New Volvo Member to our family- and a question

Mom's 1989 Taurus finally blew a head gasket (at 127,000 miles- what a
POS), so we talked her into a Volvo. I found a pretty decent 1985 245
auto with the OD tranny. The Air conditioning has been
updated/retrofitted, and the OD works flawlessly. The can has
late-model turbo mag wheels and they look awesome on the car! The
interior looks abut as close to new as one would expect other than the
cracks in the dashboard.

The car runs like it's being chased, happily pulling 70++ up the long
grade to where we live in the mountains.

The only problem- the alternator accessory bushing had worn so far
that about 85% of the upper adjustment mount had been ground off by
the water pump/fan pulley! I hit the Pick-N-Pull the next day and
found all the parts I needed, and all is well now. Also replaced the
all-important e-brake switch so the dash lamp illuminates when the
handle is pulled up.

THE QUESTION: The OD light on the dash works opposite what it should-
comes on when the OD is on and the lamp is off when the OD is off.
Could someone tell me where to look for that signal wire and how it
could be hooked up backwards. ADDITIONAL: the previous owner told me
he had someone work on the OD and they replaced the relay.. could it
be the wrong relay or just wired wrong?

Any guidance would be appreciated.
__ __
Randy & \ \/ /alerie's
\__/olvos
'90 245 Estate - '93 965 Estate
"Shelby" & "Kate"

Randy G. wrote:
> Mom's 1989 Taurus finally blew a head gasket (at 127,000 miles- what a
> POS), so we talked her into a Volvo. I found a pretty decent 1985 245
> auto with the OD tranny. The Air conditioning has been
> updated/retrofitted, and the OD works flawlessly. The can has
> late-model turbo mag wheels and they look awesome on the car! The
> interior looks abut as close to new as one would expect other than the
> cracks in the dashboard.
>
> The car runs like it's being chased, happily pulling 70++ up the long
> grade to where we live in the mountains.
>
> The only problem- the alternator accessory bushing had worn so far
> that about 85% of the upper adjustment mount had been ground off by
> the water pump/fan pulley! I hit the Pick-N-Pull the next day and
> found all the parts I needed, and all is well now. Also replaced the
> all-important e-brake switch so the dash lamp illuminates when the
> handle is pulled up.
>
> THE QUESTION: The OD light on the dash works opposite what it should-
> comes on when the OD is on and the lamp is off when the OD is off.
> Could someone tell me where to look for that signal wire and how it
> could be hooked up backwards. ADDITIONAL: the previous owner told me
> he had someone work on the OD and they replaced the relay.. could it
> be the wrong relay or just wired wrong?
>
> Any guidance would be appreciated.
> __ __
> Randy & \ \/ /alerie's
> \__/olvos
> '90 245 Estate - '93 965 Estate
> "Shelby" & "Kate"


While I've never tried to see what would happen, I suspect someone has
installed a relay intended for a manual transmission car. Grab an OD
relay from a junkyard automatic car and try that. If it works, you'll
probably want to resolder the circuit board in the relay as a
preventative thing.

James Sweet <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
>While I've never tried to see what would happen, I suspect someone has
>installed a relay intended for a manual transmission car. Grab an OD
>relay from a junkyard automatic car and try that. If it works, you'll
>probably want to resolder the circuit board in the relay as a
>preventative thing.
>

James,

Let me first thank you on behalf of myself as well as the rest of the
group here, if I may be so presumptuous, for all the time and effort
you put into assisting folks with their car problems. I have been
doing much the same with various coffee groups on the WWW so I
understand the time and dedication it takes, as well as the love for
the subject matter.

I have the correct numbers from the Volvo Vadis and know the location
of the relay, so will check into the relay numbers... Thanks again!
Very much appreciated.

You should love this stuff:

After I got the car over to Mom on Sunday, I took her out in it,
letting her drive to get use to it a bit. My schedule is pretty full
until next week, so don't have the time to take her out on a long
drive just yet.

She lives along a mountain road, and on the way back from the test
drive we came to a bend and she started to apply the brakes (we were
doing about 40). I told her, "Let off the brakes and just steer it
around the turn."

She got through the turn with a bit of apprehension, and then she
said, "Wow! I now see why you two love your Volvos so much!"

