For over 2 years I have been without high beams. Since I do not do a lot of night driving I didn't chase it.

Last weekend I looked at the High/Low switch(relay?) up under the hood by the battery. I pulled it, opened it, saw nothing obviously wrong, plugged it into my wife's '87 and they hi-low's worked fine. I checked the other light relay just above the brake pedal. I plugged that in my wife's car and it worked fine.


I plugged her units into mine and still no High beams. I pulled the cover off the steering area and unbolted the turn signal switch ... everything looks fine.

Do I have a bad wire? How should I track that down?
Desperately wanting High beams....
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Happy Motoring Miguel '86 244 and '87 245

Miguel, I think you're pretty close to the problem under the hood near that hi-lo relay. I read where you said manually working the step relay selects between hi and lo, but the switch does not operate the relay.

The stalk switch grounds terminal 31b on the hi-lo relay. With the lights turned off (on the rotary switch inside), momentarily operating the switch, or grounding terminal 31b (brown wire) should flash the high beams. If this does not happen even running a screwdriver from 31b to ground, then the red lead (though my book says blue) to terminal 15 from the battery connector bus (under the black plastic cover next to the relay)is the problem. Usually is; it is in a bad place for rain, salt and battery acid.

But as far as you've taken it, there's not more than those two simple things left: either the stalk isn't providing the ground to the relay coil, or the battery isn't connected to it on pin 15, or both.
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Art Benstein near Baltimore

Thanks Art
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Happy Motoring Miguel '86 244 and '87 245

Go get yourself a new switch from a salvage yard or ebay. The switches fail all the time. In this case it is likely the path of least resistance.

By switch do you mean the turn signal switch? All the others check out.
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Happy Motoring Miguel '86 244 and '87 245

On the 1986 240, high beams power flows from battery to the head light relay that's under the dash.

Those contacts close when the key is in position I or II and the head light switch is on.

Then it flows to the stepping relay out under the hood, the silver box.

Terminal 56a on it shows, in the diagram, three output wires, indicator light and each headlight.

If you have no high beams, the trouble has to be somewhere in that route.

Both relays are in play for high and low beams, the separation occurs in the stepping relay.

that relay may have lost the contacts for the high beam. See if you have 12volts at the output terminal.

Is the indicator light coming on but the headlights go dark when Highs are switched on?

Good Luck,

Bob

:>)

The beams do not switch ... I opened the silver box by the battery and forced it into a High Beam situation. Now I have High beams and cannot switch to low beams. With the plastic lenses it does not seem as though it is a problem to opposing drivers....
But why won't it change from the turn signal switch?
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Happy Motoring Miguel '86 244 and '87 245

Miguel -

The stalk switch on the steering column has failed. Get another from eBay or a junkyard. I have had to replace a few over the years, it's not common, just happens. If you can't find one, I think I have one in BGVPD.

Needs a philips screwdriver, preferable electric, for the screws holding the upper and lower housings. The lower housing has four screws. Two up from the bottom (use a flashlight and mirror if you are over 50), and then one on each side. The right side you can see. The left is under a little cover that pries off with a flat tip screwdriver. I think that cover is over the hole where a manual choke cable was once installed. (Volvo didn't change that part for 30 years!)

You'll see the five wires on the present switch. Unbolt the switch, then use a pair of alligator nose pliers to take the wires old to new one at a time. Not necessary to disconnect the battery.

Easy DIY job.

Good Luck,

Bob

:>)

Thanks Bob
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Happy Motoring Miguel '86 244 and '87 245

The first thing to check is the terminal at the light, see if you are getting 12 volts at the light its self..That would be a simple headlight replacem,ent f there is voltage. If not then you have to back track the wires to the first connection and look again for voltage. Make sure you are checking the right relay under the dash..There are different relays that will plug into that socket but are different in configuration.. U had a relay that was replaced by the previuos owner but was the wrong one,,I had headlights in park or main position..If you have a Bentley manual it will give you the wiring colors and connection locations. Other than the hi/lo switch the only other parts are the relays that you said you checked..There could be a bad ground at the light,, try grounding the light and see what you get..OH I JUST HAD A THOUGHT.. If I remember correctly the light circuit runs through the Hi beam indicator...the little light in the dash that says you have your brights on.. If the bulb is burned out I think that might effect the lights,, I could be wrong but remember reading about it somewhere..anyway it does not hurt to check, just reach under the dash and pull the bulb out and test it..Oh well thats all I have to say...Good Luck..Max
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Max..1989 244 DL 5 Spd., Bilstein HD, Turbo Swaybars, Poly Bushings all round, Turbo Wheels, Black leather interior, Electric mirrors, LED dash and gauge lights.

Thanks ... I will try.

Hey Can you give me info on your LED set up? I saw where you did one for the cabin lights. Did you do one for the instrument panel lighting also?
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Happy Motoring Miguel '86 244 and '87 245