This applies for an auto tranny. I don't know about the standards.

Of course you could have a short anywhere in the system but this is where I'd look first.

Under the car, directly below where the gearshift housing is.
There's a wire that exits the front of the shifter box, then drops down to the right of the driveshaft. Then goes forward along the side of tranny tunnel towards the transmission.

You can feel or look for that wire and learn if it's sound or not. If you really don't want to crawl under you can go to a muffler/brake shop and ask for their free brake inspection. While it's up, ask the guy to take a look at that wire.

The wire often frays right where it goes down past the driveshaft. Eventually it tears and then your OD quits completely. Can also blow fuses. Take a look under there. Even without a good lift or ramps, you can eyeball where the shifter box is and then go to that location in the tranny tunnel if you can skinny under the car. Maybe drive up on a couple 2 inch thick boards, that might be enough to inspect it.

Replacing that bit of frayed wire is a bit of a pain without a shop lift but I've done it twice (two different 240s). Shove new wire out the grommet at front of shifter box, working from the passenger compartment. Grab it from below and splice it to the existing wire at side of tranny tunnel. Make the other splice up inside the shifter box. It helps if you can curse in Swedish but any language will do in a pinch.

The other thing to try is to replace the OD relay. They do fail. Usually they fail in not working due to a cracked solder joint but I suppose it could fail in having a short. Of course any short should blow a fuse but your short or semi-short is probably just little enough current to not blow the fuse.

But check out that wire first. Cheap to fix if you're intrepid, and if it's messed up no other OD work will help your problem.


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Sven: '89 245 NA, 951 ECU, expanded air dam, forward belly pan reaches oem belly pan, airbox heater upgraded, E-fan, 205/65-15 at 50 psi, IPD sways, no a/c-p/s belt, E-Codes, amber front corner reflectors, aero front face, quad horns, tach, small clock.