Hi, to quickly introduce myself, I'm a 16 yo from Georgia who just bought his first car, a 1980 Volvo 245 DL that previously had 1 owner (until I bought it) and 333,000 big M's. I bought the car a few days ago and have already fixed a few little issues with wiring and stuff (brake lights weren't working, wire was disconnected from the brake light switch). So here's my latest issue. I've got no reverse lights. Let me elaborate.

So the truth is I DO have reverse lights, problem is, I have to hold the gear lever in the right spot to keep the lights on, which is kind of hard to do while facing backwards out of the car to see where I'm going. I have the 4 speed manual transmission with electronic overdrive by the way. Question is, where is the reverse light switch, and how can I adjust it? I'm really hoping this is some easy fix where I pull the cover off the gear shift and just reach in and adjust a part, but I want to be sure before I go tearing up my beloved wagon

Thanks in advance, I'm hoping someone here has an answer for me.

 

That switch is on top of your transmission. It's a pain to get at. It's on the driver's side closer to to the front. Two wires go to it. Since it seems to be position related that would hint a switch problem and not wiring like you are thinking. It may work better the more you use it. Or it may not. Pulling it may be tough. I'm not sure if a deep socket fits over it. Also there is no adjustment. It should light any time you enter the reverse throw. I use it to signal people behind me at speed since you don't need to actually put it into gear to light them up.

 

Thanks for the reply. I don't think its a wiring problem I'm thinking more along the lines that the gear shift isn't touching the switch when I put the car into gear. I think what I need to do is move the whole switch assembly over a bit so that it stays on when I move the gear shift into the reverse position, or if that turns out to not be the issue, I'll have to pull it anyways to put a new one in, because I can't legally drive the thing here without reverse lights, and my job requires me to drive around in the dark, so no reverse lights can get tricky there too. Could it be that simple you think? Are there any guides to removing the rubber cowl that sits over top of the gearshift you know of, or do you personally know how to remove it without damaging it. Thanks again.

 

I've also seen a guide that places it under the air filter under the hood. I'm assuming that's for the automatic transmission? Anyone got any knowledge of it being under there?

EDIT: Here's the link for it, I'm not sure what year the 240 in question here is, but this is my example.
http://forums.swedespeed.com/showthr...ch-Replacement

 

This guide is for FWD model Volvo... Nothing like the 240.
You got 333k, and you worry about spotty reverse light? The rest of this car must be something for you to stress over reverse lights! I admire your sense of perfection though...

 

Hah, thanks. There are some other areas that I need to work on with the car, but at the moment I don't have the funds (paint job, sound system, wheels), or the issue is already in the process of being fixed. It's a nice car, I'm surprised there's not more wrong with it. When I get a chance today I'll take some pictures and upload em.