I know this is a shared view that the headlights on the later model 240's are extremely dull and unfocused. I know the e-code lights are the way to go, but extremely difficult to find and expensive!

I was curious (i did a few searches here first) to if there are easier to acquire options for better lighting. Maybe aftermarket mounts and lighting setups? E-code retailers? Older quad round custom installions?

Most of the posts regarding custom lighting setups are missing their links and such...

I've recently moved to a hilly, dark, tree-laden mountain road will lots of dear and other critter running about. And it's become apparent that I need to remedy my lighting situation quick!

I'd really appreciate any of the bb communities' constructive help. Thank you. :)
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'88 245,M47,Virgos,245K+

If your German is any good:

http://fahrzeugteile.shop.ebay.de/i.html?_nkw=Volvo+240+Scheinwerfer&_sacat=131090&_odkw=Volvo+240+Felgen&_osacat=131090&_trksid=p3286.c0.m270.l1313

You cannot use lights from GB or ireland because they drive on the wrong side. But the Continentals all drive on the right side. Some of the cheaper ones are probably plastic and made in Bangladesh, but the USA are also plastic and they don't shine down the road. Sweeden is also a good place to look.

Klaus
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Always willing to listen, just not able to take direction.

Thanks Klaus. Yes my half day of searching has lead me to believe I'm probably going to have to find a language transverter and make an expensive order to europe...

So would the majority of those lenses be e-codes? the rectangle ones? i'm still trying to figure out what exactly makes an e-code an e-code. I'd appreciate a little solid complete explaination.

I understand I need to also find euro side lights because the na ones won't fit with the euro headlights? Will those e-code lenses fit in the na mounts? Or do I have have to get the lenses and the mounts?

I've found Daniel Stern's website and oak.cats.ohiou.edu which looks as though it'll be gone soon.

I've learned quite a bit so far. Still feel quite lost. hahaha. thanks for all your help. :)
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'88 245,M47,Virgos,245K+

First, I personally prefer the term 'e-code' for the older substitutes for sealed beams, and the term 'euroheadlight' for the very specific or proprietary (non-generic) lamps of auto manufacturers for their particular model cars, such as a later Volvo 240 -- but I won't force that on anyone who disagrees.

In any case, what makes an e-code or Euroheadlight different from those headlights in older U.S. cars is a combination of attributes. First, such european market lamps must have certain beam patterns, particularly with their low beams. There must be a sharp cutoff so as to prevent light from hitting the eyes of oncoming drivers. There must also be a somewhat higher cutoff on the other side of the road, to enable the driver to see farther and notice hazards at a greater distance. In some lamps, such as the Cibie-Volvo genuine european headlights, that cutoff rises at about 15 degrees from the horizontal, so that at the side of the road, the illumination is high enough to light up road signs and eyeshine of deer. Note that this is why you can't use lamps from the U.K., because they drive on the "wrong" (ha, ha) side of the road, and the cutoff is reversed. But the improvement in night vision in low beam is startling, and the reason why I cannot tolerate anything else (note my earlier message about my "old man's eyes").

Of course, there are other features, as well. I strongly suggest getting a copy of the Bosch Automotive Handbook -- it's worth its weight in gold as far as the information it contains, not only on lighting but on almost all aspects of automotive engineering.

Anyway, in contrast to the european headlights, during the era when our later ('85-on) 240's were imported, our stupid gov't's DOT deemed that those european headlights were prone to glare (although quite the opposite, really) and dictated a beam pattern that directed most of the light from our headlights down on the pavement just a few feet in front of the car. Thus, with OEM (U.S.-market) plastic headlights, we drive on low-beam with just a bare fringe of light shining ahead to light our way.

The differences are all about the design of the reflectors and the front lenses. You can't just put brighter filaments in those lousy headlights -- you'll still be wasting the photons being produced. You need altogether different optical design. Read the Bosch book, and you'll understand it.

Good luck.

Thanks Ken, for the detailed response.
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'88 245,M47,Virgos,245K+

"I've found Daniel Stern's website and oak.cats.ohiou.edu which looks as though it'll be gone soon."

Never fear! My admittedly out of date write up lives on!:

http://www.ohio.edu/people/ridgely/e-code.htm

I have a few leads in mainland Europe that I could share with you. I'm expecting to have a set of 740 E-codes shipped over in the next month or so. We might be able to combine the shipping-from-Europe costs.

-Ryan

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Athens, Ohio
1987 245 DL 324k, Dog-hauler
1990 245 DL 142k M47, E-codes, GT Sways/Braces, Dracos, A-cam
1990 744GLE 189K 16-valve
1991 745 GL 304k

That would be great Ryan. After looking into the eurolights I think I'll slim down my food and jameson budget and get a pair.
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'88 245,M47,Virgos,245K+

It's a wise move. It'd be interesting to see if other mods/options are practical, but at the end of the day you just can't beat the performance and look of the appropriate Euro set up IMO.

