[[email protected]]

Alright, coming home tonight, I noticed my headlights are not working when I went to turn them on. If I flash the highbeams, they flash but do not stay on. All other lights work. I did disable my DRLS several months ago.

Yes, I did check the fuses, but that's about all as it was getting dark. Anybody have any ideas what this could be before I start tearing things apart?

 

[1FASTBOX]

Did you change the setting on the back of your headlight switch for thew drl's to go off? If the switch is ok check the lighting relay. Park lights as well?

 

[[email protected]]

I turned that screw on the switch to disable the drls. I'll try adjusting that tomorrow. I did not check the relay. The parking lights work fine.

 

[Prospero]

If you need some help George, I can stop by your place to lend a hand. I have had the same problem on mine as well. I have most of my test equipment in the car with me now. Generally I pass through GB around 7ish in the evenings. Gimme a call if interested.

Prospero

 

[[email protected]]

Hey Matt,
Too late, but thanks for the offer. I just haven't had time to look at the car (my IPD exhaust isn't even out of the box yet, much less on the box

), so I took it down to Scandinavian in Rockville to change the oil and put some synthetic Amsoil tranny fluid in it. I just told them to trouble shoot it.

What did it turn out the problem was on your car BTW. I'm curious if it's the same thing.

 

[Prospero]

I had corrosion on the fuse block and fuses. But, while troubleshooting the system I had everything out since the fuse tested good from a continunity light but had 70 ohms of resistance when I hit it with my DMM. Good education, I had everything out and off of the car. I even had the steering coulumn cover off!
Serious fun! Hope your's is just the relay, that is what is sounds like to me.

Prospero

 

[[email protected]]

Got the car back. It was the switch.

 

[1FASTBOX]

Was it the mod you did or an internal fault, if you want the drl's off adjust the switch on the back to the side, and you will not have a problem.

 

[[email protected]]

The only mod was disabling the DRLs. Why, do you think that may have had something to do with it?

 

[Prospero]

I'm shocked. I never would have thought the switch would go bad. Those things are built to withstand WWIII! Maybe there is an underlying problem that may re-surface. If you still have the old switch, check it out for failure cause. Burnt terminals or corrosion type of things.

Prospero

 

[[email protected]]

You know, I was dumb enough when I dropped the car off to tell them to throw away the old parts (it was in for service and the tranny flush, so I didn't think of it). I should have taken a look at the thing, even before I had it replaced, because most likely it should have been salvageable. And, at $51, it'd be a lot easier if it were.

 

[Prospero]

That's cheaper than I thought it would be. I guess no big loss either way. From a time standpoint it could have cost more to try to fix it. Glad to hear all is well though.

Prospero

 

[[email protected]]

Funny story. I picked the car up the afternoon it was serviced and brought it home, putting it in the garage. Yesterday I took it out, and drove it down to DC where I met my wife coming off the Metro and went by Martens Volvo VW to pick up our VW Golf that had just gotten serviced. We were driving back, and it began to get dusk. She was in the R and I in the Golf. She made motions for me to come along side on the highway and I did. She mouthed that there were no dash lights.

Being the complete dunce when it comes to lip reading, I couldn't understand, but when we got home she told me of the prob. She couldn't figure it out.

In the meantime, having been following her (it's always nice to ogle your own car from the outside, even nicer when there's a hotty in an 850R next to you smiling at you

) and I had noticed the taillights flickering.

Okay, now I am thinking there's an electrical glitch with the car. When she told me about the lights, I commented about the flickering tails. She mentioned that she'd been turning them on and off, thus the flickering (DRL to headlights makes them flicker, and the new switch didn't yet have the deactivated DRLs). Long story short, no dash lights = new light switch on car that hadn't been yet driven at night. The dash light adjustment was on full low.

 

[black850R]

There was a "campaign" (Recall to the rest of the world) to replace the headlight switch. I suspect we now know why.

Mine was replaced by the dealer as part of their "Pre-Owned Certified" program before I purchased it.

I don't think disabling the DRL's caused the problem; that was the first thing I did to mine.

 

[[email protected]]

Interesting, so it was a recall, but not in the USA?

 

[black850R]

quote:

Originally posted by [email protected]:
Interesting, so it was a recall, but not in the USA?

Sorry to be confusing. Yes, it was in the USA. It's just that Volvo calls it a "campaign" instead of a "recall". At least that's what it says on the dealer prep paperwork in the section under "Campaigns": "Replaced headlight switch per camp 94".

 

[Prospero]

George,
My offer still stands for troubleshooting the car. I'm still at work and will be here till 1 AM, its not too far from where you live. If you want, gimme a call and I can take a look if you swing by. I have a parking garage here so we can look at it out of the weather.

Prospero

 

[[email protected]]

Hey Matt, sorry for the late reply. I was in Houston all weekend. Not many Volvos there

.

Everything is fixed now with the new switch installed. I wish I'd have known about the campaign. Oh well. Win some...lose some. I take the Volvo to an independent shop half the time and the dealer half the time. Unfortunately for me, I took it to the indy shop that time. Oh well.

 

[Prospero]

Eh, what's a few bucks anyway! After all, it for the R and the wife, right. Don't feel too bad though, I just dropped $1900 into my 850 last week. (Tires, bodywork, and some engine mods.) Hopefully all will be done for the GTG on the 1st. And the sad part about all of that is I'm the only one who appreciates the car. At least you get to share yours.

Prospero

 

[[email protected]]

That may be true, but if you finish the car by the weekend, we can all drool on it