Hi,
I have read on here that pre-1988 Volvos tend to suffer from poor wiring or wiring that becomes brittle. What problems does this lead to? What tends to stop working when the wires start to go?
Is it an easy and cost effective thing for a qualified mechanic to fix? Regards,
Han.
The engine wiring harness tends to degrade. Problems can be all sorts of electrical gremlins, from warning lights coming on, guages reading erratically to the engine running poorly or not at all. Fortunatly the engine harness is quite easy to replace, the only downside is it's fairly expensive unless you can find a good used one in a junkyard. They do turn up though, several times I've seen wrecked cars with fairly recently replaced wiring harnesses.
IIRC the range of affected cars is 1981 - 1987. I have an '85 and it definitely has the problem. All the exposed smaller wires outside the passenger compartment (and especially those in the engine compartment) have insulation that crumbles at the slightest touch.
I replaced the engine harness (a few hours DIY - probably 2-3 hours for a pro on the 740/760, although the price of the harness is a little higher now than the $300 I paid several years ago) and got rid of most of the bare wires. The wiring can cause all sorts of odd things, but the one that was most trouble for me was the hood light wire grounding out, blowing a fuse, and making the key reminder ding at me for nearly an hour.
Mike
Our '88 was also afflicted with a milder version of the Wiring Rot.
(...)
Our 86 wagon was affected by severe version of Biodegradable Wiring Insulation. The car caught fire just sitting there stone cold one early Sunday mooring. Damn near set the house on fire. I am a forgiving person, so I bought another one.
Regards,
Boris Mohar
Got Knock? - see: Viatrack Printed Circuit Designs (among other things)
Just for the record............ Our '86 240 wagon, bought almost new, sold in '93, never experienced a problem with the wiring.
Lucky? Andy I.
| >> >
| >> IIRC the range of affected cars is 1981 - 1987. I have an '85 and it | >> definitely has the problem. All the exposed smaller wires outside the | >> passenger compartment (and especially those in the engine compartment) have | >> insulation that crumbles at the slightest touch. | >
| > Our '88 was also afflicted with a milder version of the Wiring Rot. | | Our 86 wagon was affected by severe version of Biodegradable Wiring | Insulation. The car caught fire just sitting there stone cold one early | Sunday mooring. Damn near set the house on fire. I am a forgiving person, | so I bought another one. | | | | Regards, | | Boris Mohar | | Got Knock? - see: | Viatrack Printed Circuit Designs (among other things)
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