Help please (S40, a bit of panic)

Hi all,

I am in a bit of a bind and I hope this is a straight-forward/common
enough problem that a solution is evident to the pros here.

I have a 2001 S40 1.9T with about 240K on it. About a week ago the
turn signals started intermittantly failing: the dash indicator and
exterior lamps as well as the telltale "clicking" would either not
start or stop after a few clicks. The hazard switch would also not
work during these episodes.

Suspecting either the hazard switch or the relay I removed and
inspected both. The hazard switch seemed fine, a very simple
mechanism, and I reinstalled it. The relay (a difficult thing to get
at in this car) showed, once opened, that the solder around one of the
poles was clearly cracked. So today I ordered a replacement and once I
got it home and plugged it in was disapointed to find that this DID
NOT fix the problem!

All fuses have been inspected and are intact.

If the switch on the steering column is at fault, would it also take
out the hazard? I have to drive out of town on Sunday and Friday
(tomorrow) is my last chance to get a part... I'm getting a bit
desperate here... what should I check? I have a volt meter and Vadis
but the latter is cryptic and cumbersome to work with.

Your suggestions are greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance,
blurp

 

By hazard relay, do you mean the flasher, or is there a separate relay?

 

Sorry, I mean the part I replaced was the flasher relay part
#30870939. The Hazard Switch #30623426 was inspected but not replaced.

I have pulled the turn signal switch off the steering column in
anticipation of needing to replace it or perhaps checking it in some
way.

 

check for dirty connections loose or corroded as well as dirty fuses .This
seems to be a common problem with volvos.

 

Yes it is, I did check the fuses and scuffed their tips a bit too. I
received a wiring diagram over email and was able to test the hazard
switch socket and it seems his may be he culprit after all.

I'm picking up a new swich tomorrow. If that doesn't work I'll have to
drive with my arm out the window.

Thanks
B

 

There's only a handful of components in the circuit, it can't be that
hard to work methodically, test each section, and eliminate everything
one at a time until you find the problem.

 

Sure enough, it was the hazard swich. Visually inspecting it didn't
reveal anything but the voltmeter showed it was getting all the right
signals and the wiring diagram explained how the turn-signals were on
the circuit.Swapped it out and problem was solved... thanks again!

Next question is...

B

 

A volt meter won't tell you the whole story. If you have a high
resistance connection, you might measure full voltage there, but put any
load on it and the voltage drops down.