Hi, I am brand new to the forum, and I want to see if I could get some help with my car. I have a 1980 Volvo 242 DL, and there are several things that are going wrong. First, when ever I turn on the right turn signal, the car shuts off, I believe it shuts off the fuel pump, which turns off the car. The fuel pump then doesn't work for 10-30 minutes or until you play around with the turn signal lever. Next, fuse 1 continually blows, pretty much as soon as you try and start it. Third, everything that is controlled by the lights ****, intermittently, doesn't work, this includes low beams, parking lights, tail lights, and dash lights. The brights work, when I hold the lever in the on position, and when the lights **** is on every two clicks of the brights makes the dash lights and everything come on. Lastly my radio doesn't work it used to be intermittent but now it never does it could be the head unit but I don't think so. This is my first car and I don't know a ton about cars or Volvos, but I am not stupid, and learn quickly. I appreciate any kind of help, and I could use all the help I can get, thank you so much ahead of time.

 

sounds like you need to go through with a volt meter and troubleshoot the circuitry. wild guess suggests it could be ground related, and the fuse 1 immediately blowing sounds like a short, but rather hard to say without having run some tests. I've not had a 240 as old as 1980, so I don't know offhand what fuse 1 is on that car (they change from year to year).

 

have you examined the dashboard wiring at all? that bit about the turn signals killing the engine, thats a 'should never happen' thing suggesting someone has bodged up the wiring, or you have multiple insulation failures (this car is over 35 years old, after all).

 

I appreciate your time and help, I have examined the wires from the steering column, and the wires above the carpet cover and by the fuse panel, I haven't gotten to actually take off the dash to check there. What's the best way to take out the dash with out breaking anything? Thank you.

 

According to my owners manual, the only thing that fuse 1 does for my car, is the lighter. Thank you for your help.

 

this stereo, is it aftermarket ? quite possible the installer bodged the wiring doing the installation, I've seen some truly awful wiring on amateur and even 'pro' installed car stereos. its quite possible they used the cigar lighter power...

actually, according to my wiring diagrams, the factory radio wiring on a 1980 got its power from fuse 1 on a black wire, ground on a grey wire, then had a black wire running to the power antenna ... an aftermarket radio with a clock and/or digital tuner would also need always-on power for its memory and clock, this wasn't wired to the factory radio in 1980.

 

Yes the stereo is aftermarket, and is first problem that happened, unfortunately it was installed before I got the car so I am unaware who exactly did it and if it was botched or not. I will have to go though all of the wiring used for it. I will try to update when I can, I am working graveyard right now so it is fairly difficult to work on it right now, but I have two days off after tonight to try and make some progress. Thank you again.