I just bought brand new tailights for this car and put them in perfect, bulbs and everything brand new. When you start the car and run no lights are on at all,hit the break-the bulb failure goes on, even though they work? Now it's on the whole time, blinker lights work and reverse work. Someone please help me so I don't throw a brick through this piece of ****. I'm really pissed.

 

electric is a pain...
you sure they are the right bulbs, i know from experience the car doesn't like LED lights in the rear brake lights.
can you be more specific about what happened? so at first all the lights didn't work, then you hit the brakes, now all the lights are on all the time? some things you can try checking is the bulb failure sensor and the relays...

 

My experience with my Euro cars (BMW and Volvo) is to always use the chrome base bulbs NOT the copper base ones found in most US cars. Make sure they are the same on each side and use a little dielectric grease on all the contact points. Also check to make sure the contact tabs on the bulb sockets have enough 'tension' in them to make solid contact. You can bend them to compensate, but they get old and tired after years of service.

 

...and of course make sure all the contact points are clean and free of rust and buildup.

 

Ok so let me explain this best I can. In my first post I said the running lights don't work but I think they only go on with headlights in this car.The brake lights, turn signals, reverse lights light up like a Christmas tree, no bulb warning with signals but when you break and turn on headlights-which turn on running back lights, that work also-- there is a bulb failure warning. The warning stays on the whole time when you turn headlights on. I am sure all the lights are working. This makes no sense to me they are made in Europe have chrome base and the last ones all worked the only reason I replaced them is cause they were all cracked and I had to keep replacing bulbs cause water got in. I've checked every connection nothing wierd I'm stumped and have no idea what to do.

 

So the bulb out indicator only goes on if you have the headlights on and you hit the brakes? Does it go on when you hit the brakes with the headlights off? What happens when you have the hit the brakes with the only the running lamps on?

The bulb out indicator works by sensing the difference in current between the left & right bulb pairs. I believe it checks the following bulb pairs: left/right tail light, left/right brake light, left/right front running lights, left/right headlights (brights & dims). Since it looks for an imbalance between the bulb pair, it is generally recommended that you replace bulbs in a pair.

If you have already replaced the brake light bulbs with a brand new pair, then most likely the problem is the connections to the circuit board in the rear tail light. Over the years, corrosion and vibration deteriorate the connection where the wires connect to the circuit board (assuming you have a sedan - I am not familiar with the wagons).

 

When you hit brakes without lights on it does it. When the lights are on the bulb failure just gets brighter when you hit the breaks. Brand new circuit board

 

well if the previous bulbs all worked before and this only started when you put brand new ones in, i'd say the problem is in the bulbs. i'd advise to go find the exact same brand/type as close as you can get to the previous ones... and replace one area at a time (eg rear brake only) to try and find the area that's the problem.

 

If its not the bulb failure sensor/unit, its probably your bulbs or the contact points. The bulbs WILL work and still give you a bulb failure warning if the resistance is off slightly from one side to another--That's how it checks for a failure (that variance in resistance.)

 

The ones on the original ones are made in France, will walmart have some nice chrome base ones?

 

I don't know if Walmart would carry them. I get mine at the local auto parts place - one of the chain stores - whatever is convenient.

You mention a new circuit board in your tail light. Do both sides have new circuit boards? Did the problem exist prior to swapping bulbs?

If the problem existed prior to any of the bulb swaps, then it may be the bulb out sensor itself. I have read here on the forums of them failing and causing all kinds of weird light behavior.

 

Walmart should have them. Sometimes they are even labeled as 'Euro' but any brand chrome base will do as long as you are replacing them in pairs. My issues with bulb failure warning are mainly in my '88 BMW which uses a similar system and its always been tired and/or corroded contact tabs but eliminating the bulb variances possibility is a good first step.

 

the euro style bulbs from Sylvania/Osram are frequently on GREEN hangcards labeled OEM or EURO, and they have numbers starting above 5000. the bulbs with 1000 numbers are american style brass base bulbs.

this application table is for BMW motorcycles, but many of these same bulbs are used on our volvo cars...

 

The problem did not exist on old lights, the warning went when you hit the breaks but one of my bulbs was super weak so I replaced both no warning ever. I will hit walmart if there not there than imports. And yes everything came new on the tail lights, circuit board,lens,bulbs,bulb holders
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Edit- problem is solved thank you everyone!

 

What was the solution?

 

Hate to bump this but I put Brand new bulbs for brakes and tailights

 

Did you try getting new bulbs with the right base? Did you try putting them one at a time (brake lights first. then reverse, then indicators) as someone suggested here?

You can also try googling - by passing bulb failure relay and follow those instructions. I think clean flametrap has those instructions when I looked at it a year ago. Or take bulb out of the cluster

 

The 240 uses a flex circuit board and a connector that goes directly over the flex board to make a connection. When the car was new, this probably worked OK. When it gets old, even with a new tail light assembly, it can be troublesome. On my 240 sedan I bypassed the stock connector. I soldered wires directly to the flex board and installed a molex 6 position connector.

I saw a web site for 240's where someone went one better. They soldered the wires directly to the bulb holders.

Here's a link to an example on YouTube: