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Tony,
The following article was just published in the latest issue of "Rolling" magazine. Hope it helps...
850 – FOG LAMP INSTALLATION
Early 850s were criticized for the lack of power emitted by the factory fog lamps. Whether it was the wattage or lens design, the end result was the disappointing effect of the lamps. Not to be confused with driving lamps or auxiliary lamps, fog lamps are designed to direct light directly in front of the car at the same time spreading the light to the sides. This in turn illuminates the road markings which become hidden in dense fog. Installing aftermarket fog lamps on the 850 is made easy due to Volvo providing pre-wiring from the dash to front of vehicle.
Running from the underdash and arriving behind the battery is a harness specifically available for fog lamp installation. I installed “Maxim” fog lamps that are oval in shape and output 55 watts of white light. You will need four additional parts for the installation that are available from you local dealer. They are: 1) Switch, PN 9128536 @ $37.21
2) Relay, PN 9134580 @ $37.81 3) Relay Harness, PN 9134498 @ $28.31 4) Lamp Harness PN 9134580 @ $37.81.
When purchasing your aftermarket lamps you will find that there is a wide choice of makes, styles and colors available. Everybody from department stores to auto specialists sell lamps ranging from $50 to $300. My advice is to pay attention to the quality of the housing, bulb type, and ease of bulb replacement. The “Maxims” that I purchased are made of steel, have a clear lens (white), and use the popular H3 55 watt bulb. The type of bulb is important as some manufacturers use odd bulb designs that are later hard to find and replace.
Begin by locating the prewired harness running from the under dash to the front of car. Inside the cabin, remove the knee bolster and search for a bright yellow multipin connector hanging near the relays. This is where your relay harness plugs into. The other two ends of the relay harness are for the switch and the relay. Where they connect will be obvious. The switch is intalled next to the headlamp switch. Remove the blank cover by popping it out and snap the fog lamp switch in its place. On my ’94 the blank cover took up two spaces and I had to purchase an additional single space cover to fill the remaining gap. The relay just hangs in the air off the harness, so I tucked it up into the dash where it remains secure. If confident you can now return the knee bolster or wait till the installation is complete in the event you need to return and check your connections. Under the hood behind the battery you will find the other end of the pre-wired harness. There is a dummy plug that needs removing and is a good indicator that you have found the right harness. The lamp harness plugs into this location. You will also find a ground connector hanging from the lamp harness. The female spade plug connects to any of the available male plugs that are part of a ground rail found at the same location behind the battery.
I ran the lamp harness down to the front spoiler, feeding the harness through available space found next to the radiator. The fog lamps were screwed to the under side of the front spoiler in the spaces found either side of the licence plate space. You have some flexibility here to choose your own location. Keep in mind that you need access to the bulbs when they need replacing. This alone narrowed my own choice and pretty much dictated where the lamps were going to be installed. The lamps then plugged into the lamp harness. Finally the lamp harness was tucked up into the spoiler and held in place using cable ties.
With the installation complete, my fog lamps work independently of my headlamp switch (yours may differ) and the off/on switch illuminates and dims with the rest of the instrument panel giving a complete OEM fit and finish. Special thanks to Joe Nash at the parts counter at Volvo Villa, Hwy #7, for his advice and valuable suggestions for installation.
Tony Giverin
Oct/2000
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