1995 850 warning lights on dash stay on when key is off

roup · Post by **roup** » 02 Jan 2013, 06:53

The warning lights just started staying on when the car is shut off and the key removed. I've removed all of the relays to see if one was bad and the lights still stay on. This has run down the battery. I now have to disconnect the battery when the car is shut off to prevent the battery from being drained.

When the car is started the warning lights go off and the car operated normally. This only occurs when the ignition is shut off.

Post by **jblackburn** » 02 Jan 2013, 07:00

I'm going to venture a guess as to something bad internally with the electrical portion of the ignition switch. Those lights should not be on unless something in the ignition circuit is feeding them power (like shorting contacts within the switch).

roup · Post by **roup** » 02 Jan 2013, 07:06

Is there a way to test the ignition switch? Can part of the switch be replaced if found bad so I don't have to rekey the car?

Post by **cn90** » 02 Jan 2013, 07:16

Or bad ground circuit.

Post by **jblackburn** » 02 Jan 2013, 07:33

roup wrote:Is there a way to test the ignition switch? Can part of the switch be replaced if found bad so I don't have to rekey the car?

Yep, just the electrical portion can be replaced.

http://www.fcpeuro.com/products/volvo-i ... 4AoddH0AIg

You can pull it out of the steering column (see write-ups in the repair database section of the site for removal) and see if the wires/insulation are shorting out and see if it cuts the dash lights off. Try moving the steering column adjustment up and down - some have reported weird problems with the wiring over many years.

Post by **cn90** » 02 Jan 2013, 08:06

1+,

At that age, replace the ignition switch anyway.
It is $50 at dealer.
Be wary of aftermarket parts.

Post by **BEJinFbk** » 02 Jan 2013, 08:22

Unplugging the ignition switch should tell you if it's the problem.
Be careful when doing this as the connector cover is the only
thing that holds the contact pins in place once the connector
is unplugged from the back of the switch.

roup · Post by **roup** » 06 Jan 2013, 15:35

I charged the battery to find that it did not hold a charge. Looked at the date and found it was 9 years old. Replaced with a new one. Hooked it up and lights still on at the dash.

I removed the steering column cover and the wires looked good. Moved the column up and down. Did not change light situation as they are still on. Unplugged the ignition switch and lights are still on.

To recap. All relays remove and ignition switch unplugged. All warning lights still illuminated on dash. Looks like something may be shorted somewhere. Where should I start looking?

Post by **cn90** » 06 Jan 2013, 17:51

IS there someone with a similar instrument panel that you can swap as an experiment?

roup · Post by **roup** » 07 Jan 2013, 08:51

Unfortunately not many Volvo's around southeastern Washington. I called a large auto wrecker in Spokane and they did not have anything. Looks like I need to trace down a short somewhere. Any idea of a good place to start?