The "OIL" and "OD OFF" lights on my 84 244DL do not work (oil is fine and OD works fine). I just bought the car (my first Brick - used to be a Saab guy). Should I take apart the dash and check the bulbs, or are there contacts somewhere I should check first? Thanks

One quick check for the oil light is to pull the lead off the oil pressure switch on the engine (assuming you don't have a gauge) and ground it. Turn the key to position II and see if it works now. I have had to replace many oil pressure switches and very few bulbs.

I don't have a clue about the OD bulb.

One other odd point if you are new to Volvos. At least for the somewhat older 240s (early to mid 80s) I have had experience with: if the alternator light is not working (for ANY reason: bulb out, broken wire, bad alternator), the alernator will NOT generate electricity. It needs the current flow to create the magnetic field requred to generate. No current via the bulb, no electricity. So the warning signal is: No lamp at start up, No electricity.

If your car is a manual tranny then there should be a green OD light that comes on when OD is engaged, and the orange OD OFF light will not function. Vice versa if you're stuck with an automatic ;)
Oil lamp is controlled by the oil pressure sender, should be on the passenger's side of the car coming out of the top o' the block. I think its just one wire unless you have an actual gauge, then you have two on an cylindrical sender. The wire for the idiot light was pulled off when I bought my car, you might have something similar.
Or bulbs could just be burnt out, you can get to them after removing the carpet padding and contorting your fingers up there. Removal of the cluster isn't as easy as it sounds. You can generally pick up a dozen or so of the tiny bulbs you'll need at a junkyard, in my experience most aftermarket lights are just too big in the "plug" end, and bend the contacts. Anyone know of a brand that really fits?
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1981 242GLTurbo 1968 122S Automatic (Summer Project)

Never have I thought of getting aftermarket bulbs for the waring lights, maybe I should have. Some years back I bit the bullet and bought about 10 from a dealer, not cheap but great to have around. They are used - in my 240's - in the AW-71 gear indicator light, lighted switches such as the fog light switch, in addition to the warning lights.

BUT - the instrument clusters I have seen usually have ALL the lights with bulbs, regardless of what the car needs. So, if you have an AW-70/1 trans and the amber arrow burns out, cannibalize the green OD bulb. There are other examples. I think there is a "Choke on" light, and one or two others.

The oil light is a separate system from the others that come one when the switch is in Position II and the engine is not running. They all come on so that one can tell if any are burned out.

If the oil light doesn't light, check that the single wire to the oil pressure sensor is connected. If all the others don't light, it may be a larger problem. Just one out is usually a burned out bulb.

Good Luck,

Bob

:>)

if the OD and oil pressure are ok, and the bulbs are not 'on', what makes you think something is wrong with them?

I should have been a little more clear - the car is an Automatic, and what made me think the light don't work is that when the key is turned to the 3rd position, all the lights except those come on. And as far as the OD light, it says in the owners manual (car came with the original window sticker too!) that a yellow "OD off" light should come on when the OD is disengaged, so that was kinda obvious.
Thanks for all the suggestions.

I'd say the bulbs themselves are simply out. You don't *have* to take apart the dash to get at them, grab a flashlight and wrangle yourself under the dash with the wiring cover off. You'll be able to see the bottom of the instrument cluster, and you can reach in and twist off the offending bulbs.

Good luck!