Most immediate problem with this car is that it wouldn’t start without jumper cables. Battery had to be replaced. Expect a 3 year battery life here in the Texas heat.
Only sure way to check battery condition is to use a sophisticated analyzer. I have one that checks voltage, charge level at specified cold cranking amperes (CCA) and internal resistance. Here you see the new battery is perfect while the old one was toast.
Battery hold-down clamp was missing. Installed a clamp which I scrounged from a parts scrapyard. It is important to keep the battery from moving because motion stresses critical wire connections.
Chemically treated anti-corrosion washers installed with new battery after using a special wire brush to clean the terminals. Also sprayed a corrosion protection coating on the terminals.
Battery connections are very important and many strange electrical problems are caused by loose or corroded connections on any car.
Car was also missing the battery positive terminal cover which prevents incidental sparks should a metal tool touch a grounded part and the + terminal at the same time. Installed a new one which was surprisingly cheap from a mail order distributor.
Approx. $100 for battery, anti-corrosion washers and spray
$5 for clamp from salvage yard
$1.18 terminal cover
1997 Volvo 850 Wagon Project 