Shoot me a pm!... I'll take a look see....

-Ryan
--

Athens, Ohio
1987 245 DL 324k, Dog-hauler
1990 245 DL 142k M47, E-codes, GT Sways/Braces, Dracos, A-cam
1990 744GLE 189K 16-valve
1991 745 GL 304k

Hey Ryan, I can't find a pming option on this site.
And when I try to send you an email my computer tries to set up a new account.

Sorry. My email is fidei_mysterium(at)yahoo(dot)com. Thanks again. :)
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'88 245,M47,Virgos,245K+

While the USA had DOT designed lenses for a million years, the Europeans had E-codes which stands for European style lenses. The Ecodes have a flat cutoff, with more light going down the road and much less going up into the air. Ecodes are great for fog as well, reflecting less light back into the driver's sight. All European cars are equiped with Ecodes, of course, they were not legal in the USA. New cars, after about 2000, now have flat beam cutoffs in the USA.

Do you also need corner lights? I doubt it. I cannot imagine Volvo had a different design just for the US market. They did have different color lenses. KenC can answer that question.

In newer cars, not sure about 1988, Europeans have the ability to adjust the headlights from the driver's seat. The headlight modules have small motors attached to a dash switch, neat! Americans wouldn't know what to do with them!!

As for the reflector, I believe they are different for the USA DOT lights. It is best to get the entire unit. Getting used is not a problem if the lenses are glass and most European lights are glass instead of plastic.

Note: I don't have a 240 anymore. You could send KenC an email and ask him about specific Ebay items. He would be better qualified to answer specific questions.

Klaus
--
Always willing to listen, just not able to take direction.

I've put Euroheadlights on my two cars (both '93's), but they're expensive (and even harder to get nowadays). The reason I did that is that I've used e-codes (they're the substitutes for sealed beams) since the early 1970's in every one of my cars that could take a sealed beam (which was until I owned post-'84 240s), and I can't put up with anything less, especially with my (now) old man's eyes.

Don't settle for just putting more wattage in your car's lousy proprietary headlights -- the problem is not the wattage, but the optics that are not focusing the light usefully.

I've lately decided that if I ever buy another 240, I wouldn't want cost of still another set of Euroheadlights, so I'd fabricate some mount that let me place an e-code (especially a 7 inch round, which I found, over the years, had excellent performance and wouldn't necessitate installing a pair of e-codes such as 5-1/4 rounds in the same crowded space). I don't see why it couldn't be done. You only have to be a little artistic with the "surround" -- maybe some sculpted wood. And you need the right size headlight mount, adjustable, to install in place of the awful proprietary headlamps.

Certain big-rig Volvo trucks used (as a cost reduction option) 7 inch round sealed beams with their surround that fitted the space of the headlights (which were identical to the 240's headlights). But their fiberglass surround was very expensive.

There is an older Hella aux. light called the XL. if I remember correctly. This rectangular light for under or over bumper mounting was based on the 5 series. There were 3 versions - a driving light for long range, a fog light lens in white or yellow, and the XL which had a clear lens designed specifically to be an auxilary headlight to assist the often mediocre US headlights of the time. Hella stopped making them 10? years ago as they just didn't sell, but I bought a new set on e-bay for $70?, and haven't put it on anything yet. I think people here just didn't understand what a non fog, non driving, extra headlight was for, and in Europe people already had better headlights. Again, they are supposed to reinforce the low beam - no high beam - headlight and are still around. Pep boys, among others, used to sell them. A little patience or junkyard / craigs list /e-bay might scare one up. Just FYI.

AND OF COURSE A RELAY SETUP WILL HELP THE PLASTIC W/9004 BULBS UNIT RUN AS BRIGHTLY AS POSSIBLE (MAYBE putco WAREHOUSE?). Cleaning the plastic lens, or new lenses from e-bay - were $25 delivered, and new standard 9004 bulbs (I don't think there is a Phillips XTREME in 9004)will all make positive but modest incremental changes at modest cost.

Back in the days of my '86 240DL, I tried a number of lighting setups. The best, by far (in looks and function), was the quad round setup with independent relays for the lights). Yes, it was a bit of a pain to get all hooked up, but it looked quite good once I got it all in and the light output was amazing. If you find the full setup at a junkyard, that will be cheapest. Buy the brackets and everything. Some minor modifications will be necessary to the grill and some holes will need to be drilled to mount the metal brackets, as I recall. It took me an afternoon, I think, to get it all square and looking nice. I think I spent $30 on all the parts and then $40 on new sealed beam lights. If you're looking for inexpensive, that's the way to go. If you're looking for factory original aesthetics from under three feet away, get the euro lights.

Hope this helps a bit.

Nate

For the 1986 on on US (North American as in Canada also?) headlamps, so far on my three 240s 90, 91, 92, I've repaired by finding the clear plastic lens and plastic reflector bowl had separated.

