[MurrrC01]

My windshield wipers are stuck on, full blast. My turn signals stopped working. My info settings won't change/update. Car drives fine otherwise. No CEL. I had an ECU spacer installed about three weeks ago, followed promptly by a long vacation in the mountains where I did some pretty spirited driving mixed with extremely rough terrain (for this car). I wasn't able to fit the cover back over the ECU, and there is definitely some dirt buildup on it. Could that be causing it?

 

[jondevieonS40]

Did you put in an HID kit?


"Embody god... Then go crazy"

 

[Bunyanderman]

How is the battery age wise, or use wise? If it drops under 14v than you are going to have problems.

 

[MurrrC01]

I haven't touched the lights, and the battery I'm not sure about. I've only owned the car since April, and the battery doesn't appear to be that old. I haven't had it tested though. I did get a message that my key battery voltage was low the other day, but that message only appeared once, then gone later that day.

 

[jschinito]

if the battery is close to 3 years old, start with putting in a new one and 9 times out of 10 your electrical gremlins will go away

 

[MurrrC01]

I'll check it after work today. I looked at the battery last night to make sure all the connections were good, etc. Battery terminals are free of corrosion and connections are tight. No fuse that could cause all of this, right?

 

[therealvw]

Had a similar issue with our previous V50.
Turned out to be the CEM, The Central Electronic Module.. This is basically the fuse box.
Google it , and there are lots of information about how to remove and update.
Problem with this unit is that it isn't a straight forward remove, insert new and away you go. It needs to be programmed too.

Mine went funny a couple weeks after a change of bulbs, to LED's... used canbus ones when the car doesn't need them. Could be coincidence.

I also noticed that the petrol flap opened, and that some of the lights were not working when others were in the same light unit.
I bought a replacement unit from volvowebstore.. due to the price being cheaper to import one from the states than get the Volvo dealer to get one for me!! Volvo dealer did do the re-programming though
but there are places in the states that will do an exchange of one for a refurbished one

Good luck!
Ian

 

[MurrrC01]

Thanks. That is my fear. I went and had the battery checked, and it's good. I replaced the key fob battery as well. This sucks, and was my main concern before buying this car.

 

[Bunyanderman]

Replacing the battery can't hurt, especially if you got a low voltage warning on the dash. I say it is well worth the $125, or $225 if you have premium audio.

 

[MurrrC01]

Well the battery tested to be fine, and it's pretty clean, very little corrosion. I replaced the battery in my key fob, which is what I got the warning message about. That was about $6. I'm reading into these threads about the CEM going bad and needing replaced. Not looking good. So far since purchasing the car in April I've replaced the front LCA's, all shocks and struts, CV axle, chased down numerous squeaks and rattles, still dealing with a loud rattle coming from my rear brakes, I have a leaking RMS that needs fixed, and now this possible CEM issue. Starting to think about kicking myself for buying this, but I'm willing to dump the money into it to get it all resolved because I do like the car and the way it drives. After that, if stuff keeps going wrong, my patience will run out.

 

[jschinito]

my 3 year old battery "checked out fine" too. but replacing it fixed my issues. hope you don't need something expensive like a cem

 

[MurrrC01]

Really? I don't really understand how that could be, but I'm no genius. Should I plunge $100 or so into a battery to see? Testing showed it had a full charge and everything. Granted it could've gotten jostled around on some of those dirt/rock mountain roads.

 

[mf70]

My rule of thumb is that ALL used cars will need $1000 minimum to get them back at "par." Otherwise, the seller wouldn't have given it up. If it's off a lot, there will be $1000 of stuff they didn't need to fix before unloading it.

Have you had it hooked up to DiCE/ VIDA? One full time data point it provides is battery voltage all the time while the car is being scanned. If it drops at all, battery or battery connections can be an issue. Look at EACH step of the circuit: both the terminal clamps and the posts.

Batteries are expensive, but they're less than a CEM. If you are absolutely confident of the battery, look at the solder joints in the CEM.

 

[MurrrC01]

Which CEM solder joints? Is there a main connection point I should look at?

I've never had it hooked up to a DICE/VIDA, but last night I did clean up the battery posts and connections. There was very little dirt or corrosion on them.

 

[jschinito]

Really? I don't really understand how that could be, but I'm no genius. Should I plunge $100 or so into a battery to see? Testing showed it had a full charge and everything. Granted it could've gotten jostled around on some of those dirt/rock mountain roads.

i'm no battery expert either but have learned from other owners here that a battery can show decent voltage but still have a bad cell. the sensitive electronics in our car can have issues with that. but most folks will have problems with not being able to start the car - your problems are a bit wackier so may mean a CEM problem

 

[MurrrC01]

It definitely starts and drives, for now, just fine. Looks like other folks with CEM issues had error messages and some drivability issues. I have stopped driving mine until it goes into the shop next Tuesday.

 

[MurrrC01]

One more question, will a CEM from an S40, or just a different trim level of a V50, work for me?

 

[pczeilon]

Yes, BUT it needs to be programmed to your car. Some dealers are unwilling to do this with a used unit although there are companies who can do this for you.

 

[MurrrC01]

Thanks. I did confirm an independent shop can do the programming. I'm going to try cleaning any connections to it first, and I read somewhere to check some of the wiring to the CAB unit, which I'm not familiar with. Also to check the ground to the CEM.

 

[MurrrC01]

I cleaned all of the connections to the ECU and the CEM, and it seems to be fixed! My fingers are crossed, and I'm hoping the issue won't pop back up after a few miles. It's a pain in the ass the way that thing is all jammed up in there, but much better than spending money to have a shop "diagnose" and replace it. Thanks for everyone's suggestions.