I am trying to track down a problem with the headlights on our 1986 240. They died while I was driving on tuesday, last. The running lights work. The brights work when pulled. I checked the fuses and they look fine. I replaced the relay under the hood, I was so sure that would fix it - that was 50 bucks down the drain because I still have no headlights. As part of the fun my power locks are acting hinky too.

I am troubleshooting this on my own as Justin, my husband, is working on our subaru. Any suggestions would help.

Thank you for all the great suggestions! My DH "remembered" that the under-the-dash relay had "fried" once before. I dove under the dash and found a totally melted and fried relay. [IMG]http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d98/leahfranceswade/IMGP0778.jpg[/IMG]

I took my first solo trip to the pick-and-pull and pulled a clean and dry relay from a wagon with good looking wiring (I also pulled a wiper relay for the intermitants - glad to fix that here in Portland). $5.00 for the two relays. As per the warnings given the new relay did indeed have too many wires. I clipped the extras and taped them off, then spliced the others according to color and location.[IMG]http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d98/leahfranceswade/IMGP0777.jpg[/IMG]

To prevent further relay problems I stuffed the entire mess up under the dash so that any water that got on the wires would not drip down into the relay.

Thanks for all the help! Justin was super please to come home to working headlights - and I am proud of all my work!

So After I replaced the step relay - that was 50$ down the drain my DH "remembered" that the relay under the floor board had fried once or twice before (doh!). Closer inspection showed a burn mark on the relay and a melted and scorched connector. I tried an "87b" relay we had lying around and it did not remedy the problem. I guess the connector is damaged. So, tommorow I head to the junk yard to hunt down a replacement. I will cut the wires as long as I can - thanks for the advice and help and I will keep you updated and keep your fingers crossed that the fried connector is the problem.

PS. Anyone know how to tear down and rebuld a door? The handles on the driverside (front and rear) doors are currently inoperable.

Leah - Feeling funny about entering my 86 240 through the passenger door - Wade

Good work on the relay!
That one in the pic sure is ugly now.

Really the door handle question should be another thread.

Please post it new as a new question and I/we will answer.
I've replaced a fair # of outside handles.
Also fixed up one or two that didn't work from the inside.
--
Sven: '89 245, IPD sways, electric rad. fan conversion, 28+ mpg - auto tranny. 850 mi/week commute. '89 245 #2 (wifemobile). '90 244 (spare, runs).

"As part of the fun my power locks are acting hinky too."
Try pulling the door lock fuse. It may be a seperate problem or it may be because of a short in a door lock switch causing the lock motors to be working continuously and competing for power with the headlights.
--
1980 245 Canadian B21A with SU carb and M46 trans in Brampton, Ont.

As others have said, it's the Main Headlight relay. On my '86, it was in the driver's side but tucked down behind the floor "hump" on the outer left side. Mine had water damage in that black hole.

I think the picture shows one from the later mounting position, up on a firewall clip, but your relay will look the same. The connector plug may show signs of heat, but I believe the relay just needs replacing at this point.

If Justin has a stash of spare relays, or goes to a Pick-N-Pull yard, I disagree about it being the only one like it in the car. The Volvo number he gives (1324749) is correct, but is also used in the power window control and some older Fuel applications.

I also believe that any of these Bosch "cube" relays will interchange with 1324749 (and your bad one may be so marked):

•0332-015-001
•0332-015-006
•0332-015-012
--
Bruce Young
'93 940-NA (current), 240s (one V8), 140s, 122s, since '63.

is double pole, single throw. That's what shows up in my 1987-88 240 wiring Diagram green book.

The power window and other "cube" relays are either single pole single throw (4-prong) or single pole double throw (5-prong) types.

That's why I think the main headlight relay is unique. Could be wrong, I haven't the experience you do.

Regards,

Bob

:>)

"... is double pole, single throw. That's what shows up in my 1987-88 240 wiring Diagram green book."

Basically I agree with that "double pole, single throw" definition, Bob. I remember it being applied to switches way back in USAF days. But it confuses me when applied to relays. For example, what about a relay with a "single" input and two ("double") output contacts, one of which breaks when the relay is energized while the other one makes? How many poles/throws does a relay have, with a single input and two outputs? Or, as I often suspect these days, am I just getting hard of thinking?

As for the green book, I'm not as confident of those pictorials as I once was. I think they are drawn early in the game, poorly edited, and never revised. But I do believe the fold-outs in the back (copied in Bentley) are more reliable.

In your '87-'88 book, compare "G Headlight relay" on page 22 (the 2 output terminals shown connected and 87b mislabled as "a"), with "I Relay headlights" on page 24. Inconsistencies aside, page 24 is now electrically correct, but 87 is not labeled at all, and 87a is still wrong. Squinting at the fold-out, item #124 (in grid C4) looks right, while 87x? is anybody's guess.

