I've got a 1990 Volvo 240DL station wagon. I've had it for about a year and a half. It's a good car that runs nicely but it's been giving me other troubles.

About a month ago my turn signals died. I checked the bulbs and the circuit breakers both of which are fine. I pulled the relay and took apart the steering column and they look fine. The signal relay works still when I turn on the hazards and the turn signal switch still turns my high beams on and off so they appear to both be fine. This is weird but sometimes if it has been raining really hard, my signals will suddenly work again like normal when I turn on the car but then they die again shortly and the relay will make a stuttering sound for a while before going completely silent.

On top of that, I've come to find out that my brake lights and reverse lights are both not working as well. I'm not sure about my brake lights, but sometimes my reverse lights will work and then sometimes they wont. The light failure warning light isn't coming on my dash.

I'm a student working full time and struggling to make ends meet so I can't just plop it down in a shop and have them probably charge me for things I don't even need. If anybody has an idea of where all three of the systems might meet, it would at least give me a place to start looking. Thank you.

 

the grounds at the trunk would be the first thing I'd check.... but I'm not sure how you can look at a relay and tell its OK.

then I'd break out the volt meter and check voltages at various places, referring to the greenbook wiring diagrams for a 1990 240. electrical trouble shooting can be quite time consuming.

 

I have a similar problem. The brake lights on my 1988 240 DL JUST STOPPED WORKING. I checked the fuse and brake light switch, both seem to be fine, according to my meter. I've ordered the circuit board for the rear light assembly, there seems to be burn marks and breaks on that. sometimes a tail light goes out and if I "jiggle" the white wire or the bulb holder it comes back on. Has anyone else had this problem, and if so, can I get advice. It will cost about $450 to diagnose and fix problem at local Volvo dealer. Circuit boards were $35 on line.

 

Or you can solder them through the main bulb sockets (the ones on either ends of the assembly at the bottom). I had the same issue and soldering it that way took care of the issue and wont have any of the corrosion issues either.

 

Just fixed my 1988 240 dl break light problem! I managed to fix all of my brake lights EXCEPT for my right side brake light. The answer? I had at some point replaced the white bulb socket with a black one. You gotta have a white one. And only for the right side, the left uses a regular black bulb socket. It took me awhile to find a used one, as I've been told that new/re-issues melt pretty quickly (they don't last). But after replacing my rear light circuit boards, fuses, bulbs and pretty much everything else you could think of, this white bulb socket was the problem.

 

A common problem on the 240 wagons is the wiring that goes through the hinges on the rear door. Over time the opening and closing of the rear hatch can cause breaks in the wires leading to lighting problems. Not sure if this is your issue though because it would usually cause the 'bulb failure' light to come on on the dash. It's not too difficult to pull the hinge and check the wires, but I would definitely recommend having someone else there to help hold the tailgate up while you work on it.
Another thing to check is the bulb socket connections for dirt or corrosion. Pull each bulb and use a small wire brush on the connection surfaces if the look dirty or covered in a white or green film.
Relays are hard to diagnose just by looking at. If there's a junk yard nearby, I'd recommend taking a look there for some 240s and picking up a relay or two. Most of the relays are the same across all model years of 240, and even some of the 700 series cars. There should be at least a couple of cars to choose from in the yard, just make sure you grab one that is the same part #. An alternative is buying a new relay from IPD or someplace like that online, but it'll cost you around $40-$50. Good luck, let us know what you find.

 

note that if its those trunk hinge wires, that is NOT normal easy-to-find-wire, its stuff with a LOT of strands to be extra flexible, and with very tough insulation. you can (and should) buy that piece of wiring harness as a replacement if yours is damaged.

 

Sorry, I should have mentioned that! Common wire won't do the job, so don't waste your time trying to splice in your own replacements. I replaced mine with these from Ipd-Product Search: TAILGATE WIRING HARNESS. The wiring harnesses make it very easy to change, and $30 for the pair of them should be within you reach even as a student.

 

Scrap SO cord is great for patches. I has lots of strands. The stuff in you computer SO cord is 14 gauge, you just have to strip it down. I solder and cover with shrink tubing.