Ya.. Now she knows! ;-)


__ __
Randy & \ \/ /alerie's
\__/olvos
'90 245 Estate - '93 965 Estate
"Shelby" & "Kate"

On 4/13/2009 3:11 PM, Randy G. wrote:
> James Sweet <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>> While I've never tried to see what would happen, I suspect someone has
>> installed a relay intended for a manual transmission car. Grab an OD
>> relay from a junkyard automatic car and try that. If it works, you'll
>> probably want to resolder the circuit board in the relay as a
>> preventative thing.
>>
>
> James,
>
> Let me first thank you on behalf of myself as well as the rest of the
> group here, if I may be so presumptuous, for all the time and effort
> you put into assisting folks with their car problems. I have been
> doing much the same with various coffee groups on the WWW so I
> understand the time and dedication it takes, as well as the love for
> the subject matter.
>
> I have the correct numbers from the Volvo Vadis and know the location
> of the relay, so will check into the relay numbers... Thanks again!
> Very much appreciated.
>
> You should love this stuff:
>
> After I got the car over to Mom on Sunday, I took her out in it,
> letting her drive to get use to it a bit. My schedule is pretty full
> until next week, so don't have the time to take her out on a long
> drive just yet.
>
> She lives along a mountain road, and on the way back from the test
> drive we came to a bend and she started to apply the brakes (we were
> doing about 40). I told her, "Let off the brakes and just steer it
> around the turn."
>
> She got through the turn with a bit of apprehension, and then she
> said, "Wow! I now see why you two love your Volvos so much!"
>
> Ya.. Now she knows! ;-)
>
>
> __ __
> Randy & \ \/ /alerie's
> \__/olvos
> '90 245 Estate - '93 965 Estate
> "Shelby" & "Kate"
Does the OD work ? if so then maybe the incorrect relay installed I am
not sure as I have not worked on a 240 in a very long time but if I
remember correctly it should be a white relay also remove the spring
clip that holds the relay in place as this causes the relay to short out
internally if you have vadis @ home then check for the correct part # if
it is correct then check the wire coming out of the shifter bucket &
going down to the trans as this wire always becomes dried out & breaks
check these & post back & I will try to help more if needed
Glenn K
Volvo Certified Technician 2008
ASE Certified Technician 2008

Glenn K wrote:
> On 4/13/2009 3:11 PM, Randy G. wrote:
>> James Sweet <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>>> While I've never tried to see what would happen, I suspect someone
>>> has installed a relay intended for a manual transmission car. Grab an
>>> OD relay from a junkyard automatic car and try that. If it works,
>>> you'll probably want to resolder the circuit board in the relay as a
>>> preventative thing.
>>>
>>
>> James,
>>
>> Let me first thank you on behalf of myself as well as the rest of the
>> group here, if I may be so presumptuous, for all the time and effort
>> you put into assisting folks with their car problems. I have been
>> doing much the same with various coffee groups on the WWW so I
>> understand the time and dedication it takes, as well as the love for
>> the subject matter.
>> I have the correct numbers from the Volvo Vadis and know the location
>> of the relay, so will check into the relay numbers... Thanks again!
>> Very much appreciated.
>>
>> You should love this stuff:
>>
>> After I got the car over to Mom on Sunday, I took her out in it,
>> letting her drive to get use to it a bit. My schedule is pretty full
>> until next week, so don't have the time to take her out on a long
>> drive just yet.
>> She lives along a mountain road, and on the way back from the test
>> drive we came to a bend and she started to apply the brakes (we were
>> doing about 40). I told her, "Let off the brakes and just steer it
>> around the turn."
>> She got through the turn with a bit of apprehension, and then she
>> said, "Wow! I now see why you two love your Volvos so much!"
>> Ya.. Now she knows! ;-)
>>
>>
>> __ __
>> Randy & \ \/ /alerie's
>> \__/olvos
>> '90 245 Estate - '93 965 Estate
>> "Shelby" & "Kate"
> Does the OD work ? if so then maybe the incorrect relay installed I am
> not sure as I have not worked on a 240 in a very long time but if I
> remember correctly it should be a white relay also remove the spring
> clip that holds the relay in place as this causes the relay to short out
> internally if you have vadis @ home then check for the correct part # if
> it is correct then check the wire coming out of the shifter bucket &
> going down to the trans as this wire always becomes dried out & breaks
> check these & post back & I will try to help more if needed
> Glenn K
> Volvo Certified Technician 2008
> ASE Certified Technician 2008



The relays were made in many colors, I've seen white, orange and red but
I believe there were others. I've never had a problem with the spring
clip, the usual failure for these is the soldering on the heavy pins
where the relay armature and external plug pins attach to the circuit
board. Flow in a bit of fresh solder and it's good as new.

You're right about the wire under the car to the solenoid. These have
the crumbling insulation and should be replaced or it will burn out
relays and blow fuses. It's just a single wire with a bullet connector
on the end so it's easy to replace, just splice it where it comes up
under the carpet into the center console.

