760GLE '88 Exterior Bulbs and Moisture

DeRail · Post by **DeRail** » 01 Aug 2009, 00:39

Hi All,

Sure has been a soggy summer

Anyway, I've noticed that sometimes when I start up the car after it has been raining out I will get the bulb failure light and the center brake light no longer functions. Bulb is only a couple months old, connections are clean, tight, and the light will return to working after a bit.

The same goes for my front left directional. Sometimes I will put on my signal to turn left and the relay is going 2x speed indicating a bulb out... I checked when it was doing this and it is the front.

Just curious if there's an earth ground or something that usually gets fouled when there's moisture, or something easy like that, before I go tearing apart the wiring?

lol If it was one light I would suspect something funky with the bulb holder or connections, but two happening at different times causes me to think differently..

Thanks for your help!

Post by **billofdurham** » 01 Aug 2009, 12:13

Sure has been a soggy summer

I'm glad it's not just this side of the pond that's wet. Our weather forecasters predicted in March/April that it would be so hot and dry this year that thousands would die!!! They now say that such long range forecasting is not accurate. I have always said they can't forecast 2 hours ahead with any accuracy.

Enough about the mundane aspects of life - back to Volvos.

The two lights you are having trouble with do not have a common earth and I can't think of any earth on any switches etc that would affect them.

The front left directional could be affected by moisture and would not object to a squirt of WD40 or similar to help keep it dry. Also check that the rubber seal on the bulb holder is OK. No nicks, cuts or other bad bits on it.

The third brake light could be suffering from condensation, especially if this is happening when it is damp but warm. Again a squirt of WD40 may help.

Bill.

DeRail · Post by **DeRail** » 03 Aug 2009, 23:27

Thanks Bill, are you saying put a bit of WD40 on the rubber seals to help keep dry? Just curious because I was under the impression that WD40 will deteriorate rubber and the like.

Thanks!

Post by **billofdurham** » 04 Aug 2009, 15:01

Spray the contacts with WD40 to get rid of any moisture and slow down its return. The rubber seal should be replaced if it is damaged or worn but it will benefit from a small amount of a silicone based lubricant smeared on it.

WD40 can harm rubber but it takes a lot over a long period of time.

Bill.

DeRail · Post by **DeRail** » 05 Aug 2009, 23:55

Thanks for the tips Bill, will give light contacts a treatment of WD40 this weekend if time permits.

Something unrelated though, if I have a passenger in my car and I go over a bump, I can hear a squeak. When I was having a noise coming from the right side you had me perform the tie-rod and wheel bearing test with hands on 12, 6 and 9, 3 o'clock positions, which checked out okay. Something else I've noticed, the car seems to lean a bit to that side when viewing it from the front. New tires as of a few months ago, aligned and balanced. I'm still trying to learn more about suspension and am wondering if it could be a bushing of some sort, but I'm not sure if that would account for the lower height on that side.

thanks!
Darrell

Post by **billofdurham** » 06 Aug 2009, 15:45

Measure from the top of the tyre to the wheel arch on both sides and see what the difference in height is. It may be that a previous owner has replaced a spring on one side only which is not good practice but sometimes finances dictate.

Bill.

DeRail · Post by **DeRail** » 11 Aug 2009, 16:36

Bill, thanks for the info,

checked the clearance between the wheel arch and the tire. The side that I thought looked a little low was only about 1/4 of an inch (if that) lower than the other tire.

Could it be something like a bushing?
Thanks!

Post by **billofdurham** » 12 Aug 2009, 09:50

It may well be but there are other checks first.

Is the squeak only when you have a passenger in? Whereabouts does it seem to be coming from? Bear in mind squeaks on cars can travel along the chassis etc and can be very difficult to pinpoint.
Measure the heights of both front coil springs. Are they the same or has one sagged more than the other?
Check the shock absorbers using the bounce test. Lean heavily on the wing (fender) or place your weight on a bumper. Release it suddenly and watch what happens. If the vehicle rebounds continually, you need to replace the shock absorbers. If the shock absorbers are performing well, the car will rebound once only, and then slowly return to its original position. Do this on both sides and see if one is better than the other.

Now think about bushings which can only be checked visually.

Bill.

DeRail · Post by **DeRail** » 15 Aug 2009, 17:55

Bill thanks again for the help.

Didn't get a chance to check the springs, but I did think to do the shock test that you mentioned. Did both sides, according to your specs, they are in working order, one didn't seem better than the other.

The squeak seems to come from the passenger tire area and only seems to happen when there's someone in the seat, I drove around today with the window down keeping a sharp ear out for any noises, couldn't hear anything.

Put a squirt of WD40 on each light, and also used a bit of vaseline around the threads on the directional lamp for a good seal...

Also took a look at adjusting the handbrake cable. Every attempt at tightening the bolts, they would simply back themselves out. I have to pull the handle all the way in order to get ANY resistance from the shoes, and the handbrake seems to stick... almost took the rear tires off to inspect the shoes but decided it was a project for another day...

Thanks
Darrell

Post by **billofdurham** » 16 Aug 2009, 11:12

Every attempt at tightening the bolts, they would simply back themselves out.

Where are you trying to adjust the handbrake?

Bill.