Volvo RWD 200 Forum

INDEX FOR 1/2026(CURRENT) INDEX FOR 3/2003 200 INDEX

[<<]  [>>]


 VIEW    REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE Replies to this message will be emailed.    PRINT   SAVE 

electrical gremlins- is it the wiring harness? 200

ok, got a minute?

I just bought this car, a 93 240, less than a month ago.
The AC works, The blower works, and there's no rust. interior's in fairly good shape, and I put my old GL trim Corona rims on it with newish tires, but, AAAGH!

I had the mechanic who sold me the car fix the rear seal, after a little driving revealed it, for about $300. (I guess he felt guilty) When I tried to start it to drive it there, I had to jump it. The car would run even after I disconnected (-) at the battery so I asked him to check the charge wire. He said that it was only reading 13.2v, so it was probably the voltage regulator. He gave me one, and said it should be easy to fix, so I could save money doing it myself.

I wasn't able to get to it right away, so I drove off of the battery for about a week hoping it would hold. On the last trip home from work, my dash slowly became a christmas tree as individual components lost current. First the ABS light, then the SRS lamp, and I could see my headlights cut out when I used my turn signal. The next day, I attempted the repair with the alternator in. OOPS. Almost stripped a screw, so everything came out anyway. I didn't test the V.R. on it, just replaced it, and went to an alternator shop. They said THAT one was bad, and so I bought a THIRD V.R.. Then everything tested fine. So I bolted everything back up, tightened the belt as best I know how, and everything seemed to work. At this point my battery was stone dead, so it went back to the chain store to get charged.

Then yesterday, on the way home, the ABS light comes on again. It hadn't been difficult to start, but now I'm paranoid. As I came to a stop, I turned off the headlights, ABS light goes off, and when I turn the headlights back on, it stayed off. I had heard a little squeal from the belts earlier in the day, but the weather's been wet, and the car doesn't have a brush plate underneath. The noise stopped pretty quickly, too.

how likely is it that:
1) The belts are just a little loose, and getting help to tighten the belts will solve the problem.
2) The wiring harness is bad, and has to be replaced.
3) The alternator is broken, but works intermittently, just to taunt me.
4) The ABS is a totally separate bug, and just happened to do its thing while I was looking for any problems.
5) The real problem is that my wallet has developed a leak, and cannot be repaired until a repair shop bleeds it dry.

go ahead. take a guess. I'll update after I attempt to drive to work.

--
93 240 SW - a car is durable, but a volvo is eternal.






THREADED THREADED EXPANDED FLAT PRINT ALL
MESSAGES IN THIS THREAD

New electrical gremlins- is it the wiring harness? [200]
posted by  Cadet007  on Tue Jan 9 05:54 CST 2007 >


<< < > >>



©Jarrod Stenberg 1997-2022. All material except where indicated.


All participants agree to these terms.

Brickboard.com is not affiliated with nor sponsored by AB Volvo, Volvo Car Corporation, Volvo Cars of North America, Inc. or Ford Motor Company. Brickboard.com is a Volvo owner/enthusiast site, similar to a club, and does not intend to pose as an official Volvo site. The official Volvo site can be found here.