I actually have a very good idea what is wrong here.

Tuesday morning (5:25 AM), I started the car, let it warm for a minute and then switched on the headlights to head off.

No headlights but the clearance lights are on. I cycled the floor dimmer a couple times and the brights came on. Clicking the switch again put me back in black. A few taps on the side of the switch finally brought my headlights on and so off I went.

Same problem this morning, but much worse. I could not get my lights to stay on without resting my foot on the switch. Not a workable solution with a manual gearbox.

Weighing my options, I set off with my clearance lights on and my front spotlights/fogs on. This worked in a desperate pinch, but it is obviously not a good alternative.

My guess is the dimmer switch has bitten the bullet (no Ron, I've never oiled it) and considering some of the odd wiring down on the floorboard, I suspect this is not even the original volvo switch. I do not have a spare floor switch but I was planning to make the signal-stalk conversion anyway.

So.. my question (finally). I've seen this behavior before with a signal-stalk switch. My uprated 220 would also do this occasionally. I've got a nagging doubt that this problem is something more/else than just a failing floor switch.

If it is something more/else, what are the likely culprits?

Relay (are they even stock)?
Wiring (possible)?
Bad ground?
Wrong color car (this one is green)?

Thanks as always.

Definitely not a problem with the color... green is by far amongst the kindest of colors you could have.

That indeed leaves the switch

--
-Matt I ♥ my ♂

I only have one thing to add to this post, the signal stalk conversion is worth it a thousand thanks to Ron for providing the wiring diagrams. I simply went to the JY and cut off the wiring harness and relay out of a 240 (even some of the wires have the same colour codes!) and it has worked without flaw ever since. Getting the wires in place that you need can be a challenge if you're trying to get them back into the original harness cover, but have a look at the wiring diagram, it's pretty straight forward.

Craig

Stay away from the Volvo dealer and his overpriced switch, if they can even get one. Instead go to a parts house that sells VW parts and get one for a beetle or bus. The same switch for a fraction of the cost
--
Lee 75 244 (80k original miles) 79 242 65 220 project

Thanks guys. I'm not looking to replace or repair my floor switch. They annoy me and owning a manual means that my left foot has more important things to do while driving.

The lack of wiring for the signal stalk conversion will be an issue, but I think I already have the needed relay and I have multiple copies of the wiring diagram.

My main concern was that since I've seen similar behavior with a signal-stalk switch as well, I wanted to be sure the switch was the only potential problem.

I'm going to go ahead with the stalk conversion as soon as I can. Running new wires does not scare me. Although I do not enjoy removing my steering wheel to get at the signal stalk...

It just snowed quite a bit here and everything is buried. I took my wife's 940 to work this morning and do not relish the notion of crawling around on the floorboard of my 130 right now.

Like I've said elsewhere, I want to know about as many possibilities as I can before I get out there to do this.

I too had this same problem and my temporary fix was to switch the bright and normal headlamp wires going to the foot switch. Thus I had regular lights but hitting the foot switch would make them go black instead of high beams.

So a year or two later I took apart the switch by drilling out one side of the rivets that hold the housing together. If I remember correctly I drilled them out so that they would still align the two halves together when reassembled, then the mounting screws held everything tight. Well first thing I did was clean the corroded and pitted contacts and I reinstalled it, still no go.

Upon taking it apart a second time and checking it with a volt meter I found that the brass rivets holding the brass parts together were not providing a good electrical connection. My solution was wire brushing the rivets really good to try to clean the area under the rivet heads, then I peened the rivet heads good and tight. Now the switch works good as new without spending any money.

Given that you had to rest your foot on the switch, and that fiddling with the switch gave a temporary solution, I can't imagine it's any other component.

If you're *really* in a pinch and can't replace the switch promptly, you can remove the wires from it and connect 12v power in to the low beams. You won't be able to switch to high beams, but low beams are better than no lights at all.

You know the switch is bad - replace it. If something else is also bad, it'll become apparent... but don't don't worry too much about what might be broken until you deal with the thing that's certainly broken.

Best,

Cameron
Rose City

Thanks, I'm just trying to get the most out of my "crawling around outside in the cold-arse car" time.

The more I know about potential problems to look for before I go out, the less time I spend fixing something that is not the real problem.

I'd like to just omit the floor switch entirely and convert to the modern signal-stalk setup, but that is providing its own challenge (see my other post)

I've not done this conversion myself before and my 67 wagon's flasher was "restored" long before I bought it.

SO.. I just reviewed Ron's article over at SW-EM http://www.sw-em.com/122flasher.htm

Initial problem. There are no extra grey, red or black wires taped back inside the harness where the back-up relay is located. I even sliced (!) my wiring tube back a bit to look for wire and I only found one "extra" black wire - for my brake warning light).

I can see the aforementioned color wires that continue to run up to the plug connector for the headlights, but it does not seem proper (or wise) to sever these. So far, I can not find the taped-back wires that Ron has described. They do not seem to be in this part of the harness in a 1968 model. Am I looking in the wrong place?

It also does not help that there is some goof-ball wiring up at the headlights. This car was "pre-wired" for foglights by the original owner, so there are a couple "extra" wires on the forward side of the wiring plug. Probably not a problem (both are capped) but it does not help me either.

Similarly, I can see some odd wiring down with the foot dimmer switch. This jives with some minor damage to the wiring harness behind the instrument panel and the fact that my blue high-beam indicator has never worked. It is probably related to some prior calamity...

Damn, this will be more trouble that I had hoped.

although the linked instructions do not say so, I figure I should remove the foot switch and its wiring? I'm also guessing I may need to run new wires from the signal stalk to the relay.

Is there another guide out there for wiring this thing up? I think I need something more advanced than just "connect the wires to the relay"

You're right: the wires you're looking for aren't in a '68 model. This change took place sometime during 1967 production. The black wire you're looking for isn't part of your car - you'll have to add one.

If you have a copy of the ipd Vintage Catalog (no affiliation), it ought to include the tech tip that covers the conversion for the later cars.

If you don't have a copy, you can read it (as well as the tech tip) online:

http://catalogs.google.com/catalogs?id=N97Mog8hqggC&dq=ipd&jtp=36

Good luck!

Cameron
Rose City

Repairman,

The most likely problem you are dealing with is a loose or corroded connector external to the footswitch. I say this because pressure against the side of the switch gave temporary connection. Disassembly, cleaning, and reassembly should get you by until you get around to changing to the signal stalk. Even if you need to replace the footswitch, they are still available from your local auto parts house.

--
Mr. Shannon DeWolfe -- (I've taken to using Mr. because my name tends to mislead folks on the WWW. I am a 52 year old fat man ;-) -- KD5QBL