again readily but the low voltage may cause the stop light warning light to come on.
Volvo had the car for two weeks and couln't fault it after I did the clean and replaced the engine relay - but they didn't charge me - so good on them. They quoted me $1400 to fit a new alternator saying they had seen the problem before and they replaced the alternator and the cable which may have inadvertantly fixed the bad connection on the 120Amp fuse.
I worked for Volvo Truck for a couple of years as a contract Production Engineer but when sales went down I was moved on - guess I was too much of a smart arse. Renault owns them now - predictable I should have thought.
I cant find my code
call the dealer or go to one with proof of id and they will look up the code, generaly they do this for free
I took a belt off
I need the year and motor size to help you.
Or if you'd like, go to www.autozone.com They have free illustrated online repair manual for almost any car.
Derrick g
a couple of things you might want to check the bulbs on your vehicle if they are all good then consider the fuses which control your lights if they are in good working order then the only other problem it could be is a bad earth
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