Ah. I just have one out and I tested both the old and replacement bulbs with the VOM and they are both good. The wires to my low beam connector are black and red. I haven't started on the CEM/Shunt yet because its a bit too cold and getting dark. Perhaps the shunt shorted out the connection which affects only the right lamp as opposed to a complete shunt failure. I'll give it a shot tomorrow.

Thanks for the help.

 

Mine is a 2002, S-60. Didn't say that before. Sorry.

Checked and I got no power to the lamp plug for low beam (black wire). High beam (red) is 12v.

On the assembly plug, got 12 volts on the green and white wires at all times and 12 v on the blue when high beams are on, nothing at all on the black (which I'm assuming is the low beam). Got 12 v at fuse #18 and replaced that just to be on the safe side.

Found the shunt resistor mentioned above, but didn't try getting it out because wasn't sure if it was before or after the fuse. If it is between fuse and lamp plug is there any way of testing it with VOM or is it better just replacing it?

I didn't hear/see/feel any relays clicking. Where are they located?

Thanks, Tech.

 

I have removed the CEM. I have the shunt resistor in my hands. It is not burned nor is the receptacle. I have continuity across pins 1 & 2 & 2 & 3. When the shunt is plugged in, I have continuity at the left low beam but not at the right. I have power to the fuse. I'm going to follow things as best as I can. The car has only 45K miles on it and has never seen any disturbance to the wiring harness. I'll post back shortly. Thanks for hanging in there.

 

OK, doing more searching. Found the electrical manuals here: http://mojevolvo.pl/wiki/Volvo_S60
for 2001 - 2005 S60. The site is in Polish, but the manuals (at least '02) are English.

Too cold in my garage (~18 F ) to do much, so will wait to see what Keesue finds. Don't understand how just "wires" can go bad, especially where they are in a harness.

Maybe should have mentioned it earlier, but don't think it's related. About an hour before failure appeared, I'd left a Firestone store where they did emissions inspection using the OBD port.

 

Ok....done. I tracked continuity and voltage all the way to the connector at the headlight assembly. Turns out that the connector itself was not seated properly because when I pulled it out to check it and put it back together, the bulb came to life. Guess the last time it was in for service at the dealership, they might have josseled it a bit fiddling around. Tracking voltage and continuity to the offending piece took care of it. Probably overkill to pull the CEM and shunt but following the trail left no doubt. Everything is all buttoned up now. I sincerely appreciate the help and the documentation.

Now my next question is: The car is a 2001. It has not had the cam belt changed because it has only 50K. I'm wondering if I should replace it given the passage of time; or, does the belt have more life in it? Obviously, its not driven much. I'm also wondering if I can tackle it. I've changed the overhead cam belt on my '81 242 GLTurbo since I've owned it new. Are there any special tools or 'gotchas'?

I always have the car serviced by Volvo but I'm not working and money is precious.

Thanks, guys...

 

18* F is making my teeth chatter just thinking about it (unless that was -18* !!!!). I am in SF and its in the 50s. Last night in the 40s and we are complaining. Thanks for the link, sir. I now have the full wiring diagram which is a big plus. I have the manuals for my 1981. I bought it new and performed all my own work. The S60 was delegated to the service department due to lack of time and admittedly some apprehension on my part. However, I now have time and my own full garage so I want to take care of my car myself.

I have two service-related items outstanding: the overhead cam belt if years trump mileage and the rear suspension links that apparently need addressing. They are the equivalent of the rear axel torque rods in my 1981 but apparently they have ends. I'm going to jack it up and have a look. Other than that, the only repair in 50K was the turbo return line as a preventative measure to avoid a leak. Guess they dried out. The service manager is very trustworthy in that regard.

I appreciate your help, guys. I have owned volvos exclusively from a 544 through a 142 to my beloved 242 GLT, to a lease-expired S80 T6 ending in the S60 T5 which is the spouse's car. My 1981 Turbo is the black one with the grey interior - the signature one. My baby boy is driving it with 250K on the odometer. The car still screams (with 11 psi in the manifold).

 

The t-belt isn't all that bad I would inspect it.
I made a post about timing belts check it out. If it looks anything like the pics I posted I would replace it.

 

Thanks, I'll have a look.

 

[quote]ORIGINAL: keesue

Ok....done. I tracked continuity and voltage all the way to the connector at the headlight assembly.

How did you track the wire? I've got voltage at the fuse, but none at the headlight assembly socket. Can't see where the wires go from the fuse block. Thanks,

 

[quote]ORIGINAL: willingrvw

Just saw this.

Here is what I did:

I followed the voltage path, testing for continuity from the fuse, to the CEM, to the shunt, to the end of the pig tall that connects to the headlight assembly. This was probably overkill but given the problems reported with the shunt shorting out and causing problems at the CEM, I wanted to be sure. I was seeing an ohm on the shunt, measuring it pulled out, and about .7 at the end of the pigtail which accounts for the wiring. (You could turn on the headlights and measure 12 volts at the pigtail but I didn't that. I was more interested in continuity because voltage follows that path).

I would recommend disconnecting the connector at the lower part of the headlamp assembly and checking for continuity. There are four pins. You should see ~.7 ohms on all four pins. This will confirm the shunt is correct. Getting the CEM out is a PITA. The trick is to stick your hand on the left side and feel the lever type assembly. You push it towards the outside and pull the CEM toward you and then down. Getting it back in was a PITA too. You have to get the thing back in the upper tabs by starting with it towards you pushing back and letting the lever clip back into place. Patience is the key here.

