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new project has brake failure light / no temp reading 200 1989

I picked up a "low mileage" (166K) 89 244 DL yesterday. Seller couldn't get it running and his descripton sounded like a fuel relay. Popped the new relay in and it started right up and is running great! It also needed an alternator and luckily I had a newly rebuilt spare that I found at the pick-n-pull recently and stashed away for a spare.

My new project has a brake failure light illuminated however, which I have never had to deal with on my 87 244 or my 87 745 before. What causes the light to illuminate? Is there a sensor somewhere for hydraulic pressure? I know there isn't a fluid level sensor or wear sensors on this car so it must be an electrical sensor but I can't find it. The brakes are also spongy so I attempted to bleed the front calipers and got a good stream of fluid from all three bleed ports on the left side. On the right side I got a good stream from the inboard bleeder but couldn't get any fluid from the outboard
bleeder at all though. I ran out of time so I haven't bled the rear yet. I know the system has two separate hydraulic circuits and that both circuits control braking on each front wheel, but are they completely separate within the front calipers as well? I'm trying to figure whether the fact that I get fluid on both sides of the left front caliper indicates that both hydraulic circuits are pressurizing or if one working circuit would result in fluid on both sides?

Second problem is a non-functioning temp gauge. Again, I haven't dealt with this problem with my other bricks before but I know I there are issues with the temp compensation board and that the solution is to bypass it with a jumper. Is a non-functioning gauge the usual failure mode for the temp comp board?

Thanks in advance for the help!

Jim











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brake failure light / bad power booster? 200 1989

I have replaced the front calipers (all the pistons were moveable on the old ones but I could never get any fluid from the right lower outboard bleed screw - must have been blocked). I let all the fluid drain down while the calipers were off and replaced it with fresh synthetic DOT 4 fluid. I was able to bleed the system and got a good strong stream of fluid from all three bleed screws on both sides.

I am still getting a spongy brake pedal and a brake failure light, but the light has changed. It will usually go off when the brake pedal is not applied, but will come on when the pedal is pressed whereas before it was on all the time, even when the car was just started, before the pedal was pressed.

I have also noticed that if I pump the pedal 5-6 times the engine idle will begin to stumble just a bit and when I stop pumping the idle smooths back out - leading me to suspect a problem in the vaccuum booster. So I guess I'll be back at the pick-n-pull this afternoon looking for one. I know there is a 93 240 there that still had its booster earlier this week, but the 93 would have ABS while my 89 DL does not. Are the power boosters interchangeable between ABS and non-ABS? Any tips on exchangeing the booster? (With over 600K between my two other RWD volvos I've never had any brake problems other than regular pad/rotor replacement so I'm in new territory here!)

Thanks
Jim








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brake failure light / bad power booster? 200 1989

Did you ever consider the master cylinder. Before you go thru replacing the booster put in a new master. Spongy brakes are NOT caused by a bad brake booster. A failed brake booster would cause a very hard pedal, you would have to apply extreme pressure on the pedal to get the brakes to stop the car, as you would have no power boost. If the master cylinder is leaking from the rear, the fluid could be going into the booster and getting sucked into the engine, causing the stumble when you pump the brakes.

The fact that the brake failure light now comes on when you press the pedal would indicate that there is still a pressure difference between the two circuits....if the MC is faulty, leaking from the rear, one of the circuits would not have full pressure.

Also check that switch on the brake warning valve. though it's a bit tight in there you can pull off the wire and unscrew the switch and pull it out. It has a plastic nut. the trigger, a short shaft hangs down from the plastic top/nut and the end fits into a hole on a piston inside the brake valve. Clean it, lube it with brake fluid and put it back. If there are signs of leakage at the top/nut, replace the switch.

Why oh why don't they make 240s anymore :(
75 245(RIP) 80 244 226K, 87 245 172K








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brake failure light / bad power booster? 200 1989

Thanks for the response!

I did plan on replacing the master cylinder as the most likely cause of the spongy pedal but I was thinking I'd need to replace the power booster too. I was suspecting the booster to have a problem because of the stumbling idle when I pumped the brakes. When I pulled the check valve out I found that the unit held good vaccuum though and I couldn't figure how a bad master cylinder would cause the stumbling idle. Your response was right on the mark. I replaced the master cylinder and the stumbling was resolved. Went through the whole sequence of flushing and bleeding the system and the pedal tightened up like new - no more failure light! Thanks!

Jim








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and as for the 'brake failure' warning light .... 200 1989

Good advice on the gauge, now for the brake warning light....

