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Car Forum / Volvo Cars / September 2007240 Wont shift into overdrive
Hey all, Yesterday on the way home it took my '90 240 quite a while to shift into overdrive on the highway. This morning it never did. I tried hitting the overdrive button a few times to no avail. Does this indicate I'm going to need a new tranny or is their a possibility it could be a fuse or switch??? My Haynes manual didnt have a clear answer. Thanks in advance! > Hey all, > Yesterday on the way home it took my '90 240 quite a while to shift [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > Thanks in advance! Did the arrow light on the dash stick on? Usually this fault is the overdrive relay, the solder joints inside develop cracks. The wiring to the solenoid on the transmission can be damaged as well. It's almost never a problem within the transmission itself. > Did the arrow light on the dash stick on? Usually this fault is the > overdrive relay, the solder joints inside develop cracks. The wiring to the > solenoid on the transmission can be damaged as well. It's almost never a > problem within the transmission itself. No the light would go on and off when I pressed the button. >> Did the arrow light on the dash stick on? Usually this fault is the >> overdrive relay, the solder joints inside develop cracks. The wiring to the >> solenoid on the transmission can be damaged as well. It's almost never a >> problem within the transmission itself. > > No the light would go on and off when I pressed the button. You need to check under the car to see if the wire coming out of the shifter bucket is broken if it is then splice a new section in & your problem is corrected Glenn Volvo Certified Technician ASE Certified Technician  Signature" Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new" -- Albert Einstein >> Did the arrow light on the dash stick on? Usually this fault is the >> overdrive relay, the solder joints inside develop cracks. The wiring to the >> solenoid on the transmission can be damaged as well. It's almost never a >> problem within the transmission itself. > > No the light would go on and off when I pressed the button. > No the light would go on and off when I pressed the button. I had a problem with a 745 TD overdrive some time ago. As much as I remember the pilot light and the solenoid are both activated by voltage from the relay. In my case the the light behaved in a parallel manner with the mechanical switching or nonswitching, sometimes switching/lighting happened many seconds after pressing the button. This meant that the relay did not react properly to the button. I changed the relay and everything worked well again. In your case if the pilot light goes on and the shifting does not happen, the fault should be somewhere between relay-solenoid cable-solenoid-gear. I would check the cable connection between relay pole and solenoid conncector. I do not remember which number the relay pole is but you can find it out from a wiring diagram. The cable between the pushbutton and the relay inside the gear shift rod is also a weak point I have learnt but that should be ok in your case. Regards Viktor SignatureViktor Weisshäupl The e-mail in the header is never read personal e-mail vikwei at gmx dot at >> Hey all, >> Yesterday on the way home it took my '90 240 quite a while to shift [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > solenoid on the transmission can be damaged as well. It's almost never a > problem within the transmission itself. Mine stopped working a couple weeks back. The light burned out years ago... putting off that fix until I have time to do the speedo cable and odo gear at the same time. Maybe gonna go after the OD this weekend. Question is, do I start at the switch (easy to get to but hard to get at) or underneath at the relay (hard to get to but easy to get at) Maybe put it off until winter. As long as it's 80 or so outside, the relay works... >Hey all, >Yesterday on the way home it took my '90 240 quite a while to shift [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > >Thanks in advance! I wouldn't bother checking anytihing electrical without first checking the fluid level. Yours is a classic sympton of nothing more mysterious than a slight fluid leak, that over time finally depleted down to a low level, of just not enough fluid left in the tranny to aperate the OD. The fact that at first it took extra long to shift is the telltale giveaway. It stopped shifting altogether just when the level depleted further. A wiring short/ground is the most common cause of 240 O/D shift failure. The positioning of the wiring running from the gear shift through the floorboard down to the transmission has more than one weak spot. The wiring itself is draped over the top of the tran housing, down the side to the O/D solenoid visible from the under the car. You will have to get under and inspect the spots where the wire can bounce up and down against the tran housing, wearing off the wire insulation over time and causing a short/ground. Also, where the wiring is molded into the solenoid