Before you do that, check the continuity at the headlamp assembly and reconnect. What I found was the connector at the right side headlamp assembly, with the offending low beam bulb in question, must not have been on quite right. Subconciously I seem to remember feeling it come off a little too easy. When I put it back together and turned on the lights - voila!

Does this answer your question?

 

I understand circuit tracing. Just not sure the route to follow. Will try from the fuse (where I have power) - to the shunt - to the relay (think that is inside the driver's door panel) - to the bulb assembly. I'm pretty certain mine isn't just a loose connection, b/c I've taken it apart/put together a couple of times. Still too cold today. Suppose to get warmer Christmas eve, so that may be my first opportunity. Will let you know the outcome.

Tech - Any other suggestions?

Thanks,

 

The relay should be in the Cem as well as the shunt.
Use the diagram and Ohm the wires from the Cem out to the headlight. I cannot see where the wires would be messed up either.

 

OK Tech, got some probably amateur questions, but please bear with me.

Today I printed the entire manual for my 02 (see link above) and spent an hour studying/learning the symbols and tracing the current flow. See page 48. If I read it correctly the power flows thru the shunt first, then the relay and next to the fuse block 11B/18. I measured 12 volts there over the weekend and know the fuse is good, so the problem can't be the relay, shunt or fuse.

Therefore the problem must be between the fuse and the socket to the headlamp assembly where I got zero volts. The only things in between are 15/24:4 (manual describes that as a Distribution Rail) and have to admit I don't know what that is or what it looks like. Looked at the diagram on page 167 and tried to find it in the fuse box, but can't locate it. Do I need to remove the top layer of fuses/relays first to get to it? See fuse block photo.

Only other thing except wires between the two points is a Junction Point, 53/389. Page 132 shows that somewhere near the headlamp assembly. I'm wondering if that's the socket to the assembly that I'm getting no voltage on.

Didn't want to start removing things tonight since I need the car to get to work tomorrow, but maybe over the holiday if I know what I'm looking for.

Thanks for bearing with me and any advice.

Shoot!! uploaded the wrong wiring diagram and can't delete while editing. Will try uploading the correct version which shows fuse 11B/18

[IMG]local://upfiles/11405/2828FB461F6A4528B4655284CDB3A73A.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]local://upfiles/11405/56369EB0E8074315A488E5E8E113F11E.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]local://upfiles/11405/9CC68126A28248C3ADC19FF45E370922.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]local://upfiles/11405/80511936044C4ACA8B95BFD6618CD2F1.jpg[/IMG]

 

If you have power at 11B/18 then it will be something in the wiring going out.
From the fuses in the side of the dash to the headlights are pretty much a straight shot.

But also which diagrams match your car?

There is 2 wiring diagrams 1 has the connection 54/LE and the other has nothing.

Either way you should be able to OHM from the one side of the fuse straight to the headlight wire and see what wire is bad.

That should be the easiest way to test the wiring.

 

Yes, I uploaded the wrong diagram the first time. Mine is the bottom one w/o the 54/LE connection between the fuse (11B/18)and lights. On my diagram the 54/3LE thing is before fuse 18, so it must be good if I've got 12 volts at fuse 18. There areonly two things betweenfuse 18 and the lights. One is15/24:4, which the manual describes as a Distribution Rail (I don't know what that is or what it looks like).

Theonly other thing except wires between the two points is a Junction Point, 53/389. Page 132 shows the junction point somewhere near the headlamp assembly, but I can't tell exactly where.I'm wondering if that isthe socket to the lamp assembly where I got no voltage? The dash fuse (11C/3) isbefore the shunt, so all that stuff must be good, again because I've got 12 volts at 11B/18.

I should have checked continuity between the 11B/18 and lights, but was getting too cold last night. I'll try again today/tomorrow. Where is this "Distribution Rail" thing and what does it look like? I looked at the diagram on page 167 (see second JPG)and tried to find it in the fuse box, but can't locate it. Do I need to remove the top layer of fuses/relays first to get to it? See fuse block photo.

Will let you know about the continuity check. Thanks for all your help and putting up with an amateur.

 

Im not sure where the distribution block is its hard to see the pic but kind of looks like in the fuse panel somewhere.

 

It's also my understanding that if your bare skin touches the bulb, it'll cause it to burn out when it heats up. I take it that the bulb never worked, though.

I'm having this same issue at the moment...however, I can get the cap off but can't get the damn connector off. I read somewhere that it needs to be squeezed and/or turned, but I've tried both and neither seems to work. I hate to pay someone to do something as simple as this, but it's a bit frustrating at the moment.

 

Crappy design by Volvo. There is tabs on each wire connector that really needs to be pressed to release the wire. But they put plastic all around the terminals. So either you have to pull hard to remove it or finish breaking the plastic then press the tabs and pull the terminals off.

 

OK, I'm almost ashamed to admit what happened, but maybe someone else can learn from my rookie mistake. (This rookie has been working on cars for over 50 years).

Short answer - it was a bad bulb.

Long answer, I bought the wrong bulb, but didn't realize it when I installed it. Bought a high bean instead of the low beam which was bad.When I started checking voltage and continuity at the fuse to headlight assembly things didn't add up correctly, so I discovered my mistake.

Hope the electrical manual I found will be of value to someone else and remember to go back to the basics and trace volage/continuity when troubleshooting these problems.

Thanks to Tech and others for all the advice.

 

Its all good we all make mistakes!!!!