The light is supposed to (but not necessarily -- see below) warn you of lost fluid, by detecting a difference in pressures between the two independent, "triangular" circuits (readers, remember that this '89 doesn't have ABS).

There's a contact in the "octopus" (a confluence of brake lines into a cylinder bolted underneath your driver's side front fender), and it's poised to be grounded (which lights the lamp on your dash) if a piston in that cylinder is pushed to one or the other end. Normally, the piston stays centered by the equal pressure in both circuits -- each pushes the piston from their ends, but if there's a difference in pressure (e.g., loss of fluid, air in the lines, etc.), the piston will slide to one side and ground the contact, lighting the warning lamp on the dash.

You did admit that you have a spongy pedal, and have had troubles bleeding the circuits -- if there truly is a difference in pressures, this alone can cause the warning light, and it's a distinct possibility from what you've reported.

However, the warning light might also be caused by an old switch (it happened to me on one of my cars). They get rusty, and develop a short circuit (grounding) which will create a false alarm. This switch, by the way, can be replaced without tampering with the whole "octopus" -- there's a replacement switch kit available for ~$30.

But first, before replacing the switch, try to get the bleeding done, so you know for sure that your brakes are working properly and you can eliminate a genuine brake failure as the cause of the light.

Good luck.








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Temp gauge dead 200 1989


The most usual and notorious temp gauge failure is that it randomly reads high. Could be the prev. owner tired of the false alarms and clipped a wire somewhere. Also, I'm told the gauge itself is powered/grounded through its mount screws so if one or more of those is loose that could be the problem. Or it's possible the dead gauge is due to a comp board failure; I'm sure it can have various failure modes.

Gauge circuit: small voltage stabilizer on back of instr. cluster provides about 10V (if I recall) to the temp and fuel gauges. From gauge, single wire goes to temp sensor on head and is grounded there to block. Colder = higher resistance in the sensor.

Sensor is under the #2 intake runner, I'm pretty sure it has a yellow wire to it. You can look there and check for voltage in the wire. Should be hot with about 10V if engine is running. Engine management uses a second temp sensor located rearward of this one, so disabling the gauge sensor doesn't affect operation.

If there's 10V in the lead at the sensor and gauge is at dead bottom, I would think the sensor is bad. But because the compensator board circuit adds its own complications to the circuit, I'd still pull the cluster and give it the treatment. Tighten the gauge mount screws and bypass the compensator board.

I always recommend bypassing the compensator board. With the board functioning, the gauge is a lying SOB that will one day give false alarms. With the board bypassed, it functions as a normal gauge. Will fluctuate moderately in response to high engine loads like long hill climbs in hot weather or to heavy added cooling like cabin heat with controls set to max.

A)
1) Pull cluster out via front.
2) Note where the wires went.
2A) Red + white wire is ONLY for a TACH and will fry anything else. Do you want to know how I know about that??? Tie it up and label with skull and crossbones.
3) Remove 7 screws holding circuit board to rear of cluster.
4) Note galvanized heat sink at one end, it's for the small voltage stabilizer with 3 contacts.
5) Pull circuit board assembly off back of black housing
6) Find temp comp board at lower right of front of cluster, below the temp & fuel gauges. Release clips at sides, pull board.
7) Pins are numbered left to right, 1-4.
8) Jump pin 1 to pin 3.

B) Bulb brightening - while you're in there.
1) Handle bulbs with care. '89 uses $9/each halogen bulbs, 4 watts ea.
2) Pull bulbs.
3) Line reflector chambers with aluminum foil, dull side facing bulb.
4) I used Pliobond contact cement; I'm sure other brands will work too. Consider that it gets hot, don't use simple craft glues unless rated for heat.
5) Be sure the foil can't end up in electrical contact areas.
6) I also recommend lining the "white" area on black housing that completes the bulb chamber. OEM there is white paint and is not as reflective as the foil.
7) Mine was done about 2 years ago, no problems.
8) Reinsert bulbs, reassemble.
9) I personally DON'T recommend bypassing the dimmer with a jumper. You will gain some brightness this way as the dimmer's minimum resitance is >0. However this residual resistance cuts the voltage to the bulb slightly which lengthens its life somewhat. At $9 each I go for longer life and more efficient reflectors.
--
Sven: '89 245 NA, 951 ECU, open-front airbox, E-fan, 205/65-15's, IPD sways, E-Codes, amber front corner reflectors. Wifemobile '89 245 NA stock. 90 244 NA spare, runs.







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