Hi all,
I've just had the nearside rear light cluster replaced on my 240 estate because an idiot crashed into the side of the car. On a long journey today, all of the indicators front and rear stopped working, there was no sound or light on the dashboard, as if whole system is disconnected. . I turned off into a car park and tried breaking sharply a few times, and it all went back on, but a few miles later, it went off again, and breaking didn't help.
Is there anything you can suggest that might have become disconnected that I can actually get at? Is the relay disconnected, and if so where is it? Has the crash caused this? (the whole side panel at the back was crushed in, but has been mostly straightened out).
I'd really appreciated some advice!

 

A few things to check: fuses, relays, wiring (ie ground points). Check the owners manual or a wiring diagram to find which fuse and relay. For the 240s, you may find some useful info on volvotips.com (should have a wiring diagram there). The only other thing is the switch stalk but I'd doubt that would caused by an accident... Also check bulbs... is it just the one side or both sides?

 

I believe each light has its own ground so If all four lights are failing at once chances are is power (12V). There is a list of what each fuse powers inside the fuse panel cover. Find the fuse for signals (indicators) and change it even if it looks good. If the fuse is blown there might be a short in the new light. Does the stock (signal lever) feel unusual, any looseness? After that you are likely to need a voltmeter or test lamp and the wiring diagram. The problem must be in an area common to all four like power or the switch in the column.

 

Thank you both for your replies, and the link to Volvo tips, very useful!
I'd checked the fuses first, of course, and all seemed intact - I'm used to fuses being visibly melted, and it wasn't.. However, what I hadn't done was actually take the appropriate fuse out and look at it, big mistake! Turned out that there was a tiny break at one end between the little metal cap and the middle of the fuse, totally invisible when the fuse was in place - this was a physical break, rather than a melting.
Lesson learnt! Not just actually to take out a suspect fuse, but also to handle them a bit more carefully putting them in place. Fortunately, I carry things like bulbs and fuses, so it was easily fixed
Thanks again for your help x