Even the Quick Reference Parts Catalog can be iffy. The 1992 Index lists no Headlight relay, just a reference to "Relays" on page 76. Nothing on 76 or 77 rings a bell. There's one called "Headlamp" on page 78, but it looks suspiciously like the "Step Relay A" in the WD manual, so we move ahead to page 79. There, under "Light", is an ambiguously-named "Automatic main". But since it's for 1986- on and the picture looks right, this 1324749 must be it.

If for some reason you start with that number (somebody said it was right) and go to the "Numerical Register" in the back, 1324749 calls out page 77 all right—even though we know that Relays start on 76, and it's really on 79. But what's really interesting is starting at page 76 and scanning for #1324749, to find:

Page 77 Fuel Pump 1976-77 (Old diagrams show it with isolated 87 and 87b)

Page 78 Lambda-sond 1977-81 (I have one, Bosch 0332-015-001, with mounting strap) And it's also used on turbos thru 1985.

Page 78 Power windows 1978- (From the WDs, P72-A and J5-126, it could be the same relay, but strangely using only the one 87 terminal for two wires. Even a basic 4-pin cube would work there. Maybe, in 1977/78 someone grabbed a handy relay that just happened to be 1324749, put it into the paper mill, and there it stayed.

Or is it because it has a mounting strap? I don't feel like braving the cold to check—but come to think of it (late as usual) that's a good bet.

P.S. I'm sure those other Bosch relays I listed in my earlier post (0332-015-006/012) will work for 1324749, but they won't have the mounting strap.

P.P.S. Meant to say that my reason for mentioning other relays (in my reply to the original post) was not to step on your toes—but to give the poster all possible options in getting his lights fixed.

--
Bruce Young
'93 940-NA (current), 240s (one V8), 140s, 122s, since '63.

Correct - it has two output terminals that both become "live" when the headlight switch is on. Apparently the 2nd powers the running lights (front + rear); I suspect that in some years it may also allow the rear fog lights to come on (some years allow rear fogs only on low beam, other years allow them anytime headlights are on).

However I can't promise that the layout of the connector pins is unique. I never checked whether other relays have the same pin layout or not.

It's pretty easy to spot once you know what they look like.
You'll find the headlight relays on '86 and later 240s. High or low on the driver's kick panel. Sometimes they fall off the clip, possibly in some years they were mounted higher or lower. As we wrote earlier, it's about 1" on each side. Grayish metal body.

I believe that on the 4 or 5 in my parts bag now, they all have one fairly fat yellow wire as the power lead out to the step relay. One other fat wire bringing power in. I do believe that I've seen various colors and combinations of different # of wires as the scheme had minor changes over the years, but you'll see one fat yellow, and one other heavy wire for sure.

Good luck!
--
Sven: '89 245, IPD sways, electric rad. fan conversion, 28+ mpg - auto tranny. 850 mi/week commute. '89 245 #2 (wifemobile). '90 244 (spare, runs).

However I can't promise that the layout of the connector pins is unique. I never checked whether other relays have the same pin layout or not.

That's the problem, the prongs look just like the other "cube" relays. It's just the innards that are different.

Some relays have a little schematic on one side - a good way to be sure of what's inside.

Regards,

Bob

:>)

"That's the problem, the prongs look just like the other "cube" relays. It's just the innards that are different.

Some relays have a little schematic on one side - a good way to be sure of what's inside."

That's right Bob. And this Headlight relay's innards (like most 5-pin "cubes") are configured to have two output terminals. I think what makes this one unique is the mounting strap and that its 87 and 87b have no connection to each other until the relay is energized. The schematic on the side should confirm this.

Based on the 45 or so cube relays in my stash, most of them have an 87a, which the diagram shows as a "normally closed" or break contact, which passes voltage from the input (terminal 30) when the relay is de-energized.

I did find 2 exceptions to this (a Hella and a Maer/Maier) that showed their 87 and 87a to be common on the inside, which seems to break the rule*. I also have a few (Bosch) 5-pins that have an 87c, shown to be connected to 87 by a diode.

* I think these terminal designations conform (or should?) to some DIN standard, where:
85 and 86 are coil terminals
30 is battery voltage input (to be switched)
87 is switched output ("make" contact)
87a is deenergized output ("break" contact)
87b is switched output (but isolated from 87 till relay is energized)
87c is switched output (connected to 87 by a diode)

--
Bruce Young
'93 940-NA (current), 240s (one V8), 140s, 122s, since '63.

Yes, these have a schematic. At least, the ones I examined did. Not that helpful for me due to dirt + crud over the years, and my eyesight that needs help to read such. But you can see that there are two simultaneous output terminals. It's also stamped '15A x 2' indicating that each output terminal can handle 15 amps. The plastic connector apparently can't handle 15A; they all too often melt under the headlight load of about 10A.

For identification, the clincher is the 87b terminal. The #s are marked on bottom of relay next to the pins. Most relays have 87 as output terminal, maybe an 87a as an alternate output. That is, power is directed either to 87 or 87a depending on the input control (coil) side of the relay.

This one has an 87 and 87b. The 87b is "hot" at the same time as the 87. There is no 87a on this relay.

