I recently purchased a 92 240 from a family friend, they moved out of state and the car is where I live. They asked me to start it up and run it every month and I loved it the first time I drove it, so I asked if they ever wanted to get rid of it I would buy it. A bit later they call me and sell it to me, 170k and clean, interior perfect and body just cracked flimsy plastic parts and a broken glovebox. The red up arrow would go on when you started it(don't know exactly what that means, it's an automatic) then goes away as you drive, I bought it anyway it didn't leak and Nothing looked at all wrong with it. It was a cheap car so I didn't really care. I need it to drive me for 2-3 years. The brake light warning bulb goes on when you brake, this annoys me so if someone could lead me in a direction to fix it that would be great. The water pump went and a few belts, so I replaced those myself and it went great. Now it has started a minor oil leak from a diff. Pinion seal, never replaced one of those, is it worth fixing myself or pay someone, how hard is it? This car feels like it has life left in it and it don't think anything is majorly wrong with it, just minor things I think the previous owner didn't even think about. My overall question is how many miles can these 240s do with regular oil changes and care? Are these pretty common things on a car this old ? Damn I love this Volvo

 

our 87 has over 400K on it, but its had reasonable maintenance its whole life, including things like a new alternator, new radiator, a couple water pumps, a transmission rebuild. the front end is getting sloppy, it probably needs some control arm bushings and new front struts (its had tie rods and ball joints stuff already). its our daughter's car now up in Portland.


(last fall, when she was leaving for college)

 

I would check out the brake warning light as it indicates some sort of failure in your braking system - a potential safety issue. Starting in '91 they added a sensor for the brake fluid so check to make sure your brake fluid is topped off. However, if it is low, it is probably leaking somewhere. Go through and check for leaks at all the calipers. Also check the "octopus" junction box for leaks just below the master cylinder.

As for the pinion seal, check online for procedures for replacement. I have never tackled that job so I cannot really comment.

Good luck...

 

I was thinking something along the line of brake fail to, but when you use the power windows button, that same light bulb warning goes on also. But When you are coming to a final stop about half a second before it stops it will do a sort of pulse, not sure how to explain it? The brakes work perfectly I'm guessing something is warped I really don't know. Should I take this car to an imports place to get it checked out or a normal shop, as for the pinion seal I can't find any thing on line for how to replace it. I don't wanna put much money in this car I just want it good enough to drive daily and don't wanna get screwed over by a shop. I'm not experienced with brakes or wiring. Thank you for replies both of you, if someone could tell me the best route to take for these issues or if you've seen them yourself? Thanks!

 

Is it the light that reads "brake failure" that is coming on?


If so, usually low fluid or half of the master cylinder is out. Does it pull to one side or the other?

As to the pinion seal, looks pretty straightforward if you get the right parts and have a decent torque wrench:

Driveshaft, Rear AxleDriveline, Rear Axle

(I would probably just rethread the bolts halfway into the flange and block it from turning with a crowbar. )

 

No brake failure light just a bulb warning that the brake lights are going out. second from inside on far right. It does not seem to pull to one side. Thank you for the link very helpful.