Hello All!
I’m new to this forum and fairly new to Volvos! I was looking for something different to drive (instead of the Detroit iron) when I came across a 1989 240 DL automatic with a blown head gasket. It had 208,000 miles & complete service records from mile one! Mostly from Volvo Dealers! The body & interior looked more like 50K – no rust, dents, tears, etc. I had never owned or worked on a Volvo but after “searching the Net” it sounded like something I wanted to try! And boy am I glad I did! It’s GREAT! I’ve always done ALL the repairs on my previous cars myself. . . . so I bought the car and a repair manual. After replacing the gasket – valve job – “mild” surfacing – new timing belt, seals, etc. I have driven it almost 1,000 miles. It runs terrific & I enjoy it more with each passing mile!
Aside from that “minor” problem it had several other electrical issues – brake lights, O/D relay, back up light switch, to mention a few. But with the manual, they were all easily overcome.
That brings me to the problem I can’t seem to solve! The dome lamp stays on in both positions on the 3-way switch on the lamp (not on in “off”) - doors opened or closed. With the light turned “off”, it was draining the battery overnight – I did the ole “amp draw” test & found the source of the drain on #8 fuse. (Interior light, Glove box light, Trunk light, Engine Compartment light, Central locking, El. Radio antenna, clock) More specifically the two green wires marked 28. These two wires power the clock, door locks, and dome lamp. The manual I bought isn’t too good on wiring diagrams. Guess I need to purchase a wiring diagram or better book! :-) Before disconnecting those wires the clock kept good time & the locks worked fine. Another clue: the key buzzer was unplugged when I got the car – when I plugged it in – it buzzes nonstop.
I took apart & checked the dome lamp, all 4 door switches, and all the fuses. The only thing I can figure is a faulty Time Delay Relay – The owner’s manual says “On certain models a time delay device illuminates the interior . . . “ Is that only on the GL’s ? - mine is a DL. All the Relay Location charts show this relay near the steering column/brake pedal. Like FCP Groton - http://fcpgroton.com/volvo240relayswitch.htm - I have looked pretty good – it doesn’t seem to be there on mine – if it has one???
Do I have one??? If so where??? Any help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks!
jjones7007