Turn signal problem with 1998 S70

Post by **jblackburn** » 08 Jun 2008, 16:02

I recently purchased a 1998 Volvo S70 T5. It's been a fantastic car so far, but within recent months I have been having a problem with the turn signals. I first noticed it about 2 months ago, I went to turn on my turn signal, and it did not come on. I pulled over in a parking lot and turned off the car, restarted it, and it seemed to work just fine. Since then, and with the increasing heat, the problem seems to be occurring more frequently, and restarting the car only once does not always solve the problem. I have checked fuses and made sure that all the relays under the hood are pushed into position properly, and while I thought this fixed the problem the first time, it has been happening much more frequently lately. Could it have something to do with the Hazard switch? It seems like the intense heat in the car during the day causes the dash to swell a little bit, sometimes making the hazard switch button stick; it seems that after I mess with it, and restart the car, the blinkers work. Somehow, the problem has never occurred at night, but it seems that the headlights/running lights, and taillights are tied to the same problem, as they do not come on as normal when the car is just running, although the brake lights work just fine. Any suggestions as to what could be causing this? Thanks.

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 08 Jun 2008, 16:32

The hazard switch is the relay for your blinkers. The same thing happened to my blinkers about a month ago...worse when it was hot. I would hit my knuckle against the hazard switch and it would then work. Things got progressively worse until I replaced the switch. It's easy to pry out and replace. A nice member on one of the forums sent me one for $10 plus shipping. Be aware that the 850 hazard switch is different. You need one from '98-'00 off of any S/V/XC/C 70. You might want to post here if anyone has one or over on the Volvospeed.com message board (where mine came from). I could also open my old one up and see what the matter is. Often on relays it's just a matter of bad solder joints. I'll let you know what I find on mine as I think I'll open it up later this evening and take a look.
Regards,
David

Edit: I just opened mine up...it's a bit of a bear to get out...the hazard button has to come off of the front and then with little tiny slotted screw drivers the back section has to be lifted (little plastic tabs hold the cover on) on both sides and then slid out with a pair of pliers. Under a powerful magnifying lens and a bright light I checked all of the solder points. Nothing was out of the ordinary...no hair line cracks- no burnt spots. So, it's either the switch itself (enclosed in a small aluminum casing) or it's the capacitor which I do not have the equipment to test.

I think your best bet is to get a known good, used one from someone.

Post by **jblackburn** » 09 Jun 2008, 06:14

Thanks for your help! I'll call around to places around here first before I ask around on the Internet...there's a Volvo/Saab junkyard that would probably have that hazard switch for a reasonable price. How easy is it to get out...you said you were able just to pry it out, you don't have to take off the wood paneling or take out any screws or anything?

Post by **VCA** » 09 Jun 2008, 07:30

MadeInJapan wrote:Under a powerful magnifying lens and a bright light I checked all of the solder points. Nothing was out of the ordinary...no hair line cracks- no burnt spots. So, it's either the switch itself (enclosed in a small aluminum casing) or it's the capacitor which I do not have the equipment to test.

Funny...when I first bought my S70 GLT, I lost blinkers about a month into ownership...got a new one at the stealership (I needed it same day as I'm anal about signaling devices), and pulled the old one apart. Looks like the relay itself locked up on mine...cap tested okay, but the relay didn't want to switch when power was applied to the solenoid contacts.

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 09 Jun 2008, 07:44

Ja, yes it's easy to remove...just use a small screw driver to the side of it (driver's side) and pry out...no screws...once it pops out, you'll see how it disconnects on the back. On your car, use a rag on the edge to keep from scratching up your woodgrain.

Post by **BEJinFbk** » 09 Jun 2008, 18:03

MadeInJapan wrote:Ja, yes it's easy to remove...just use a small screw driver to the side of it (driver's side) and pry out...no screws...once it pops out, you'll see how it disconnects on the back. On your car, use a rag on the edge to keep from scratching up your woodgrain.

It's also quite easy to pop out from behind to avoid any risk of scratches.
Pop the radio out (no need to unplug it) and reach down. There it is!

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 09 Jun 2008, 18:07

Ah...great to know! Never even thought of that.

Post by **jblackburn** » 30 Jun 2008, 11:48

Update: After calling several junkyards and Volvo repair shops, I finally just gave in and ordered a new switch for $70. There didn't seem to be anything actually wrong with the old one...it clicked just fine, and the solder joints and everything looked to be in good shape, so who knows. It IS much easier to pull out the radio, and then push the switch out from the back. New one popped right in, and everything has been working fine so far...it hasn't been AS hot, that definately seemed to have something to do with it when it sat all day in the parking lot, but so far I've started the car and everything works every time. Now I'm coming up on 140,000 though, and that timing belt needs to be replaced...after just buying new tires at the beginning of the month, this car's really made a dent in my wallet this month

Post by **BEJinFbk** » 30 Jun 2008, 13:33

When my blinker unit started to die, it was intermittent also. (At 108K)
I got a new one and just carried it with me in the car.
It was almost a year before the old one finally croaked.
I think the relay contacts start to stick with age...

As for the expense? Stuff breaks on ANY car. At least you have a nice one.

I've had my V70R for 3 1/2 years and I still enjoy every trip to the store!
Totally Worth It. Nice cars...

Post by **jblackburn** » 30 Jun 2008, 14:02

Agreed...I really do love this car. I bought the car knowing that these few things would have to be done to it this summer, but it was VERY well taken care of by the previous owner for the 7 years she owned it, and it has been relatively trouble-free compared to my old 1988 honda Accord, which had something expensive go wrong with it about every 2 months. Great car, but it just was getting too old. But my beautiful dark blue Volvo is a great replacement for it, I couldn't be happier with even a brand new car. I just miss the gas mileage my little Honda got...