What is your problem exactly?

One problem that shows up at the idiot light is a short on the wiring that runs from the exhaust side of the engine, through the alternator bracket, and across the front of the engine at the block/pan level.

I had some bizarre oil light issues that I did not take seriously, then my car suddenly would not charge. Of course, it was a Monday morning when I learned this lesson.

It turned out to be some fried wires near the alternator. A couple of splices and I was back in business, although my oil light is still not functioning. Hmmm. Better get back to that.

An oil pressure gage would be nice. In the mean time, check the terminal at the sending unit and (or) buy a new sending unit from FCP Groton for $9 and see if that doesn’t solve the problem. (It solved my problem.) To check the oil pressure, buy a cheap 50 or 100 lb air gage and get a little creative with some plumbing. IIRC you will look for about 30 or 40 PSI max.

Do a search on the forum here, discussed many times. Basically, you need a two pole sender from www.egauges.com (you can get the part number by searching here) which sends a signal to the idiot light and a gauge.

Then you buy a gauge. You have 3 options: buy one new (egauges has those too, not surprisingly) buy a used one from the classifieds here, Turbrobricks, or one of the other entghusiast sites, or ebay, or finally, go search at your local junkyard.

I have a 3 bar (which I don't like as much as the 5 bar) which works, with rubber feet and plastic cover for the dash. Feel free to look around at other options, and then contact me if you wish.

Best,

Lanval

egauges.com would be my choice, too. Good experience with them.

I'd suggest you get a VDO electrical gauge and a matching sending unit that incorporates the idiot light function. If they have any of the VDO "Cockpit" series, those were a close match to the look of the rest of your cluster.

Less hassles with plumbing as opposed to a mech. gauge. I've had a mech. gauge tubing wear through and spray oil everywhere. Could have been a disastrous result for the engine if I hadn't noticed it early on. Frankly, I just pulled everything and reinstalled the idiot light sender, as the oil pressure readings were always just fine over the 20 years I had the gauge in there.

Note Robert's tip about the adapter! A lot of sellers will try to tell you that a 1/8 NPT sender will fit, but Volvo changed to a metric threaded, larger opening with the B230 engine - which you have.
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Bob (son's 81-244GL B21F/M46, my 83-244DL B23F/M46 and 89-745(LT1 V8): dtr's 94-944 B230FD; hobbycar 77 MGB, and four old motorcycles)

www.egauges.com you will need to get an adapter for the threads to fit your engine , they carry those as well.
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-------Robert, '93 940t, '90 240 wagon, '84 240 diesel (she's sick) , '80 245 diesel, '86 740 GLE turbo diesel, '92 Ford F350 diesel dually