Overdrive Light

  • Thread starter Thread starter jhollenbeak
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jhollenbeak

I purchased my first Volvo this week and am in love! She is an '89 240
DL wagon and in spectacular condition. One of the few quirks is that
the overdrive light is on indicating that overdrive is turned off. I
know that this is common and has been discussed ad infinitum on this
group but was looking for some clarification. Pressing the button on
the shifter makes no difference and the light will not go out but how
do I determine if this is a problem with the button or the relay behind
the glove box?
 
I purchased my first Volvo this week and am in love! She is an '89 240
DL wagon and in spectacular condition. One of the few quirks is that
the overdrive light is on indicating that overdrive is turned off. I
know that this is common and has been discussed ad infinitum on this
group but was looking for some clarification. Pressing the button on
the shifter makes no difference and the light will not go out but how
do I determine if this is a problem with the button or the relay behind
the glove box?
Click to expand...

The problem is the relay, plain and simple. Google for instructions on
fixing it, I know I've answered this exact question dozens of times in the
last year alone so some of those posts should be around.
 
Agreed. We have all been there on this one.

Pull the relay out and clean the contacts. These are the contacts INSIDE
the relay not the external tabs but they may need cleaning as well. I have
used the following on different occasions (different cars) depending on what
I had ato hand (a) very fine wet and dry paper, (b) non lube switch cleaner
from Tandy and (c) heaven help me but it worked really well - carefully
sprayed on some brake fluid cleaner.

I read on http://www.brickboard.com/ once that someone else reconed that the
spring that puts tension on the relay coil looses its tension over time and
this person bent the anchor tab slightly to increase the tension.

Always been dirty contacts for me though.

Next, what's the betting your elect windows stop working. Main suspect will
be contacts inside the switches. A 15 minute to remove the offending
switch, open it up (be careful cos there is a metal rocker, two small
springs and two ball bearings inside the switch). You will prob notice the
contacts are burned, clean in aforsaid manner, reassemble and bobs yer
uncle.

Andy
 
Andy Coles said:
Agreed. We have all been there on this one.

Pull the relay out and clean the contacts. These are the contacts INSIDE
the relay not the external tabs but they may need cleaning as well. I
have used the following on different occasions (different cars) depending
on what I had ato hand (a) very fine wet and dry paper, (b) non lube
switch cleaner from Tandy and (c) heaven help me but it worked really
well - carefully sprayed on some brake fluid cleaner.
Click to expand...

As a second generation electronics techie, I recommend against using any
abrasive on the contacts. Relay contacts are palladium plated and if the
plate is removed the contacts will oxidize. The best way is with a
burnishing tool - used to be available at Tandy / Radio Shack, but I haven't
seen one in ages that wasn't special order. My dad was partial to kraft
paper, like paper grocery bags are made from.

Whatever you do, don't use WD-40. It is actually a pretty good contact
insulator, and will have to be washed off. OTOH, a weird chemical sold as
Stabilant 22A and available 50% strength at audiophile shops under the name
Tweak (sp?) is the best I know of. The chemical left behind when the alcohol
evaporates is described by the mfr as a "block polymer" that is insulating
in thick films and conductive in thin films. All I know is it works well. It
just isn't cheap.

Mike
 
As a second generation electronics techie, I recommend against using any
abrasive on the contacts. Relay contacts are palladium plated and if the
plate is removed the contacts will oxidize. The best way is with a
burnishing tool - used to be available at Tandy / Radio Shack, but I haven't
seen one in ages that wasn't special order. My dad was partial to kraft
paper, like paper grocery bags are made from.
Click to expand...


The problem isn't the contacts anyway, at least I've never seen it. It's the
solder joints where they connect to the circuit board.
 
Different experiences I suppose. Been the contacts on both drivers and
passengers side of our current 740, on one side of another 740 and also on
sons 340 GLE.

The only time I found anything different was on the 340 when the bottom
'bearing' on the motor sized up with rust and the wimdow stuck when fully
down. Water had somehow got in I guess because the rubber seals where the
glass goes into the door are perished. Close to impossible to sort when
window is down but managed to loosen the two torx screws on the top of the
motor and flush out with WD40 a few times, left overnight and has worked
since.

Andy

"James Swee
 
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