95 850 t5-r Fixing illumination lights
 

Hi this is my first post and would appreciate any comments. I just purchased a 95 t5r and none of the illumination lights on the dash, stereo, or gear shift appear to be working. I checked the fuse and it appears to be fine. The other lights on the dash (ie. turn signal, low fuel indicator), stereo appear to be working just fine. Right now i'm guessing it might be a short given the age of the car. I thought it might be a relay problem but people I have spoken to say this is probably not the case. I spoken to some mechanics and they want $100-120/hr to do a diagnostic work on the electrical system. I'm in the Bay area (Hayward) and was wondering if anyone could direct me to a good volvo mechanic. I've also been quoted $102/hr from an electrical guy just to take a look. Was wondering if there is anything that I can do on my own or if there is somewhere good to take my car to. Once again many thanks for your comments.

RE: 95 850 t5-r Fixing illumination lights
 

Are you sure the rheostat that regulates the intensity of the dash light is totally to the right?

The stereo lights burn with age. My car has that too. You can fix it yourself if you are handy with electronics.

And the gear light burns too, there are DIY instructions somewhere, let me see if I can find them.

RE: 95 850 t5-r Fixing illumination lights
 

The first thing I tried was the dimmer switch - it slides back and forth almost with no resistance - is that how it normally works? I check it once in a while hoping it will magically come back to life but no dice. Since all three are not illuminating (dash, stereo, gear shift) I'm guessing that one problem is causing all of this. Or rather, is it possible that with one going down it brought the other two down ie. in series?

Thanks Gord

RE: 95 850 t5-r Fixing illumination lights
 

The radio backlight, the dash light and the gear selector light are not necessarily related. The small bulbs just tend to burn with age. It is very common. I don't know why they didn't use LEDs.