Hello helpful brickboard gnomes-

Still in the market for a used 240, I test drove another today. 1987 DL, automatic. Everything seems solid -- smooth engine, solid transmission shifts, etc.

However, it seems the the overdrive doesn't work; I only ever felt three different gears, and repeated vigorous pushing of the overdrive button produced no effect whatsoever. (I assume, in my ignorance, that 'overdrive off' in the volvo context means '4th gear locked out'.) This of course makes travelling at freeway speeds a high-revving experience.

So -- the current owner's mechanic seems to think it's the relay. Reading through the archives here it seems that the wiring may have frayed. My question for you, then -- what is the probability that this is a not-cheap (i.e. >$100) repair? I figure wires are cheap, relays not THAT expensive, but that broken overdrives are expensive. Is there an easy way to establish what the problem is?

Thanks for your help.

-Colin