Had an interesting weekend. First, mucho thanks to the FAQ-contributors who had the complete answer to why my brake pedal went rock hard going down a hill in Missouri. Blessed me came to a safe stop right in front of an Advance Auto Parts, and after checking the FAQs I've downloaded and keep in a binder in the back of my wagon it sent me right to the brake booster check valve which had crumbled apart, and Advance Auto actually had a [universal?] check valve which fit my 86 740 turbo wagon perfectly and restored my brake function.

On a standing issue, the overdrive fuse blew three times this weekend. On the third time I located and wrapped an exposed piece of beige wire that may have occurred from a recent CD install at BestBuy, but I can't be sure. Wondering if there is anything else I should check or just wait and see if it pops again.

Mucho thanks!

My 91 740 wagon had the same problem with the overdrive fuse too. Everytime I put it in reverse the fuse would blow. I would take the fuse out, go into reverse, back up, put it in drive, then put the fuse back in. never blew when i did that( but a pain to do it though) the problem ended up being the wiring under the car below the shifter. all those wires had rubbed and rubbed after all those years and finally worn through. instant short. my mechanic moved the wires out of the way and with a little electrical tape got me running again for next to nothing. I havent had any more problems with it and its been four months so I guess its fixed. hope this helps.

Did this exact same thing to my wife's 88 245. Right when we got it, it had no overdrive. Found a bad relay. Replaced the relay. Shifted through gears and sitting still, the OD relay started to smoke! Yeah, that's reassuring, smoke curling up out of the dash of a car you've owned for a week!

Anyway the OD wire, and it's just a single white wire on top of and alongside the transmission, rubs itself raw on the shift linkage. Some cars had plastic guides to keep the wire out of trouble and they sorta work. 240's don't seem to have anything.

Some electrical tape or sleeving is in order to prevent a reoccurrence, and probably a new OD relay (part no 3523804).
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Rob Bareiss, New London CT ::: 87 244DL, 88 245DL, 90 745GL, 84 242DL project, 89 244 parts, 88 244DL to replace the 87