is a spot that road grease and debris can cause to break down, causing short/ground. An exposed short/ground is easy enough to fix by adding insulation. You may need to splice in a good repair wire section. To complete the repair, wrap all the wiring inside one of those accordian style wiring tubes. If the plastic/rubber molded section of the solenoid where the wiring is attached is cracked/splitting, pull a good one from a pick-n-pull junkyard for a few bucks, test it on a 12-volt battery circuit (you will hear a tiny click switching it on, and again switching it off). If none of the above are the cause, don't forget to check for a blown fuse. > Hey all, > Yesterday on the way home it took my '90 240 quite a while to shift [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > Thanks in advance! Thanks for the suggestions. I didnt have time to check it this weekend but I will be looking at it today. I will post if I find the problem, otherwise its off to the mechanic. Oh well, first time I've had to actually think about taking it to a mechanic in the 3 years I've owned it. Not bad for a 20 year old car. > A wiring short/ground is the most common cause of 240 O/D shift > failure. YYMV of course, but in 100% of cases (n=3) at my house the cause was an OD relay gone bad. It's a 10 minute fix, see my other post. > If none of the above are the cause, don't forget to check for a blown > fuse. Also a distinct possibility and one that might point to a cause other than a bad relay. >> A wiring short/ground is the most common cause of 240 O/D shift >> failure. [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > Also a distinct possibility and one that might point to a cause other > than a bad relay. I should add that if the wire over the transmission chafes, it will often cook the relay and then sometimes blow the fuse so you may have two or all three common causes all linked to one initial fault. > >> A wiring short/ground is the most common cause of 240 O/D shift > >> failure. [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > often cook the relay and then sometimes blow the fuse so you may have > two or all three common causes all linked to one initial fault. That's not exactly the best case scenario. Just a follow up. I took it to the local Volvo specialists and they told me the overdrive solenoid and its O-rings are bad. They wanted $420 frickin dollars to fix it. Needless to say I went and got it without having it fixed. Question now is, I found new solenoid's on Ebay for $95, including the O-rings, or do I get it from somewhere like IPD or Swedish Parts Wholesale? > Just a follow up. I took it to the local Volvo specialists and they > told me the overdrive solenoid and its O-rings are bad. They wanted [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > O-rings, or do I get it from somewhere like IPD or Swedish Parts > Wholesale? You can get it anywhere, it should be the same part. Replacement is pretty straightforward and can be done by a novice in an hour or so with basic hand tools. Hardest part is getting the car jacked up and supported or on ramps. Had the same problem. Fixed it by getting a nifty little "over ride" plate from IPD. The shift solenoid actually works to keep your transmission from shifting into 4th gear (overdrive). By using this little plate the solenoid's function is bypassed and the tranny will always shift into 4th. The button on the shifter no longer actuates the solenoid mechanism. The OD button is really only of use when decending a long grade or when pulling a trailer and not really necessary for most driving. > Hey all, Yesterday on the way home it took my '90 240 quite a while > to shift into overdrive on the highway. This morning it never did. [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > My Haynes manual didnt have a clear answer. Been there, done that. It's most likely the OD relay has failed. You can repair or replace it by taking out the glove compartment and looking in to the left, towards the center console (assuming a left-hand drive car; I imagine it's a bit different in a right-hand drive car). It's a (IIRC) small white box. If you're comfortable with soldering you can inspect the circuit board inside for signs of cracking and resolder, or you can replace the relay for pretty cheap. Take you about an hour if you choose to resolder, 20 minutes if you replace and have the spare on hand before you start. If you do it again someday, it'll take you 10 minutes. The most time consuming part is removing the glove compartment and putting it back in. I've had to do this in three out of four 240s in our household over the past 6 years. The one that didn't need it had a manual transmission. >> Hey all, Yesterday on the way home it took my '90 240 quite a while >> to shift into overdrive on the highway. This morning it never did. [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > I've had to do this in three out of four 240s in our household over the > past 6 years. The one that didn't need it had a manual transmission. I've seen them in white, green, red, and orange depending on the year