I own an 86 740 turbo with factory fog lights. Some time ago, the front spoiler where the fog lights sit, scraped the ground coming out of my driveway, and one of the lights broke. I just recently replaced it, and now I don't know how to wire them back up. Is there a way that I can bypass the factory wiring, and wire them directly to a switch?

Paul,

On the past 3 740's that I've owned I have bypassed the factory wiring by simply wiring the fog lights into the low beam headlight wiring. By doing this, my fog lights come on every time I turn on my headlights thereby negating having to muck around with a switch (to me is a pain in the rear). Also, the nice thing about this scheme . . . when you slap on your high beams the fog lights will turn off and then come back on when you jump back down to your low beams.

Lastly, should one of your fog lights blow a lamp or eat a rock, your "light out" idiot reminder on the dash will come on to let you know that it's time to get your hands dirty. Good luck and email me with any questions.

I thought that came out of the factory wired up like that...cuz on my 89 740 TurboWagon, they've always been able to turn on with the headlights and turn off when the high beams come on... I thought that the trick was to make them come on without the headlights. And thats the same with the others Ive seen. oh well, just curious...

Got me on that one . . . I've never owned a turbo so I'm not too familier with its wiring schematic. However, you probably have a switch on the dash that allows you to turn on your fog lights on and off when you choose to. The non-turbo 700 series were not manufactured with factory installed fog lights so it didn't warrant having a switch on the dash.

I personally like the fog lights so I broke down and ordered all the hardware needed from Volvo and bought a used turbo front air dam and installed the factory fog lights onto my non-turbo wagon. However, when it came time to do the wiring I overcame the switch issue by simply wiring them directly to the low beams. I turn on the lights and my fog lights come on; hit the high beams and they turn off, and so on. What I ultimately lack is the ability to hit a switch and manually turn the fog lights off when my headlights (low & high beams) are on. A turbo may indeed be wired the same way that I have done mine but the major difference is that I can't turn my fog lights on and off via a switch on the dash.

Which wires on the low beams do I wire into? There are three. One is green, and I beleive the other two are white. Also, does the fog light need a ground wire or something?

Just got your message . . . let me run out and take a look at mine and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. Yes, you will need a ground and there is a perfect spot under the bumper the will allow you to bolt the ground to the frame insuring a secure and long lasting connection.

I'll get back to you.

I think there is an even better spot to ground ur wires behind both headlamps. Its this part attached to the side of the engine bay. Just put a spade terminal on the wire and slide it onto it. My aftermarket driving lights are grounded on there and so are the factory lights...much easier then going under the bumper and more secure cuz thats what its for.