An earlier post of mine this week stated a discussion about Lucas parts on Amazons. Someone suggested the dipswitch might have been Lucas, because they have been known to fail. I checked the old one off my car (I've conveted to a pedal actioned one), and it had "Made in USA" cast on it! Is mine some dodgy replacement, or did Volvo source these from the US? By the way, mine is a Swedish built, Australian delivered car.

JohnH

Probably your made in the USA switch is from an American car (after all it was due to US regulations that the car has the foot switch in the first place). Older US cars had a foot switch as well, its possible yours was switched with one for one of these cars.

It is VERY easy to convert the dipswitch to actuation by pulling up on
the turn signal. All you need is the relay from a later car (doesn't
have to be a Volvo - I am using one from a VW on my 122.
The wire to the floor dipswitch is long enough to reach the relay on
the fenderwell.
--
George Downs Bartlesville, Oklahoma

Exactly! I did that on my 544 and it works perfectly. The cable goes into the engine compartment instead of down to the footwell, and just a minor bit of looking at a 140 series wiring dieagram and a couple of new wires and I had it hooked up.


The original one carefully bided its time. One night on a curving country highway it spied its chance and as I passed a car and stepped on the switch to go back to highbeams I instead got a shower of sparks from the footwell and darkness outside. Highly exciting! :^O

Post mortem - excessive corrosion on the aluminum switch body from 35+ years of exposure to moisture.

John;

I suggested they're NOT from Lucas, because I rarely hear of one failing.

I just checked, and a confirmed OE switch has "Made in Germany" on the bottom. This suggests that your failed switch possibly was "some dodgy replacement".

Beers