my 92 240gl wont shift to OD when crusing , when i push the manual button on shifter the arrow up light comes on but makes no difernce in shifiting , any help much appreciated ..thanks

First, check your fuse. I believe it is a 16 amp (red) one. On an '88 it is the 11th fuse from the top, not sure if it's the same on your '92. If the fuse is ok, then I would test the overdrive solenoid.

btw, the button is used to lock out OD as in, when the yellow arrow is on the trans will not shift into OD.

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EDIT: Yes, I did assume your trans fluid was at the right level.

https://www.brickboard.com/RWD/volvo/737816/volvo_240_automatic_transmission_overdrive_circuit_spellchecked.html

The above post provides a nice, if a bit opinionated, synopsis on how the electrical portion of the overdrive system functions (or fails to).

In my experience it's usually a bad wire connection that's intermittent and hard to track down. Either in the shifter mechanism or at the solenoid (the moving and dirty parts of the system). For me, the solenoid modification to eliminate the 4th gear lockout was the way to go. My 240 had enough problems without having to worry about maintaining that switch, relay and wiring.

3 likely possibilities:
Bad overdrive relay, frayed overdrive shift wires (check for rubbing at edge of tranny hole to tranny tunnel - that’s what happened to my 90 240), bad overdrive solenoid.
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Will I buy another Volvo??? We'll see....

Hi,

You must be talking about an automatic three speed with overdrive.
The manuals boxes are a true fifth gear selection with M47 transmissions.

In the automatic case, the arrow is saying you are locking it out of overdrive when the light comes on.
It is advising you that you can shift up into overdrive after you get over pulling a long grade.
This feature keeps the transmission from jumping in and out working the clutches inside.
When the light is off it then should be already shifted into overdrive or as it turns out, it should shift up.

So, you are either hung up in overdrive or not or you are permanently locked into the overdrive gear, if there has been a bypass plate installed.
In the latter case you are already getting lower engine revolutions in the top gear. If not, it has stopped working due to low fluid, a bad solenoid or wiring to it. The bypass plate is a cheap fix if you can tolerate the lack of pulling power on hills or use of a trailer.


I have one automatic in my fleet of six Volvos and it’s a 1992. I enjoy the option at times when recently being in Colorado and humming around 10,000 feet. Power vanishes with the amount of oxygen up there!
I don’t know what the bypass plate looks like and only can imagine it replaces the solenoid. As I last remember, IPDUSA.COM sells them. Maybe looking into their catalog may help you find out if you have one.
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Edit: I found this for you!
https://www.ipdusa.com/prodtype.asp?CAT_ID=969&numRecordPosition=0&categorycrumbs=
Scan the page to get a feel of what you are looking for under the car. You will see what I mean by a cheaper option.
I’m sure a call to them as they could give you more insight than I have.
They might suggest a fluid change if nothing else.
How many miles since it’s last service is bound to come up?
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It would be nice to know what RPM’s you are turning during speeds above say 50 mph and above in your next post.
Do you have a tachometer or can you temporarily attach one to read out in the cabin?

Information always helps us to reach a consensus among us Bricksters!

Phil