have 1988 245 wagon automatic. the overdrive light stays on, up shift indicator light. i have changed out the relay, but that did not fix the problem. what are the chances that the overdrive solenoid is bad.any help would be much appreciated.

I assume that not only does the upshift arrow stay on but it doesn't shift into the lockup gear? Could be the relay which is reached by first removing the interior of the glove box and then looking to the left towards the a/c vents. There are several relays, I THINK the one you want is orange but let's hear from someone else. Owners manual may describe it. But the probable cause is that the wires that go down from the button switch on the shifter are frayed somewhere under the car. Putting in a new relay before solving that may fry the new relay. You must examine them very closely to find where they are grounding out against a piece of metal. A piece of electrical tape will work once you find the bare spot. Unlikely but possible is that one of the two connectors that slide onto the spades on the switch came loose. The switch cover can be gently pryed out with a sharp blade and the switch is held in with a tiny Phillips head screw. As I recall polarity doesn't matter on the switch so reversing the wires on reassembly won't be a problem. Don't force or pull hard on anything related to the switch - the wires are thin and not very much excess to pull switch more than 1" out if that.

Oscarcat 88 245A

Do you hear the relay click when you push the button on the shifter? You should be able to hear it clearly when you have the key on, but engine not running.

Does the lamp flicker at all when it clicks? If not, possibly you've got a broken wire in your shifter.

The cover can be pulled up to look- 2 screws at the front edge then it slips off the tab at the back. The knob won't come off without a big fight so just hold it up and look around in there. Should be 2 white wires for the OD. They should enter the shifter area from the right front corner of the box, under the relay more or less.

They could be broken or a ground wire could be broken off in there. Look for any problems and fix them, or write back here with what you find.

good luck with it!
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Rob Bareiss, New London CT ::: Today I'm driving: 1990 745GL, M47, 273K, Hydras, Urethane bushings, Teal & Tan ::: My wife's got my 92 down in VA Beach!