Glenn K wrote:
> On 4/13/2009 3:11 PM, Randy G. wrote:
>> James Sweet <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>>> While I've never tried to see what would happen, I suspect someone
>>> has installed a relay intended for a manual transmission car. Grab an
>>> OD relay from a junkyard automatic car and try that. If it works,
>>> you'll probably want to resolder the circuit board in the relay as a
>>> preventative thing.
>>>
>>
>> James,
>>
>> Let me first thank you on behalf of myself as well as the rest of the
>> group here, if I may be so presumptuous, for all the time and effort
>> you put into assisting folks with their car problems. I have been
>> doing much the same with various coffee groups on the WWW so I
>> understand the time and dedication it takes, as well as the love for
>> the subject matter.
>> I have the correct numbers from the Volvo Vadis and know the location
>> of the relay, so will check into the relay numbers... Thanks again!
>> Very much appreciated.
>>
>> You should love this stuff:
>>
>> After I got the car over to Mom on Sunday, I took her out in it,
>> letting her drive to get use to it a bit. My schedule is pretty full
>> until next week, so don't have the time to take her out on a long
>> drive just yet.
>> She lives along a mountain road, and on the way back from the test
>> drive we came to a bend and she started to apply the brakes (we were
>> doing about 40). I told her, "Let off the brakes and just steer it
>> around the turn."
>> She got through the turn with a bit of apprehension, and then she
>> said, "Wow! I now see why you two love your Volvos so much!"
>> Ya.. Now she knows! ;-)
>>
>>
>> __ __
>> Randy & \ \/ /alerie's
>> \__/olvos
>> '90 245 Estate - '93 965 Estate
>> "Shelby" & "Kate"
> Does the OD work ? if so then maybe the incorrect relay installed I am
> not sure as I have not worked on a 240 in a very long time but if I
> remember correctly it should be a white relay also remove the spring
> clip that holds the relay in place as this causes the relay to short out
> internally if you have vadis @ home then check for the correct part # if
> it is correct then check the wire coming out of the shifter bucket &
> going down to the trans as this wire always becomes dried out & breaks
> check these & post back & I will try to help more if needed
> Glenn K
> Volvo Certified Technician 2008
> ASE Certified Technician 2008



The relays were made in many colors, I've seen white, orange and red but
I believe there were others. I've never had a problem with the spring
clip, the usual failure for these is the soldering on the heavy pins
where the relay armature and external plug pins attach to the circuit
board. Flow in a bit of fresh solder and it's good as new.

You're right about the wire under the car to the solenoid. These have
the crumbling insulation and should be replaced or it will burn out
relays and blow fuses. It's just a single wire with a bullet connector
on the end so it's easy to replace, just splice it where it comes up
under the carpet into the center console.

Glenn K <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>Does the OD work ?

Glenn (and James)-

The OD works flawlessly, happily shifting in and out of OD as it
should, and it does so smoothly. The only problem is the light on the
dash works opposite of what it should. Since the relay simply plugs
in, I would guess that it is the relay from the manual box. I won't
get a chance to get to the wrecker's yard until next week and will
report back when I get a chance to get into Mom's car again.

According to Vadis, the correct number for the relay used on the Auto
gearbox is:
- 3523804

Interestingly, the one for the manual box of that year is 352805, and
it comes first on the parts list, with a "SEE NOTE" reference next to
it. I suspect that the generic mechanic who worked on it looked up the
relay and ordered the first one on the list (the 352805).

I will get under the car next week and check out the wire as
suggested.
__ __
Randy & \ \/ /alerie's
\__/olvos
'90 245 Estate - '93 965 Estate
"Shelby" & "Kate"

On Mon, 13 Apr 2009 12:11:19 -0700, Randy G. <(E-Mail Removed)>
wrote:

>James Sweet <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>You should love this stuff:
>
>After I got the car over to Mom on Sunday, I took her out in it,
>letting her drive to get use to it a bit. My schedule is pretty full
>until next week, so don't have the time to take her out on a long
>drive just yet.
>
>She lives along a mountain road, and on the way back from the test
>drive we came to a bend and she started to apply the brakes (we were
>doing about 40). I told her, "Let off the brakes and just steer it
>around the turn."
>
>She got through the turn with a bit of apprehension, and then she
>said, "Wow! I now see why you two love your Volvos so much!"
>
>Ya.. Now she knows! ;-)
>


Much the same happened with my girlfriend driving my V70.
She absolutely hated to drive cars, UNTIL she drove the D5 geartronic.
whenever she had to drive a stickshift car there was some sort of
constant panic about stopping the engine, wrong gears etc
for that same reason she never ever drove in the mountains.
about a mont ago i kinda forced her to drive my car, at first she was
very reluctant and that same panic came up again. But then, only after
few hundred meters or so, slowly a litle smile came up wich evolved to
a big smile! Week later we went to the French alpes and one day i
came back from skiing noticing the car was not in the driveway. She
came home about five minutes later with an even bigger smile than i
had seen before and a victorious rush, she had drove alp roads, on
the snow, through hairpin bends and was perfectly happy doing so. You
cannot imagine how much this fills me with joy. Only downside.... now
if have to share my car with here until she gets a geartronic herself!

Cheers

Marc
>
> __ __
> Randy & \ \/ /alerie's
> \__/olvos
>'90 245 Estate - '93 965 Estate
> "Shelby" & "Kate"