There have been numerous posts over the past few years on the notorius 240 Overdrive Relay Circuit, along with various troubleshooting steps. Several months ago, "Roger Scott" posted a GREAT message on an innovative "upgrade" to the entire overdrive relay circuit.




IN A NUTSHELL, the technique was to modify the Overdrive Solenoid, allowing transmission to "pressurize" the fourth gear without needing the overdrive circuit at all, thus creating a full-time 4-gear automatic transmission.



Click here to review the original link:
[Volvo 240 Automatic Transmission Overdrive Circuit]



MY QUESTIONS: Has anyone ever applied this technique (besides Mr. Scott)? How long does it take to remove/install an OD Soleniod? How long does the modified OD Solenoid last? Do leaks occur around the modified OD Solenoid with the "C-ring" gasket in place? Has Chris Herbst used this technique to date?



My 1991 240 Overdrive Circuit failed yesterday morning. Once the temp gets above 32-degrees, I will start troubleshooting. But when I ran across Roger Scott's fabulous info, I started to totally rethink my approach. Should I repair the (poorly designed) system, or use his approach to make the whole think more reliable for months/years to come? Chris Herbst, did you get this added to the FAQ? I could not find it there.

[[ southern fried volvo '91 240 ]]