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Solved: Daytime running lights/front parking lights on

VolvoLatAm

VolvoLatAm

Active member
Joined
Oct 4, 2019
Location
Colombia
What would cause the daytime rear running lights (not brake lights) and front parking lights (not headlights) to come on with just the key inserted on a volvo 240. No light switch turned. Just the key in. Not with the key turned

Bad switch gate?

Down the line in the wiring diagram I have a brand new bulb failure sensor relay. Lights are new and on one of them (right rear) is only receiving the running light signal when the headlights are switched in full on mode
 
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Seeing that my car is an other markets 1982 volvo 240, I guess below does not apply to me from Dave Barton's site
"From 1975 to 1985 the 240 was equipped with this headlight switch below.
It's a metal case design with a 5-pole plastic plug. The switch itself only has 3-poles, so only 3 wires will exist."

I'd be curious to know what the other 2 cables do on my car from 82 when connected with a 5 pole switch.

The previous owner did some "things"...it looks like he removed some terminals on the headlight switch after 2 of the terminals started melting the plastic adapter. This could explain why entering the key causes the front parking and rear running lights to come on.
 
It would be great if you could find a wiring diagram that shows your 5-pin/5-wire switch, and how the daylight running lights were originally setup. Otherwise, you may need to trace the wiring. It's sounding like a PO may have rewired it in a weird way.

A few things to check:
- Do you have a chime? or a buzzer?
- Does your chime/buzzer work? My '85 chime, will chime with key in (not turned) and door open, or headlights on, no key, and door open, or key on and seatbelt not initially fastened.
- With key in, if you pull fuse 15, do all the left lights go out?
- With key in, if you pull fuse 16, do all the right lights go out?
- With key in, if you pull fuse 4, what happens?

On the back of the ignition switch is a "S" terminal. This is the one that gets power applied when the key is inserted. From the '82 US Greenbook, it should have a white-red wire going to fuse 4 - see the buzzer/chime pages. Ignore the source of the fuse 4 wiring on the fuse pages, I'm pretty sure it's wrong. Can you find this wire and trace everywhere it goes?
 
bobxyz said:
It would be great if you could find a wiring diagram that shows your 5-pin/5-wire switch, and how the daylight running lights were originally setup. Otherwise, you may need to trace the wiring. It's sounding like a PO may have rewired it in a weird way.

A few things to check:
- Do you have a chime? or a buzzer?
- Does your chime/buzzer work? My '85 chime, will chime with key in (not turned) and door open, or headlights on, no key, and door open, or key on and seatbelt not initially fastened.
- With key in, if you pull fuse 15, do all the left lights go out?
- With key in, if you pull fuse 16, do all the right lights go out?
- With key in, if you pull fuse 4, what happens?

On the back of the ignition switch is a "S" terminal. This is the one that gets power applied when the key is inserted. From the '82 US Greenbook, it should have a white-red wire going to fuse 4 - see the buzzer/chime pages. Ignore the source of the fuse 4 wiring on the fuse pages, I'm pretty sure it's wrong. Can you find this wire and trace everywhere it goes?
Click to expand...
Dave Barton just sent me some "Canada car" wiring diagrams
https://imgur.com/a/SpAjI4T
I will check the these things when I am with the car today.
It has the 3 prong door buzzer
 
I found one version of the Day Running Lights wiring in the 1985 Greenbook (TP30808-1) pg 50. This may help sort out your wiring. From the '85 diagram, the key-inserted "S" pin on the ignition switch should have nothing to do with the running lights, but it might have been used by a PO to rewire it while going to a 3-pin switch.

Do you have dual-filament 5w/20w bulbs in the rear that are the combined parking/running lights? If you turn on the parking lights with the key out, does it use the dimmer filiments?

Are you required to have working Daytime running lights where you are? Do you have any headlight switches&connectors with more than 3 pins/contacts intact?
 
bobxyz said:
I found one version of the Day Running Lights wiring in the 1985 Greenbook (TP30808-1) pg 50. This may help sort out your wiring. From the '85 diagram, the key-inserted "S" pin on the ignition switch should have nothing to do with the running lights, but it might have been used by a PO to rewire it while going to a 3-pin switch.

Do you have dual-filament 5w/20w bulbs in the rear that are the combined parking/running lights? If you turn on the parking lights with the key out, does it use the dimmer filiments?

Are you required to have working Daytime running lights where you are? Do you have any headlight switches&connectors with more than 3 pins/contacts intact?
Click to expand...
Do you have dual-filament 5w/20w bulbs in the rear that are the combined parking/running lights? If you turn on the parking lights with the key out, does it use the dimmer filiments?
a- parking lights wouldn't even come on with the switch, all rear tail lights and bulbs are new with dual filaments

in Colombia in the 80s it was possible, the headlight switch has 5 connections, the previous owner ripped out 2 terminals as in the pics above. the connector has 5 cables with terminals to connect to all 5 pines in the switch.

next step for me is to just get the original correct part and do some testing
 
VolvoLatAm said:
found the problem, but something is different than what I have read online, my car is a 1982

https://imgur.com/a/mKBqDUf
Click to expand...
terminal S and 15 were ripped out of the switch here by the beast of the previous owner. All other 82 240s here in Colombia have the full 5 terminals functioning

It looks like he got confused why the terminal was getting hot/melting, but why would he rip out S and 15
 
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bobxyz said:
It would be great if you could find a wiring diagram that shows your 5-pin/5-wire switch, and how the daylight running lights were originally setup. Otherwise, you may need to trace the wiring. It's sounding like a PO may have rewired it in a weird way.