The numbers are embossed (raised letters) on the plastic base of the relay. I expect you'll need good light to see them well unless you're pretty nearsighted. Every pin does have a number, either right next to in or in the space nearby.
--
Sven: '89 245, IPD sways, electric rad. fan conversion, 28+ mpg - auto tranny. 850 mi/week commute. '89 245 #2 (wifemobile). '90 244 (spare, runs).

I, too, have a 1986 244 GL.

I rather like the feature that turns off the headlights when the ignition is turned off. Perhaps your problem is in the relay that makes that feature work.

When the key is in Position I or II, power can get to the headlight switch.

Power goes to that relay all the time, key in or out.

When the headlight switch is turned to headlights (not parking lights) that relay is closed, allowing power to the stepping relay and thence to the headlights.

The headlight flashing circuit is separate.

Your symptoms are explained by that relay not functioning.

There are no fuses in either circuit.

That relay is a special one, not like any other used on the car. According to my old Volvo part No. book, it is 1324749-9. It looks like any other "cube" relay, but the insides differ.

You might find one in a junk yard, you might call a dealer parts department and get a price, you might see if FPCGroton.com has it.

You can recognise which is the correct relay by looking at the colors of the wires connected to it. There are six.

Look for a green-red, a yellow with a blue-white, a white, another yellow, and a black.

They are known to go bad, though not frequently.

Look for it on the driver's side, above the knee pad, over to the right side maybe above the driver's right toe.


Good Luck,

Bob

:>)

Sounds like you replaced the "step" relay, which is responsible for switching between high and low beams. That's the big one under the hood on the driver side. There's also a main headlight relay on the inside of the firewall on the driver side. It's about an inch cube with an aluminum case and a spring steel clip holding it in place. The corner lights don't go through this relay, nor do the high beams in their "flash" function, so it seems to make sense that it would be the culprit. If I get you right, you're saying that, when you pull the high beam switch, they come on, but when you release it, they go off again rather than coming on and staying on? If so, I'd check the main headlight relay.

-EdM.
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'90 240DL Wagon 'Lola' -- '72 1800ES 'Galadriel'

I'm having the same problem, no headlights. the high beams only come on when i pull the lever back, they go back out when released. The main relay under the drivers side near the firewall clicks when i turn on the headlights but the head lights dont go on and everything else goes off. If it still clicks does that mean the relay is still good? The harness where the green-red wire goes is melted and burned. the relay is part# 1324749. when the headlight switch is clicked once everything works except for the headlights, when it is clicked twice everything goes out and also no headlights. at night i have to hold the highbeams on when driving. I hope this is an easy and inexpensive fix. Please help.

Thank you,
Andrew

the green-red wire which was burned, i cut off the burnt part, stripped off insulation, added a new female spade connector and now i have headlights again.

Thanks

Thanks Bob-

I, too, have this problem currently- driving around at night and suddenly no headlights or running lights. I can turn the switch to running lights and activate the high beam switch to limp along. I'll head to the Pick and pull today to get that relay.

" The corner lights don't go through this relay,..."

Actually they do, Ed. Although fuses 15 and 16 get powered straight from the Switch in the "Parking Light" position, that circuit is lost when the switch is turned to the "Headlight" position, picking the Main lighting relay.

That Main relay (at issue here), has 2 outputs—one to the Step relay and the other to restore power to fuses 15 and 16 to keep all 4 "corner" lights on.

I've seen 2 failures where the Step relay contacts failed but the ones for Fuses 15 and 16 still worked.



--
Bruce Young
'93 940-NA (current), 240s (one V8), 140s, 122s, since '63.

I get you. My step relay failed similarly. The hi-beam on-off toggle switch in it worked fine, but the momentary hi-beam flash switch died.

Given the latest post on this thread, though, it sounds like the fault is with the connector or wiring as it runs off to the step relay, rather than the relay itself.

-EdM.
--
'90 240DL Wagon 'Lola' -- '72 1800ES 'Galadriel'

Yes, this is now the third vote for the main headlight relay on driver's kick panel.

You will most likely find the connector has burned and swelled. Relay may actually be OK! Per my experience on my own '86 (Sophie, 400+ K, RIP).

I'd pull a relay with connector from any '86 or later 240. Cut the wires about 6" up from the connector to give yourself something to work with when installing.

Wire colors and even # of wires per hole in connector will vary with year. I know this because I've pulled four or more of these in the last couple months as part of my headlight upgrade project. So don't worry about wire color. Just make sure that the your car's wire that went to terminal "X" on relay ends up going to the same terminal position when you're done. And make sure each wire is at least as thick as the one it replaces.

Red and blue crimp "butt" connectors should fit the wire sizes you'll find. Get a real wire crimp tool if you don't have one yet.

Check the ground wires to the headlights, lots of rust will ruin the ground. Just clean them and try it again.

Klaus
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(V♂LV♂s 1975 164, 1995 854T, 1998 V70R)