Hello all, new here, but need help ASAP. I have a 92 940GL with 252,000 miles on it. Recently it decided it wants to disengage 4th gear (you know, like you pushed the button on the shifter) then won't let me reengage it. Well, not easily, only thing that seems to work now (this prob has been getting worse) is if i shut off the car and hit the shifter with the car off, start it back up and hope for the best. Anyway, i'm thinking lose wire going to the shifter. I don't mind if i disable this thing, but i need it to let me have 4th, since lets face it, 3rd gets a little buzzy at highway speeds.

Btw, any tips to get this car to limp home would help. i live 20 min from school (college) and will be taking it home this weekend to work on it, since i only have a multi tool here.

 

My 1990 240DL had a similar problem. I replaced the overdrive relay (behind the glovebox) and was good-to-go after that.

 

Had the same issue with my 94 940. The previous owner told me about the issue and said that he had replaced the OD relay 100k ago and that was the problem. I replaced it twice thinking the first one i ordered was faulty. Come to find out, it was the button on the shift stick. Its a pretty ****ty design, something you might find in a microwave from China. I just yanked the button out, touched the wires together to turn 4th back on, and put some electric tape on the exposed ends so they couldn't mess around any more.

 

Alright, started reading through the posts and got the same idea. hopefully my dad will get in touch with his mechanic friend and we can get this done today.

and i agree it's a crappy design. why have it set up so that if it fails you lose top gear? why not the other way around?

 

s'a good question....with some ingenuity, a guy could make an aftermarket version that would do just that. Not a bad idea.

 

well, i am an engineering student. Idk, wouldn't be hard really. just have the solinoid go the other way if/when it doesn't have power. Make it so it needs power to lock off 4th, then problem solved... though the light would be backwards then. Depending on the level of power that the light draws.... just toss an inverter on the signal.... or just get rid of the light and then u have to pay attention

 

not a difficult proposition considering the feel of the car and RPMs associated with dropping down a gear. Give it hell!

 

yea.... if it was 16-17 years ago then it might of been worth doing this... these days, i doubt there would be any profit in a way to retro-fit it that way when you can easily (and probably cheaper, idk what it would be even manufacture a soleniod like that) to just get that block off plate

 

oh i don't know....there's a sizely growing after market for these old pigs. They last longer than the drivers who own them. I think given the problem is wide spread enough among not only the 200 series but also 700 and 900 that an enterprising person could make a decent amount of change with the idea.

Or sell the design concept to an already established aftermarket manufacturer...like IPD.

Or.....not bother....just speculating here.

 

idk, i prob could if i had a few solinoids laying around, but to me the real solution is to just go F it, and block it off. I mean a little 2.4L that only left the factory with 100 hp in a car that is over two tons shouldn't be doing towing anyway.

 

hahaha...point. Not to mention, there's that whole kick down cable thing too.

 

The same thing happened to me as well recently. Instead of going through the hassle of troubleshooting the solenoid, switch, relay and wiring plus the costs of replacement I just bought the block off plate. A tutorial on how to do this is right here:

https://volvoforums.com/forum/volvo-240-740-940-12/overdrive-ceased-function-38907/

It's cheaper than replacing the solenoid and/or relay. And like you said, that lovely little brick shouldn't be towing anyway.

 

IDK about the kick down cable thing. don't really use it... but man is it a kick when u do.

As to towing have you ever looked at what it's rated for?!??! something like 3k pounds... i'm sorry that thing has issues if i have two large friends in the car, i can't imagine even half that being towed. it would take longer then an aircraft carrier to stop.

 

yeah...someone thought they'd put it to the test with my 240....On the plus side I have both front and rear sway bars from IPD. The down side is the shocks were blown and the brakes were almost non existent.

lol...the 2" receiver hitch back there makes for a good steep curb early warning system!

 

I've towed 1000kgs(2200lbs) behind my Turbo, didn't even know it was there. Sat on 120-130 km/h for 3 hours.

The O/D system is so easy to troubleshoot and repair, why would you be without it?

Regards, Andrew.