Battery drained out due to rear 12v outlet

[stain]

I left the cooler box turned on overnight and in the morning I had to jump-start the car.

Volvo designers! What a shame!
1. There is no enough reserve considered in a design of the car to start it.
2. Rear outlet does not automatically shuts down (unlike interior lights for example).

Or more smart solution that Volvo lacks (despite the cost of a car and luxury ambitions) would be low battery state detection and automatic shutdown of ALL power outlets in use once the battery reaches a certain threshold.

[kersti]

You can add on a 12v battery saver accessory (~$30) to insert between your cooler 12v and the socket. Works wonderfully. We never had any problem starting the car.  We just came back from a trip and our Koolatron cooler worked great. It will still work for a couple of hours after the car stops and then automatically shuts off. We found that if only stopping for the night, that was sufficient to keep things cold, or you can get the accessory to plug into a regular socket if staying at a motel or campsite with electrical.

Kersti

[stain]

Is it a standard Volvo accessory? Unfortunately, I was not aware about it, and noone at FDC pointed me on this issue when I purchased the coolerbox http://xc70.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif

[Ab_Fab]

I understand your frustration Stain,

I had the same problem. I even found that the XC had a litlle ding-dong alarm going and an error message saying "low 12 volts". Jeez if it can go to all that trouble why doesn't it just switch the 12 volt socket off!

Also being in New Zealand no one stocks the battery saver, and none of the US sites ship overseas.

The only good thing I guess is that I am thinking of getting the license to import them in NZ.

Cheers
Neil

[kersti]

No, not a volvo accessory. Here is the link to the one I ordered.
Battery saver (http://www.compactappliances.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=2490&itemType=PRODUCT&iProductID=2490)

Kersti

[barrysharp]

Kersti:

You ordered the BS15 product that's selling for $29.99 today -- is this correct ?

I was under the impression that with my Volvo integrated thermal cooler box that if connected to rear console 12v outlet the power get shut off when key removed. If the rear cargo area 12v outlet is used the power remains on after key removed but that cooler box will shut down if car's battery gets too low. Do I have this incorrect?

[stain]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (barrysharp @ Sep. 22 2003,16:48)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">If the rear cargo area 12v outlet is used the power remains on after key removed but that cooler box will shut down if car&#39;s battery gets too low[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
Barry, this is exactly what I expected. http://xc70.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif Fortunately, I was not stuck in the morning for too long thank to my neighbor. http://xc70.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

[SpudRacer]

The extra 12V outlet in the cargo area is supplied with continuous 12V all the time, regardless of the key position.

As for the cooler shutting itself down when the voltage drops below 12V, I am unclear on this.

Spud

[kersti]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">You ordered the BS15 product that&#39;s selling for &#036;29.99 today -- is this correct ?
[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>

Yes that is the one, I have the Koolatron Cooler, but it should work with your also. I was never sure if the Volvo cooler had a battery low sensor or not from the literature, so I went the Koolatron route for a larger cooler. We do alot of camping.

Kersti

[SpudRacer]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">I was never sure if the Volvo cooler had a battery low sensor or not from the literature, so I went the Koolatron route for a larger cooler. [/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>

Kersti,

Do you have any pictures of your Koolatron cooler in side the XC70?

respectfully,

Spud

[kersti]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Do you have any pictures of your Koolatron cooler in side the XC70?
[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>

I will try to take one and post. This is the cooler I bought

Cooler (http://www.compactappliances.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=848&itemType=PRODUCT&iMainCat=28&iSubCat=62&iProductID=848)

Kersti

[barrysharp]

OK -- Here&#39;s my research findings related to Volvo&#39;s Intergrated Thermal cooler box (refered to below &nbsp;as &quot;cooler box&quot; -- the one that integrates and fits between the two outboard 2nd row seats when you have the 40-20-40 seats.

1) The rear cargo 12v outlet does provide a continuous electrical power.

2) If the cooler box is

a) connected to rear 12v outlet
and
b) the car engine isn&#39;t running with or without key inserted or if inserted it&#39;s at position I or II
and
c) the On/Off rocker switch is On and a green LED lights up

the cooler box WILL NOT start operating.

If rocker switch is Off then the LED is dark and obviously cooler box doesn&#39;t operate.

3) If the cooler box is connected to

a) rear 12v outlet
and
b) the car engine is running
and
c) the On/Off rocker switch is already positioned to On or is turned On a green LED lights up

then after about 5-10 secs the cooler box will begin to operate.
If subsequently the engine is turned off (with key removed or not)
the cooler box continues to operate for about 10 secs and then
turns off automatically even though the green LED stays on. If
the engine is now started the cooler box will again start to
operate after about 5-10 secs.

4) The cooler box will not cause the battery to drain ever because
&nbsp; &nbsp;it only operates continuously when the engine is running.

This appears to be different from the stand-alone cooler box (ie one that isn&#39;t integrated into the 2nd row seating). This stand-alone cooler box if connected to the rear cargo 12v outlet can possibly drain the battery if left on without engine running for extended period of time -- as evidenced from Stain&#39;s original posting. Kerti&#39;s Battery Protector device will solve this problem.

I speculate that Volvo&#39;s onboard computer system is either aware of the Integrated Thermal cooler box or the cooler box itself is sensitive to a voltage/current drop or engine being turned on or off such that it operates the way it does. No matter, the Volvo design for its Integrated Thernmal cooler box safeguards against battery drain but means you must be aware that it will not be operating unless engine is running.

I hope this clears things up for others -- it sure does for me. http://xc70.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[SpudRacer]

Barry,

Just to clarify your &quot;book&quot; post, &nbsp;http://xc70.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

1. If the car is sitting in the garage and not running, and you go out and turn your cooler on when it was originally off, it will come on and run continuously until the battery is dead.

2. &nbsp;If the same situation as #1 is encountered, but you then go back to the garage 1 hour after starting the cooler and start up the engine, let it run for a minute, then turn it back off and go back into the house, the cooler will cease operation after 10-15 seconds and save your battery even though the switch is still in the &quot;on&quot; position.

If yes to both, then those with the cooler would be best to either leave it on 100% of the time (which will wear the internal components down quicker), or use it only when the engine is running and when needed, in which case if you forget to turn it off when you shut the car down, it will turn itself off. &nbsp;Right Barry?&#33;

Respectfully,

Tom