A few things to check:
- Do you have a chime? or a buzzer?
- Does your chime/buzzer work? My '85 chime, will chime with key in (not turned) and door open, or headlights on, no key, and door open, or key on and seatbelt not initially fastened.
- With key in, if you pull fuse 15, do all the left lights go out?
- With key in, if you pull fuse 16, do all the right lights go out?
- With key in, if you pull fuse 4, what happens?

On the back of the ignition switch is a "S" terminal. This is the one that gets power applied when the key is inserted. From the '82 US Greenbook, it should have a white-red wire going to fuse 4 - see the buzzer/chime pages. Ignore the source of the fuse 4 wiring on the fuse pages, I'm pretty sure it's wrong. Can you find this wire and trace everywhere it goes?
Click to expand...
Already took out the melted switch, left rear tail is the one that does not come on.

16 takes out all of the right rear tail running light.
4 didn't take out the right rear light.

I will run these tests again once I have a non-modified switch and new adapter.
 
VolvoLatAm said:
found the problem, but something is different than what I have read online, my car is a 1982

https://imgur.com/a/mKBqDUf
Click to expand...
www.ebay.ph

VOLVO 240 242 244 245 262 264 265 OEM HEADLIGHT SWITCH 1975 to 1985 | eBay

VOLVO 240 242 244 245 262 264 265 OEM HEADLIGHT SWITCH 1975 to 1985 | eBay Motors, Parts & Accessories, Car & Truck Parts & Accessories | eBay!
www.ebay.ph

found this ebay listing that makes it look like the terminal deletes were stock and not done by P.O....holy cow
 
https://imgur.com/a/ja4d35I

⬆️​

Did the Dave Barton Bulb Failure Sensor mod for black style sensors (mine):

The 240 FIX PAGE

Fixes for your Volvo 240.
www.240turbo.com

Still have the same issue with the right tail light coming on with the keys inserted.
Front parking lights now do not come on with key inserted but also do not come on with the light switched turned in position 1, only come on with position 2 with full driving headlights.

Confirmed with 2 other cars that my car is supposed to have only a '3 terminal' headlight switch with a 5-cable adapter. Nothing related to daytime running lights even those these are Canada/Other markets cars.
 
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hiperfauto said:
Check the fuses for the buzzer/chime relay, #4, 13 and 16.
Click to expand...
I think the problem is somewhere in the buzzer/chime wiring...the key lock cylinders couldn't cause this issue right? right rear running light is getting power with the key in and light switch in position II, not in position I, left rear running light is only getting power with light switch in position II. On Monday I will check the power of the front and left parking lights with key-in switch turned positions I and II.
 
It looks like your 5-wire plug matches the "Day running lights" diagram in the '85 Greenbook (pg 50). Assuming that this also applies to your '82, here's how it's supposed to work:
- you need the 5-pin headlight switch for day running lights; the 3-pin one only gets you parking and main headlights.
- the headlight switch is the only thing that controls the front/rear parking lights (the 5W ones in back). parking lights on in positions 1 and 2.
- the left parking lights go through fuse 15, the right parking lights go through fuse 16, and these both then go through the bulb failure sensor.
- the day running lights (the 21W rear bulbs) should only come on when the headlight switch is off and the ignition switch is in run/start.
- the day running lights go through fuse 5, and then through the bulb failure sensor.
- just inserting and removing the key should have nothing to do with parking/running lights. If this isn't true, trace the red-white wire from the S terminal on the back of the ignition switch.
 
bobxyz said:
It looks like your 5-wire plug matches the "Day running lights" diagram in the '85 Greenbook (pg 50). Assuming that this also applies to your '82, here's how it's supposed to work:
- you need the 5-pin headlight switch for day running lights; the 3-pin one only gets you parking and main headlights.
- the headlight switch is the only thing that controls the front/rear parking lights (the 5W ones in back). parking lights on in positions 1 and 2.
- the left parking lights go through fuse 15, the right parking lights go through fuse 16, and these both then go through the bulb failure sensor.
- the day running lights (the 21W rear bulbs) should only come on when the headlight switch is off and the ignition switch is in run/start.
- the day running lights go through fuse 5, and then through the bulb failure sensor.
- just inserting and removing the key should have nothing to do with parking/running lights. If this isn't true, trace the red-white wire from the S terminal on the back of the ignition switch.
Click to expand...
where is that red/white wire from the ignition switch supposed to go?
 
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