Very nice. What's the fuse rating?

 

A 250 amp. That is what the 2015 and later Drive-e uses. Then again I might have gotten this one mixed up with the one going to the starter motor.

 

Do you have a supply list on materials used or a write up on the process?

 

Well looks like Vida says it a 150 amp fuseable link on both the positive battery cables. I guess I'll be swapping the 250 out for a 150 soon, very soon.

 

Brilliant idea! I've read here these cables are usually on order anyway which mean you're down until they come in. Too bad Volvo didn't use this approach from the start. Their solution is poor being susceptible to physical damage whether that be battery replacement, shock or simply temperature cycling.

 

Nicely done!

 

This is why I thought the amp rating on the fuse able link was 250 amp. Or at least one of them.
GRSchultz posted that he had the dealership replace the positive battery cable that shut off power to the starter motor. Here is a quote about what they took off and replaced.
"I immediately went out to the garage and saw that the new part is rated at 250 amps vs. the 220 amp failed part which is now on my desk."
When I looked up the parts in a Volvo repair manual it stated that both fuseable links were 150amp. Is 150 correct for the cable going to the fuse box and 250 for the starter motor? Or is the manual completely incorrect?

 

No I didn't do a write up on it but the material list is very simple. Two Allen pan head bolts long enough to go through the two non conductive plates (could use plastic or like I did, use fiberglass) the fusible link and six nuts. Preferably stainless steel so it doesn't rust. I cut the fusible link out of the wire the drilled a hole in each piece then just assembled it like the photo showed. One last part is a thin washer that makes the top level from side to side. With the wire and terminal under the top plate it just looks better. Hope this helps.

 

I am going to do this today. My xc60 keeps completely dying out on me even when driving. When I wiggle the positive cable going to the side of the battery it regains power. How many washers did you use and exactly where? Sorry I don’t see them on the pictures and I’m heading out to pick up everything today. TIA!

 

150 amp tho, correct?

 

Yes.

 

Our 1985 Ford Escort XR3i when we lived in Switzerland had a fusible link on the positive cable. A faint battery warning/ charge light started to appear. Normal, according to the Ford dealer. That fusible link, a multi wire device, eventually failed when we were legally doing 130km/h in France, All electrical functions lost, the engine stopped; thankfully in daylight. I was "handy" in those days, I just bypassed it, it stayed like that until we sold it.

 

I too went ahead and bought the 150a fuse and rigged it on to cable going to the fuse box and that was where mine was faulting and intermittent (by pressing on the old i would her power)

but my problem now is it’s sucking my battery down. I get in to the “low battery” warning. My battery is brand new and now lights were left on. My car turned on but it is reading just at 12.5 volts when it should be well over 13!
Anyone have this problem. My instincts are to just suck it up and buy the $100 Volvo in line fuse system because I’m guessing it has some sort of mechanism to prevent the flow of power away from battery to a phantom sucker! ???

 

I too went ahead and bought the 150a fuse and rigged it on to cable going to the fuse box and that was where mine was faulting and intermittent (by pressing on the old i would her power)

but my problem now is it’s sucking my battery down. I get in to the “low battery” warning. My battery is brand new and now lights were left on. My car turned on but it is reading just at 12.5 volts when it should be well over 13!
Anyone have this problem. My instincts are to just suck it up and buy the $100 Volvo in line fuse system because I’m guessing it has some sort of mechanism to prevent the flow of power away from battery to a phantom sucker! ???

I don't know about your model, but some models it keeps the battery state of charge between 80 to 85% on purpose. 12.5 volts is about 80% SOC for an AGM battery. And a standard battery 12.5V would be about 84%. If your car has the Battery Monitoring System then you need to do the BMS reset or it can give you the low battery warning. Don't know if your car is one that this manual reset works for or not. Try it and see what happens.

 

No, the fuse doesn't have anything to do with any power draw. If you didn't have an issue before then you might need to do a battery reset since you disconnected the battery. What year and model is your Volvo?

 

You don't need to reset the battery just because you disconnected the battery, but you do need to reset the battery if you didn't reset it when you installed the new battery. Is the new battery the right size and chemistry?

