'96 850 Popped fuses

LadySpartan · Post by **LadySpartan** » 16 Feb 2015, 16:30

Hey guys, I have more issues with my Volvo than I thought. What do I do when I replace a fuse and it immediately pops again? My car stereo just spontaneously stopped working, I checked the fuses and found the stereo fuse needed to be replaced. I switched it out for a new one and it instantly popped. That's not my only issue. I bought it from an Auto repair shop so I assumed it was in good working order. None of the interior lights work, the brake lights have issues, the trunk light doesn't work, and now the fuses pop instantly. Should I consider getting rid of it or is it worth trying to fix? Need some good advice, please

Post by **tryingbe** » 16 Feb 2015, 17:06

You have a short. Find it, fix it, then replace the fuse. If you don't have the capacity to do that, pay someone, if you don't want to pay someone, junk the car.

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 16 Feb 2015, 17:32

Is the stereo OEM or an aftermarket? Do you have any other aftermarket things permanently hooked up to the car like perhaps a GPS or a remote starter? Most of the wiring problems pertaining to the radio are due to a sloppy installation of aftermarket things and the problems are typically pretty easy to find and repair.

The radio wiring is a typical place for aftermarket installers to grab power for other things since those wires are well defined in terms of voltage with the key off and with the key on.

...Lee

LadySpartan · Post by **LadySpartan** » 16 Feb 2015, 21:57

Thank you Ozarklee. I appreciate your help. The car stereo is the original one. I haven't installed a new one. I'm just worried that the wiring issue is really bad. I bought this Volvo because my mini van went up in flames, literally. It had bad wiring and I paid a mechanic to fix it several times. He didn't do it right. The front passenger headlight caught fire while I was driving. I had not choice but to junk the van. The fire spread to the windshield before it could be extinguished. It left me a little traumatized regarding bad wiring. I just wanted to know if this is a common problem among this Volvo model and if it was, what I should do about it. Oh, I don't have anything else hooked up. Just the original keyless entry remote. No GPS either.

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 16 Feb 2015, 22:26

I know of no inherent problems with the 850 wiring. The 2xx and 7xx cars up through the late 80s had some terrible problems but they gave up on biodegradable insulation by about 1989. Given your harrowing experience I can understand your concern.

This could be as simple as a bad radio. You can unplug it and see if the fuse popping quits. Unplugging the radio is real easy. On the sides of the faceplate, next to the preset pushbuttons, there are indentations that are about 1" tall and about 1/8" wide. Take the car key or something and depress those indentations. Once you press them they will pop out and become handles. Just use the handles and pull the radio straight out of the dash. Once it is out of the dash unplug the electrical connectors on the back and try the fuse again. If the fuse doesn't blow then the problem was the radio and you can typically get another one with a CD at a junk yard for around $35.00.

...Lee