Has anyone ever published a book of "Known Volvo 200 Series Gremlins?"

I just learned that a direct short in any number of places unrelated to Fuse #16 will cause Fuse #16 to blow. Think I got the problem taken care of, looks like the broken ground connector on the dash clock, of all things, was maybe the problem (or maybe not, not sure.) Hopefully, as it was my last 8A fuse on hand. (Do the glass tube fuses work there too? I think they do, just it's been decades since I had a Brick.

Also for anyone looking up other fuse problems, just 'cause a fuse looks intact doesn't mean it works. Fuse #8 looked fine, but it was the aluminum type, probably oxidized enough to be screwed, probably why my radio started getting flaky before it and the dash lights went away, and once I replaced it with a brass one everything - dash lights, radio - started working again. Frickin' Gremlins!

Next question, '84 245T: I need to know if the wiring for the front passenger door dome light switch is supposed to be two wires clamped into one wire connector. At first I thought there was a connector missing, then after reading and checking the driver's side, and reading some more, I learned that the second wire on that side is the time-out switch for the dome light.

Light doesn't work, and I'm guessing the switch which looks old and original might be just wore out dead. But before I hit the local shops or interwebz for a new switch, since there's two wires one connector, how do I test it with a multimeter?

(I'm not opposed to taking the switch apart if it's a repairable part like I did with the headlamp switch, but first I want to know if it's broken before I break it some more. )

 

if the switch only has one contact blade, it must be a switch to ground, you'd test that with an ohm meter when its disconnected...

ok, an an 84 240 with the delayed courtesy light option, there are two contacts on the driver front door switch, both switch to ground. the other 3 switches have a single contact to ground. the ground is likely the screw that holds the switch into the door frame.

 

Both switch units have two blades. The driver side has two separate connections, one on each blade (one to the time-out), the passenger side has only one connected, leaving one blade bare. I read elsewhere that the screw to the frame provides the ground, I guess I'm not sure where to put the multimeter connectors. One to each blade, then push in the switch and see what happens? Or one to the blade, one to the ground (bare metal on the screw hole)?

 

yeah, contact to ground screw... there's two seperate switches. contact1->ground, and contact2->ground. of course, when they are closed, contact1-contact2 will also be connected via the ground... here's the wiring diagram from the 1984 240 electrical greenbook...

 

Oh! Now I see, I think, what the switch does. Thank you! So "not working" = "permanently closed" and thus unless the wire is broken (I don't think it is, the harness parts I can see look like they're in good shape) it's probably the switch.

 

well, if you ground the wires and the lights come on, then you know the wiring is good.

 

hmm, actually, closed == lights on, open == lights off. so closing the door opens the switches.