The adhesive joining the two fails allowing moisture and bio-muck-yuck intrusion. A complete dis-assembly to give access to the reflector interior and lens interior.

Remove assembly sheet metal. Remove the the bezel/mounts that secure to the sheet metal. Remove the corner light assembly.

Remove the air pressure cap at the assembly top (Phillips screw).

One lens on my 1991 has green algae goo. A weak bleach solution and detergent to clean the lens and reflector bowl. I used a soft scrub brush to clean the fluting on the clean lens interior.

Yes, the faulty DOT fluting that delivers the crappy and sloppy headlight beam pattern. Yet clean is clean.

Barely use pressure on the reflector, if at all, as you can easily damage the frail reflector material.

I verified the metal reflector strip at the clear lens bottom was secure. That adhesive can fail. If at any time the halogen 9004 bulb explodes while on and hot, that can ruin the reflector and clean lens interior requiring some yunkyard hunting for better candidates.

I scraped away all the failed factory adhesive and cleaned the mating channel with a reside free solvent like 90% isopropyl alcohol. Brake parts cleaner and some other solvents can attack the plastic.

I used an adhesive sparingly yet completely to fill the channel. I forget what I used but something to tolerate the heat and application yet could (maybe) be removed if I had to get inside the assembly again.

Protecting the lens with news print, I used tape to secure the halves together until it cured and scraped away the excess. Let cure with lens pointing up so excess adhesive does not run into the lens interior.

When the adhesive cures, reinstall the gas pressure equalizer cap.

the corner light assembly. Resecure the the bezel/mounts that secure to the sheet metal. Resecure assembly to sheet metal.

Inspect the 9004 bulb. Clean with isopropyl alcohol if any dust or finger prints are on it. When clean and dry, reinstall. (It may be a good time to install new 9004 bulbs.)

Test headlights. When dark, test and adjust.

While not e-codes, and with the stupid U.S. dot lighting pattern, the clean and restored headlamps are a tremendous improvement over a set of 1986 and newer Volvo 240 plastic headlamp with moisture intrusion, dirt, much, and bio-nasty stuff. Those bulbs like it clean and dry.

Egg Nawg.

(AKA Unemployed Technical Writer 15 months now.)
--
RIP, yet beloved:
1975 244 DL (B20, M40)
1976 242 DL (B21, M46, Moonroof - an SRO?)
1979 245 DL (B21, M46)
1979 242 GT (B21, M46, Moonroof - an SRO? Grey Market from Holland)
Currently owned, beloved, operating, and getting better all the time(!):
1990 240 (245) DL (B230, M47 II)
1991 240 (244) (B230, M47 II, Moonroof. Grey Market from Germany)
1992 240 (244) GL (B230, M47 II, L-jet 3.1, Moonroof)

Yeah, I lept over all those 1980s, huh? Volvo 240 forever!!!!!!

Thanks for the lengthy post bmwjohn. I'll keep an eye open for those xl's. I see hella makes a 550 H3 driving light. Is it similar to what you're referencing? I'll look up reviews on the 550 and see if that light compares to what I'm looking for. Thanks again.
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'88 245,M47,Virgos,245K+

yes, there are several 500 series hella. the XL is based on the rectangular units, and I have seen 3 on e-bay in the last 18 months, all new. 1-773-290-8766 WAS the phone number for an e-bay seller who sold the replacement lenses (to avoid cleaning the old ones up) for $25 delivered AND sold the relatively inexpensive complete e-code euro glass headlights and parking lights for about $235? complete. He also had other items. He and relative shipped from California, maybe, and Chicago fr sure. Possibly out of basement or storage mini warehouse.Don't know if he is still in business. E code is the EEC certification process where the number e-1 or whatever tells you this is government approved for use in Europe and the NUMBER (1.or 12, or whatever) tells you which country actually made it. Some of the Bosch books tell the code numbers. So, you could have a Chinese made headlight that was certified for sale in Europe AND has an e-14 or whatever number on lens showing which country made (or perhaps certified )it. Think of UL or CSA. I am quite sure these units are still being made in Estonia or Latvia or China since they are sold world wide as wreck replacement units, NOT upgrades. Cibie are probably nicer, but harder to find and much more expensive. If you wish to spend $235 or whatever thats the best way, perhaps adding a relay kit from Putco warehouse? - haven't tried them but they appear cheapest, and perhaps 70/75w H-4 bubs from OSRAM Germany through CANDLEPOWER, Phillips Extreme H-4 from same place, or Indian made 70/75 H-4 from CLASSIC GARAGE. I just assumed you didn't want to spend that kind of money. Remember, too, that if you scrap or wreck car and headlight/parking light assembly still intact they have some resale value on Brickboard.

Thanks for all that info.
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'88 245,M47,Virgos,245K+