Headlight relay

Vito · Post by **Vito** » 21 Aug 2011, 21:14

Hello, I have a 1990 volvo v70 glt. The other day the check engine light came on then come to find out the headlights do not work. I've checked the fuses and the the acutal bulbs and all are good. I suspect it may be the headlight relay. Two questions for the volvo community: 1.) Does this sound like a bad headlight relay 2.) Where is the headlight relay. I can't find it.
Thanks!! Vito

Vito · Post by **Vito** » 21 Aug 2011, 21:16

Ahh quick correction. It is a 1999 volvo glt not a 1990 as previously posted...Thanks.

Post by **vjaneczko** » 21 Aug 2011, 22:43

Welcome to the forum!

Headlights won't trigger the CEL so you have (at least) two problems. The headlights could be as easy as giving the key a little jiggle once it's started. The electrical contacts in the cylander start to go after a decade or so. If it is the relay, I believe it's near the fuses under the hood; the long one closest to the fender - at least that's it for the 850's.

Pull the codes and we can help you with the CEL.

Post by **jblackburn** » 22 Aug 2011, 06:59

+1 on the key jiggle; same thing happened to mine and I couldn't figure it out for weeks (that's actually why I came here in the first place!)

The fuse cover removes near the windshield - there are 4 Torx screws around the edges that need to be loosened/removed. You're looking for a double-wide green or grey relay.

jstewauto · Post by **jstewauto** » 22 Aug 2011, 19:58

Hey there "Vito", if you are still having issues feel free to come by class Thursday evening and let me take a look. My 98 is there and we can swap some parts to test. Good luck.

Do none of your lights work (running lights), or is it just headlights? I know mine goes through bulbs often.

Post by **jblackburn** » 22 Aug 2011, 20:31

I believe the relays are different between a 98 and 99 model.

Are they backwards compatible? Don't know.

The 99 does have the "walk me home" feature though where if you pull the high beam switch after shutting the car off, it will leave the lights on for a minute.

david_banks1330 · Post by **david_banks1330** » 17 Aug 2012, 03:25

Vito wrote:Hello, I have a 1990 volvo v70 glt. The other day the check engine light came on then come to find out the headlights do not work. I've checked the fuses and the the acutal bulbs and all are good. I suspect it may be the headlight relay. Two questions for the volvo community: 1.) Does this sound like a bad headlight relay 2.) Where is the headlight relay. I can't find it.
Thanks!! Vito

Vito wrote:Ahh quick correction. It is a 1999 volvo glt not a 1990 as previously posted...Thanks.

It’s amazing how key jiggling helped us. It also saved me from buying a new headlight relay. Thought it was broken, have it checked by a mechanic and said it’s a faulty relay. Good thing I tried to figure it out.

Post by **cn90** » 17 Aug 2012, 07:01

The HL switch is notorious for this.
If the HL switch is broke, and if you are good, you can fix it.