Volvo 240 shift problem

I have a 1991 Volvo 240 sedan with 120K miles which I get serviced on a
regular basis.

My problem is that lately I have been noticing that the car is running at a
very high rpm's the first drive of the day (typically when I get over 50
mph). However, when I shut the car off and start it again in a few minutes
it runs fine over 50 mph (it kicks into normal gear/OD). Last year I had
the gear shift belt replaced, and at the last service, the technician said
everything was ok. Any insights one could provide would be greatly
appreciated.

Thanks - Mark

 

Gear shift belt?

I'm assuming this is an automatic, I would check to see if the kickdown
cable is binding.

 

I have found the overdrive relays often fail causing the overdrive not
to engage.

Usually the failure is caused by bad solder joints on the circut board
inside the relay assembly.

On 240 models the relay is located inside the dash just to the left of
the glove compartment.

Remove the glove conpartment and just look to the left, the relay is a
small box (usually orange or white) attached to the dash with a spring
bracket.

After you have removed the relay assembly, pry the lips at the base of
the plastic cover open and slide the circut board out; you will usually
be able to see the cracks in the solder pads where the relay is soldered
to the circut board.

If you, or a friend, knows how to solder you can fix this easily
otherwise the dealer charges about $35 for this part.

Rich