I hope I am not re-discovering the wheel here:

30 Piece Fuse Kit for 240 & 260

With the battery negative disconnected, I got the above link, removed all the old grey metal fuses, used a small wire "toothbrush" carefully on the fuse contacts. After using a small amount of dielectric grease on the contacts, I installed the copper appearing fuses. The payoff is, it will cut down on the "phantom" electrical problems. It did for me.

Fred

 

Do you know why this works?

 

There is absolutely nothing wrong with getting extra fuses. These old Volvo fuses are indeed a little hard to come by.

However, cleaning your CURRENT fuses & fuse contacts, and using dielectric grease, will eliminate most of those little electrical gremlins.

 

Well, I'd say it depends on how current your fuses are. The o.e. variety are aluminum and corrode badly over time. I think the copper ones are an improvement but the best I've seen are the glass Euro style with pointed ends in lieu of the more traditional flat ends normally found on glass fuses.

 

the quality of the Buss 'euro' fuses has gone way downhill. I shotgunned the fuses on a 20 year old Mercedes (yes, 1990 Mercedes 300E, uses same crummy fuses as a 1984 Volvo 240), and had to go through multiple stores to find enough of the brass and/or copper ones, as they were all mixed in with the aluminum/tin ones... and even then, some of them had crummy shaped ends that weren't pointy enough and wouldn't stay in the spring clip holders.

 

Most of my fuses were switched over to the plastic style when/before I bought my 240. I sort of like the glass ones better if only because the wire part can't unwrap itself from the fuse if you install it haphazardly. Unfortunately my motorcycle and both of my cars (the Volvo being the newest vehicle) use the glass fuses/gbc fuses, and all three vehicles seem to burn through the aluminum wire ones. At least it's easy to remember and stock up on fuses for my vehicles. I may just have to get one of those kits next time I place an iPd order.

 

my bike, and my 740 use blade fuses, much more reliable.