Greetings,
I was wondering if anyone replaced their large 85 and older 240 steering wheel with a 1986 and newer smaller type? I pulled one off (small) in the wrecking yard and it has a wire for the horn going to it (red). The large one on my 84 has no wire going to it. Has anyone been down this road before? The little wheel looks like it will fit, but I need the horn to work.
Thank You!

Hi,

Yes, I've done this change in all 3 of our 83's. It was basically a piece of cake--but I can't remember much about the old/big wheel.

On the small wheel, the red wire connects to a black wire in the center/back of the horn pad. The other end is connected to a spring-loaded contact that "rides" on a grounded contact ring on the steering column (I think this is brass, and should be visible when the steering wheel is removed). When you press the pad, it completes the circuit to "ground" activating the horns.

BTW, You may want to coat the brass contact ring with a little dielectric grease prior to puttiing everything together.

Hope this helps. If you still have questions, please e-mail me at sja_tda@hotmail.com.

Also, while you're at it, you may want to try upgrading the horns. "Mixo" brand horns (from wrecked VWs or BMWs) work great, and have the little collars that fit the Volvo wiring.

Best!

Steve A-