I had to replace a PNP switch last month due to my reverse lights not working.

NOW my blinkers are having issues. Every so often, they will just not flash. Both sides. The light turns on, but stays on. The fuse is fine.

Then just as randomly as they stop working, they start working again.

What is going on? I'm begenning to flippin' HATE this car and I've never hated a Volvo. They're the only cars I've ever owned, and this is my 3rd, the newest of the bunch and THE WORST.

Please advise on what could be causing my blinkers to spaz out and please tell me it's not another $500+ job.

The next time the blinker refuses to work, I assume that the green light comes on steady, push the red triangle on your dash and see if all 4 work. You might only need a new relay.

To replace the relay, just pop out the triangle and get a replacement. Junk yards are full of them.

If nothing happens when you move the turn signal stalk, it could be that the stalk switch died. Those are also cheap via junk yards and easy to replace.

It happened again today. AND the hazards did NOT work either.

What to do??????!!!! How much to fix at the shop do you guess????

You will need a new hazzard switch. It takes 5 minutes to replace.

I thought I was told if the hazards didn't work when the blinkers didn't flash that it wasn't the hazard switch?

please advise and thank you SO MUCh for being here!!! :)

As I said before, the flasher relay is imbedded in the hazzard switch. When the relay fails, neither the flasher nor the turn signals will work. Because the turn signals sometime work, you can rule out the fuse. Because the turn signal light comes on in the instrument cluster, you can rule out the switch on the stalk. That leaves the relay at fault, which means that you need a new hazzard switch.

The relay may work sometimes, depending on cabin temperature. In the meantime, I sugggest moving the turn signal stalk manually to indicate a turn to the other cars.

THANK YOU!!!

"The next time the blinker refuses to work, I assume that the green light comes on steady" ...... YES that is exactly what happens.

I will check the hazard lights next time. It is REALLY sporadic...

Is it normal for the relay to create such intermittant blinker problems?

Also this NEVER happened until the dealer replaced my PNP switch. I'm thinking they messed something up in their repairs...is that possible?

Those two parts are not related nor close to each other. PNP is in the engine bay, under the air cleaner/battery.

Right, but in messing around with the wiring, isn't there a chance something could have gotten pulled, etc?

Nope. Just engine wires up there. Those relays do fail.

Awesome.

I'm not really a car fixer-upper, neither is my husband. We know how to change fuses. Is this relay something that is going to be super expensive to fix at the shop?

Or if it's easy, can you advise where to purchase the part and REALLY simple step by step instructions for how to repair?

Very easy to replace, but don't replace anything until you know for sure what is broken. Here is a link:

http://www.fcpeuro.com/Volvo-parts/V70/Interior-Switches/?year=1998&m=20&e=153

The hazard switch, with the relay inside, is $62! The switch pulls straight out of the dash and using a regular screwdriver to gently pry it out until your fingers take over. Then, the new one is pushed back in place.

The turn signal lever is a little more complicated. FCP shows two of them, with or without cruise control. Same page as above link.

The plastic around the steering column comes off by removing two torx (T25) screws. Then it is just a matter of unscrewing the old turn signal and putting in the new one. Mechanical skills are not required.

But, before you order parts or take it to a mechanic, check the switches first. If the turn signal stalk feel loose, that may be the problem, but I doubt it.

I dislike the location of the hazzard switch because when ever I put my car in park, my knuckles would hit it and set it off!

Thank you so much! How do we know without taking the car into the shop what 'for sure' is broken.

Is the hazard light test the answer?

Also how much do you guess it'd cost for a dealer to fix this? If it's quick, hopefully not more that $150??

The blinker relay is part of the hazzard light switch, unfortunately. When the turn signal does not work, pushing on the triangle should have the same result.

As you know dealers charge a lot per hour. Depending on the shop, and country location, replacing the relay could cost $60-$150 + $60 for the relay.

It is not that hard for you to take a large flat screwdriver and pry the relay out of the dash. The warmer the dash, the easier it will be. Just don't force it very hard as you don't want to break the plastic or dent the vinyl dash cover.

Because the light turns on when you use the turn signal lever, I suspect that the switch in the lever is OK. Check the lights in the front and rear and see if they come on when you turn the lever on/off. Usually, when a bulb goes out, the turn signal will flash rapidly. I don't know what happens when all 4 bulbs go out.