When I bought the car, I thought the cruise didn't work. However, I noticed that around 55 or 60, I can engage the cruise, and it works! I have not been able to test it over long distance, as, on 35E in Dallas, you don't drive much more than 1/4 mile before you have to nail the brakes. Does anyone have information on the cruise control on these models? None of my owner's manuals say anything about it. I'm used to cruise control being able to engage at 25MPH or above, but I can see why Volvo may have decided 55+ is best. Or maybe it's an issue with the system. Didn't find anything in old threads that I searched. Thanks! --Jack

 

The manual for my '88 245 says something to that effect: cruise control can only be engaged at 55mph or above.
I can't confirm that, though, since mine doesn't appear operational. Hope that helps

 

I thought it was around 40mph or something, but its been quite awhile.

our 240's is broken, the cruise cable at the gas pedal is physically corroded and snapped ;-/

I know on other cars that didn't have a minimum speed for cruise, the engine would tend to be rather surgy with cruise in lower gears, and it really wasn't much good anywhere south of about 40mph and 3rd gear.

 

I recently drove my 245 to West Virginia from Dallas, TX. It did very well, and over the course of 18 hours, I was able to get the cruise to work now and then. Usually over 55MPH, but it wouldn't work for long. Maybe 30 minutes, 45 max. Once it cut out, I usually couldn't get it to work again for another hour or two.

Here in WV, I've been over the entirety of the cruise system(or best I can tell). I checked the black cylinder under the wiper motor on the passenger side of the firewall. Checked all the vacuum lines on it, the T's, and checked the lines all the way to their ends. I was unable to find any cracks or disconnected lines. Then I checked the line that goes into the driver's firewall. I found that it ultimately leads to a vacuum cylinder on the brake pedal. It seems that once vacuum is broke, the cruise would cut off. It also seemed to be somehow connected to the gas pedal cable, but a closer look might say otherwise.

I may have internal failure of one of the units, or perhaps it's a power issue. I've not checked any of the power feeds. The vacuum line on the brakes' canister was somewhat loose, but I still havent even gotten the cruise to hiccup after securing it. I also suspect the cruise switch on the turn signal stalk, as on the way up here, I could press the "set/accel" button repeatedly and eventually get it to work, however that may be caused by setting it at just the right engine vacuum conditions.

--Jack

 

the 240 cruise control vacuum unit that pulls on the gas pedal is under the dash drivers side, over by the brake pedal and has a cable thats looped 180 degrees to the gas pedal (eg, it actually pulls the gas pedal down). this cable can corrode and stick or break entirely. certainly worth a good visual inspection.

(just for any random readers, according to my parts diagrams, on the later 240s', it appears they changed this so the servo unit pulls directly on the gas pedal via a lever rather than a cable)