99 S70 T5 Headlight switch has to be held in to work

blandis · Post by **blandis** » 29 Oct 2016, 16:01

Son called me last night about my old 99 S70. He said the headlight switch has to be held in for the headlights to work. He is driving with his left foot on the switch right on the gas.

Bad headlight switch? Or am I missing something? To change just pop it out and undo plugs?

Thank you in advance for your help.

Post by **abscate** » 29 Oct 2016, 17:56

Check that the recall wAs done in case you can get it for free from Volvo

Post by **E Showell** » 29 Oct 2016, 17:59

Definitely a bad headlight switch. Pop it out, unplug, plug in new one, re-insert in dash and you're good to go. Takes all of five minutes. Be careful with the removal. Get a Swiss Army knife or other thin blade in there and pry. As noted in a post below, the plastic tends to be brittle so be extra careful/gentle. This is not a "get a bigger hammer situation."

Post by **cn90** » 29 Oct 2016, 20:25

This HL recall was supposed to happen some 18 years ago LOL.
Check to see if you can get a free HL switch from Volvo.

I buy an extra switch (used) from ebay and throw it in the glove box as spare since this is a critical item (cannot drive w/o HL at night!).

perkunas · Post by **perkunas** » 30 Oct 2016, 03:59

In my car the tabs that hold the switch together broke so the inside part is not held in tight enough against the housing. Probably the same issue you're facing. That volvo plastic gets really brittle after 15 years.

blandis · Post by **blandis** » 30 Oct 2016, 08:13

Appreciate the feedback. I pulled the dash to repair the broken mounts last summer. I will have him pull it out and make sure it is plugged in properly before replacing. Will also call volvo about a free switch if it has not been replaced.

Appreciate the responses.

Post by **cn90** » 30 Oct 2016, 09:53

I bought a 1998 V70 new back in 1998, the HL switch went out in 1999, exactly one year later.
The HL switch was made in Ireland with very flimpsy plastic.
It was a free recall. The 2nd switch broke a year later (in 2000).

So I got tired of it and "took the matter in my own hand". Here is what I did, and it is free.
All you need is:
- Old telephone wire (the landline telephone wire with solid copper). Just take one wire from the bundle.
- Electric Drill.

Removing the HL switch is 1 min deal, very very easy.

I took this pic from the web to show you what I did:
- The tabs are very flimsy, they break with time (Green arrows show broken tabs)
- The back of the switch will come apart (Blue arrow)
- The fix is very very simple, drill a tiny hole using bit less than 1/16" in size.
Make sure you drill only 1mm deep!!! Anything deeper: you risk damaging the internal anatomy.
- Then use the thin telephone wire (use insulated wire so it does not cause shorts inside) and pass it through like this:

Hole #1 ---> inside switch ---> hole #2 (on the other side) ---> around the Back side of the HL switch and gently twist-tie it (2 turns is enough, anything more than that will break the telephone wire).

HTH.

perkunas · Post by **perkunas** » 31 Oct 2016, 02:59

Wow, great suggestion! I'll mod my switch this way too.