I'm an old, new, old Volvo owner and have stumbled onto this board through serendipity. I'm old, I just inherited the Volvo this weekend, and it's old, a 1984 245DL, from what I've been able to determine. Among other minor irritations, it has a non-functional O/D. But I don't know enough about Volvos (yet) to even make an educated guess as to the problems. The previous discussion in this thread has been great in giving me a slight inkling. Thanks to all.

But here's a newbie question: The O/D button on my shifter doesn't seem to be functioning according to my non-Volvo world experience because it doesn't stay in when it's pushed. Is it a momentary contact sorta thingy (no clicky - no stay-ey)? Or is it supposed to stay in on one push and pop out on the next? Also, does the know come off the top of the shifter so you can access the button, or does the shaft and knob come as a unit? If it comes off, how? These and many other questions are likely to be presented in the near future, so please be gentle with me if I done wrong.

Incidentally, in my late-night foraging, I've seen both solenoids and relays on eBay. I don't know if the prices are reasonable, but they are occasionally there.

Again, thanks to all.