I'd like to try to do as much work on my 240 as possible, but I'm just learning. So I'd appreciate any advice!

About a week ago, we noticed that the radio turned off for a moment when we pulled up on the steering wheel. This was amusing for a few days, but now it's gotten worse: first the radio and wipers started turning off when the wheel was turned to the right, and now they aren't working at all. And this morning the SRS light started flickering on, too.

We disconnected the battery and took a bunch of stuff apart today, but didn't see any obviously corroded or pinched wires. Does anyone know 1) where the wires for the radio, wipers, and horn connect, and 2) where I can find some basic information about how auto wiring works (since this is the first time I've tried to do electrical repair)?

Thanks-
Alexa

Alexa,
I have found that when things get squirley, I check the grounds. A lot of the volvo electrical system uses common ground points and if one is failing it will go through other systems to get to ground. I have had this happen before. There are a few excellent books available. One is the Bentley repair manual.It shows where all the common ground points are, and has been invaluable to me. Another great book is available through White horse press (Google them or the book title). It is called Motorcycle Electics Without Pain. I know it is a bike book, but it is a great primer on 12V electrical systems.
I hope this helps
Kzural
75 164, 83 245, 85 244,4 motorcycles

Everything connects once it gets to the harness... but a question to pose to you... does ALL of your accessories (lights, horn, radio, blower, etc) go out when this problem is present? If so, something may be wrong with your ignition switch... to test this theroy... jiggle the key back and forth when the problem occurs. Don't jiggle it enough to stop the engine or engage the starter again, but try it out.

If this doesn't work, get a good shop manual and go over all the wiring diagrams (chilton's has an excellent wiring diagram, perhaps when I get home I can dig it out and post a pic for you)
--
-Flup, 240DL Wagon, 2 subs in the trunk, Dancing Bears Sticker to top it off :)

It did turn out to be a loose connection behind the ignition switch. (Lights weren't affected, but horn, blower, radio, wipers, and airbag were.) I wasn't quite comfortable yet messing around with the ignition switch, so I paid <$50 for a mechanic to fix it.

So thanks! And thanks also for the wiring manual recommendations. I'll study up. :)

Alexa