and whether it's a manual or automatic. The manual transmission cars with overdrive have a relay too, but it tends to be used less so it usually lasts longer. With the automatic cars, the relay is engaged and supplying power to the solenoid 99% of the time the car is running. > >> Hey all, Yesterday on the way home it took my '90 240 quite a > >> while to shift into overdrive on the highway. This morning it [quoted text clipped - 30 lines] > and supplying power to the solenoid 99% of the time the car is > running. I didn't know the manual transmission cars have an OD relay. That seems odd in a 5 speed manual transmission. In the case of that car (an 1987 245), it got totaled perhaps before those problems surfaced- certainly before the wiring harness self-composted. Man, that was a darn good car- I miss that one. > I didn't know the manual transmission cars have an OD relay. That seems > odd in a 5 speed manual transmission. In the case of that car (an 1987 > 245), it got totaled perhaps before those problems surfaced- certainly > before the wiring harness self-composted. Man, that was a darn good > car- I miss that one. In 1987 the non-turbo manual cars went to the M47 which is a true 5 speed and has no relay. The earlier cars as well as turbos had the M46 which is a 4 speed manual with pushbutton electric overdrive. > The earlier cars as well as turbos had the M46 which is a 4 speed manual > with pushbutton electric overdrive. ...which can fail too... The OD on my M46 stopped working exactly in the same way as tlr1000's did. At first it popped out of the OD without warning - that's pretty unconfortable - an later it stopped working. I found out that the wiring from the relay to the switch on the transmission (or the switch itself, havent'checked it yet) has a defect. I have made a new wire from ground and connected it to the relay. This enables me to operate the OD again - but now in all gears...! I must be very cautious and check the green lamp, otherwise it will stress the OD. But it works until i have the time to check under the car. SignatureJakob, Denmark :-) > In article <1178813015.125475.76...@n59g2000hsh.googlegroups.com>, > [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > I've had to do this in three out of four 240s in our household over the > past 6 years. The one that didn't need it had a manual transmission. I pulled the glove box and found the box. With the car on and I hit the O/D button, the box makes a clicking noise. Does this indicate its bad or working? I crawled under the car this evening and there is one spot where it looks like insulation is missing. I think I'm just going to bite the bullet and pay someone to do it. Thanks to all for taking the time to reply! > I pulled the glove box and found the box. With the car on and I hit > the O/D button, the box makes a clicking noise. Does this indicate its [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > Thanks to all for taking the time to reply! That doesn't tell you either way, you have to pop the cover off the box and inspect the solder joints on the circuit board, they will probably be cracked. >> I pulled the glove box and found the box. With the car on and I hit >> the O/D button, the box makes a clicking noise. Does this indicate its [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > inspect the solder joints on the circuit board, they will probably be > cracked. fwiw. I popped the relay out tonight and looked at the joints closely. No apparent cracks (to these 47 year old squinties anyway.) Sweated the ones that looked questionable. Put it back together. Now I hear clicking at the relay and under the car when I push the button. Whatever I touched, musta' fixed it. Just once though, I'd like to see a crack instead of randomly touching up the joints... > fwiw. > I popped the relay out tonight and looked at the joints closely. No [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > Just once though, I'd like to see a crack instead of randomly touching up > the joints... I see this a lot in repair in general. When the joints get bad enough you see cracks, but all it takes is a microscopic crack between the component lead and the solder for there to be enough resistance for the thing to not work. >> fwiw. >> I popped the relay out tonight and looked at the joints closely. No [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > lead and the solder for there to be enough resistance for the thing to not > work. I was surprised at how many traces there were on this relay. Lots of pins, close together... Tough to get my soldering copper on some of them. The biggest blob was the one holding the body of the solenoid to the board, (presumably) the ground side of things. It was gray, like solder gets when it's been worked/fatigued... A couple others had lost their shine and some looked to have resin inclusions around the pins. Anyway, worked flawlessly on the way to work this AM so I'm happy. Now I'm going to have to revisit my turn signal relay and touch it up again. First time through didn't fix it.
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