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headlight relay very warm to the touch - is this OK? 200

posted by  someone claiming to be donhower in NE FL on  Mon Mar 17 07:16 CST 2003 [RELATED]

My wife's 93 240 developed flickering headlights a while back and I have been trying to fix it.

My exam of the headlight relay behind the center console just below the AC vents showed a discoloration and melting of the white plastic on the 30 wire at the relay.

I unplugged the relay and pluged it back in. Flickering ended but the relay (especially the 30 terminal) gets hot after 5-10 minutes with the low beams on. No more melting plastic smell though, but still plenty warm. Is this Normal? Tollerable?

I just dropped $35 at the local Volvo dealer for a new relay. It's the one that is 2 X 15 amps (different from the 1 x 30 amp unit I got at the junkyard on Saturday morning). I plugged the new one in hoping to cure everything.

After about 10-15 minutes of driving with the lights on, the new relay gets nice and warm too. Not quite hot to the touch, but definitely warm. Should I keep looking for another problem? or button it up and know that warm/hot headlight relays are OK?

p.s. - tag light bulbs are not working (appear to blow everytime I replace them) but I think these are two separate issues.

thnx.

Don in NE FL








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    headlight relay very warm to the touch - is this OK? 200

    posted by  Jim Holst on  Mon Mar 17 16:22 CST 2003
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    last visit: Tue Jan 4 11:05 CST 2011
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    If the old relay got hot enough to partially melt the connector, I'd bet that there is corrosion inside the connector. If you have the old relay, look at the terminals to check for corrosion. If you find any, you can figure the metal terminals inside the connector are corroded also. The best repair is a new connector. You may do a temporary repair by squirting some electrical contact cleaner into the connector and then plugging the relay in and pulling it out several times. This will wipe some of the corrosion off of the inside connector. For this I'd use a cleaner spray which has a residual lubricant-protector which you can get a Radio Shack or any electronics parts place.








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    headlight relay system to keep cool in brighter light. 200

    posted by  B.C. on  Mon Mar 17 07:36 CST 2003
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    last visit: Wed Mar 28 22:28 CST 2012
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    Hi -

    Following the path that the power to a headlight must travel is an amazing test. By the time those well-travelled amps get to the light, a significant percentage of the voltage is missing - probably keeping all the relays warm.

    IPD has a kit for modifying the 240 post-1986 system. Basically it converts the wire to power one filament into a power wire for a new relay. That relay then feeds power direct from battery to light. Word is that the brightness gets 10% to 15% better, and - of course - the amperage flowing through the factory circuitry is way less. Thus the cooler relays.

    Have a look. www.ipd.com.

    Good Luck,

    Bob

    :>)







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