May Day, May Day.... every light is on!

dmg4 · Post by **dmg4** » 13 Mar 2013, 18:20

I picked up a 1992 Volvo 240 with 240,000 miles. Great overall condition. Last night while driving, every light in the instrument cluster came on, along with both the high AND low beam elements in the headlights (very bright). The engine continued to run normally, and the lights stayed on for about 2 seconds, and then all the extra lights went out and everything was normal. This happened about 3 more times in the 10-minute drive home. I jiggled the ignition switch, thinking it might be the culprit. No idea if this helped or not. Drove the car today with no further occurrence.

All I can think about is Apollo 13, or a plane about to go nose down. Any ideas as to what's going on here? Can I continue to drive the car, or is this a fire hazard? There was no smell or burning wires, and all the fuses are still OK.

dmg4 · Post by **dmg4** » 16 Mar 2013, 18:54

Well, now the dash lights are flashing bright on and off more frequently, and every time the care is driven. I've not ventured more than 1 mile from home, hoping that if it dies, it will be near the shop. Next step will be to check the alternator output once it stops snowing outside.

dmg4 · Post by **dmg4** » 18 Mar 2013, 01:06

Today I checked voltage at battery with engine running, RPM = 2000, no load. Voltage at battery was 14.08 VDC. OBD stored code for "System voltage too high or too low". Does this suggest any next steps to identify the cause of the problem?

All warning lights continue to pop on every now and then, about 1-2 seconds every few minutes or so, and very bright. Yet, the car seems to be running fine before, during, and after this happens.

dmg4 · Post by **dmg4** » 18 Mar 2013, 13:58

Took the car to Advance Auto Parts to have the alternator/battery/starting system checked. Alternator and voltage regulator are performing as new. Battery is better than good. No short circuits or phantom draw evident. C'mon guys, let's hear some ideas. What would make all the warning lights come on without affecting engine performance in the least?

Post by **egads** » 20 Mar 2013, 03:42

Solder gone in the cluster? Dead rodent after biting through insulation under dash. Short only shows with movement or heat?

e777 · Post by **e777** » 20 Mar 2013, 21:26

When this happened to my 91 240 wagon (all dash lights coming on, etc.) it was because the alternator was in decline. It does happen sometimes that the alternator when checked will perform fine, but then will falter from time to time if it is starting to wear down.

If you are are certain it is not the alternator, then you might want to check to make sure the alternator belt is tensioned correctly.

dmg4 · Post by **dmg4** » 20 Mar 2013, 21:27

In my original posting I indicated that the headlights seems to get brighter when the warning lights came on. Tonight, I noticed that not only do the headlights get brighter, but the blower fan definitely jumps up a notch in speed whenever the dash warning lights come on, and then drops back to normal speed when the warning lights go out. So, what we have here is an intermittent increase in system voltage across the board. Can this be due to grounding? Is there anything other than the voltage regulator that can cause voltage to spike in such a way?

If the warning lights come on with increased regularity, I'll try to get a voltage reading at the battery as this is happening and report back.

dmg4 · Post by **dmg4** » 03 Apr 2013, 19:57

The problem was the voltage regulator. Tried to buy it separately, but the old alternator was a Bosch with an internal regulator that cost more when purchased separately than a used Bosch alternator from the junkyard. So, now I have a different alternator, and all is right with the world. The dash clock has even started to run consistently, which it never did before. Life is good.