Volvo: 1988 Volvo 740 GLE Problem., volvo 740 gle, light bulb burns

Question
My Volvo died. It will not even spark, no lights in the entire car. I pulled out the battery thinking I had a alternator problem. I was going to charge the battery, hope the car turned over then pull the negative wire on the alternator to be sure. Wrong, the battery was fully charged and is good to go.

Now I'm thinking I have an electrical problem. I remember that when the problem happened all the power came on for a split-second then nothing, similar to when a light bulb burns out.  I'll check the fuses, I hope its that simple but if not do you have any suggestions?

Thanks, Ben

Answer
If you have no power anywhere, it's going to be a problem fairly high up in the system.  I would check the major grounds for frayed wires or shorts; like from the alternator, the battery, the starter, and the coil.  I would also check some of the main fuses along either side of the engine bay; some of the 25 and 30 amp fuses can blow and cause catistrophic failure.  Good luck!