 

Just replaced the fuse link for 10 bucks. Just took a little time to prep the cable and make a fuse link holder. It's not factory pretty but if it happens again I can replace it in less than 15 minutes. View attachment 154398
View attachment 154397

My dad and I completed mine today! Thank you so much! Went for a test drive and so far my xc60 hasn’t shut down on me and the metal on the terminals isn’t hot. Will take another drive tomorrow. We did both sides of the positive cables. It looked like both fuses had been soldered back together. I bought this car two weeks ago and it started with my battery dying and needing a jump then progressed to it completely blacking out while idling then to blacking out while driving. I’ll leave an update tomorrow once I’ve driven it more than just a test drive. I really hope this fixed my issue until I can order the cables later. Thanks again!!!

 

If the fusible links are the correct amperage then there is no reason to replace the cables unless you just don't like the way they look.

 

Do you guys think we can just replace the fused cable with a normal one (cable do not have a fuse).

 

If your car catches on fire don’t blame Volvo.

 

Curiosity, what is the vida that gives the fuse reference? I called Volvo today to get a replacement cable - they didn't know which cable it was and gave three part numbers, which all look pretty identical on Google!

 

Volvo should be able to get you the right part number with your VIN number off your car. You are not making your own fusible link then are you? If you do, which cable are you replacing? If the one that goes to the main fuse box behind the air filter box then a 150amp fuse will work. That's what I used and haven't had any issues for at least 18 months since I replaced it. The one going to the starter will require a higher amp fuse and I'm not sure what the amp rating is for that one. That would take some research to find out. I guess it really depends on how many amps the starter draws while cranking the engine over plus a safety factor so as not to blow the fuse while doing so. I'm not a Volvo tech as is apparent, but if you use a little common sense you can figure it out. You just don't want to use to big of a fuse and burn something expensive out or burn your car to the ground. If you are not certain you can do it then get the correct part from Volvo or have them replace it for you.

 

Thanks Steve, 100% agree. I'm replacing the same as yours, using 150A fuse (0298150.ZXEH | Littelfuse 150A Orange Bolt Down Car Fuse, 32V dc | RS)

Sorry, should have been clearer, no way am I making my own! I was just wondering where the 150A came from, as nowhere does it say it on the casing and I can't find it anywhere else online other than here.

Cheers,
Rob

Edit: just re-read and looked up the VIDA info. Makes sense now!

 

The wiring diagram, at least for 2011, shows 150A for both.

 

Mine is 2014 (facelift). Going off Steve's post and his 2015 comment, looks the same for both. Why can't they just make it easy and stamp it on there!?

 

That would make it too easy. At least for those who want to do it ourselves.

 

Just replaced the fuse link for 10 bucks. Just took a little time to prep the cable and make a fuse link holder. It's not factory pretty but if it happens again I can replace it in less than 15 minutes.

Nice.

 

Not as pretty as yours, but it's in 😁

Ended up putting one end of the fuse directly to the battery, kept it all shorter but did mean I only have one plastic plate underneath rather than one too and bottom. Massive thank you for putting this solution up, I'd have been stuffed without it!

 

Hey, if it works, then it's as beautiful as they get. Just don't take the battery cover off at the car show.🙃
It should last as long as the car does unless there is a real electrical issue down the road. The stock fuse, at least mine didn't burn out, got taken out buy vibration. That's the only conclusion I can come up with. The fuse had a split/Crack all the across it and it would just lose contact and go completely dead. Glad I could help.
Now if I could only get my oil consumption issue to be better than stock I would be a happy camper. At least I got it to around 1500mi. on a quart from 400mi that I started with when I originally bought the car over 2 years ago. 1500mi when I keep my foot out of it, less than a 1000mi when I don't.

 

For anyone who is still working on or struggling with this here's another option that may look more 'factory type' and be quite strong/resilient that I did to my v60. It's using a part called a 'terminal fuse block' from the marine world - wide selection BUSS fuses available and works great. In my case I have one fuse for the cabin/other systems and another dedicated to the starter.

 

Did you have to lengthen/replace the cable to the starter? Do you also have any pictures of the fuse block by itself?