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PV, 120 (Amazon), 1800 General Forum for the Volvo PV, 120 and 1800 cars |
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Reverse light switchViews : 14556 Replies : 10Users Viewing This Thread : |
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Sep 29th, 2008, 12:37 | #1 |
Amazoniste
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Reverse light switch
Mine is kindly playing silly games (oh what fun!) & has decided that it would be very jolly to permanently light up the reverse lights
PS, it is definitely the switch!!! Crawled underneath & messed about with the wiring to see what happened..... Anyhow, the offending item is on the back of the gearbox, above the o/d. Is it at all possible to change the switch with the gearbox in situ? My workshop is the gutter* & I'm skint at the moment, so garage bills aren't an option for something as insignificant as this. * I do however have stands / ramps etc so can get the car high enough to get decent access to the underside. Plan B is to wire in an illuminated switch so that I can switch them on or off as desired since just unplugging the wiring doesn't really appeal as I find it much easier to park in the dark with the reverse lights working. Fankoo
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Paul - 1967 Amazon 222S B20 o/d Estate & 1961 A-H Sprite Mk2 948cc WANTED - For '67 Amazon estate - offside rear quarter, preferably new old stock. |
Sep 29th, 2008, 22:45 | #2 |
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Last Online: Today 01:38
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Connecticut, USA
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Reverse Light Switch
Frankoo;
It is possible to change the switch with gearbox/OD in-situ, but I can think of a lot of other more funner things to do instead. You state: "...it is definitely the switch!!! Crawled underneath & messed about with the wiring to see what happened....." I'll believe you if you insist...but this does not tell me how you verified switch was the problem...switches typically fail open and so are incapable of energizing control relay...so I have my doubts! I'd verify switch function in the engine compartment by having someone watch reverse lights as I pulled the Black wire from terminal 85 of the Revering light control relay (with IGN ON reference wiring diagram: http://sw-em.com/122S%20Wiring%20Diagram.jpg), If switch at gearbox is indeed shorted and calling for the relay to be activated continuously, this will verify the problem condition. If this is indeed verified, I'd second your Plan B...pull the wire and run it to (or temporarilly under) the dashboard where I would install a manual grounding switch. That would allow you to put off the repair until next time gearbox is out and you have better access. Cheers |
The Following User Says Thank You to Ron Kwas For This Useful Post: |
Sep 30th, 2008, 12:59 | #3 | |||
Amazoniste
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Thanks!
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Paul - 1967 Amazon 222S B20 o/d Estate & 1961 A-H Sprite Mk2 948cc WANTED - For '67 Amazon estate - offside rear quarter, preferably new old stock. |
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May 28th, 2010, 09:54 | #4 |
foot in mouth specialist
Last Online: Sep 6th, 2016 23:55
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Location: Dublin, Ireland
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morning gents,
spent a lovely evening under my Amo changing the reverse light switch on my M40. after replacing the relay, the cable and checking the lights actually worked, the last item in the chain, turned out to be the switch.. what a little bugger to change! if you want a quick tip, take the rubber gearstick boot off and with a long pair of pliers, twist and pull the old switch out from the relative comfort of the floor of your car.. skip the step that takes an hour of fiddling, greasing the rubber switch and move straight to dropping the switch into boiling water for 5 mins before fitting. a 9mm 1/4' socket on an extension bar works great as an instrument to exert enough force to push the new switch in.. happy days, i've now got reverse lights.. p.s. the switch was indeed broken, as the little spring was missing (presumed now located at the bottom of the gearbox) |
May 28th, 2010, 11:14 | #5 |
Amazoniste
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Ah - that's good to know! In my case, the reverse light switch is stuck on (I have wired a temporary switch on the dash to cut the power), but it would be nice to get them working properly without having to resort to removing the gearbox.
Many thanks for the tip
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Paul - 1967 Amazon 222S B20 o/d Estate & 1961 A-H Sprite Mk2 948cc WANTED - For '67 Amazon estate - offside rear quarter, preferably new old stock. |
May 28th, 2010, 22:57 | #6 |
Master Member
Last Online: Jun 3rd, 2021 17:03
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Just a little funny story about this (not funny for the others!). I once had the gearbox rebuilt and was driving home down the M11. Switched into overdrive and heard a screetch behind. Thought nothing of it. Then glancing in the rearview mirror, saw a car swerve. Thought, strange lot out today. Then a massive great BMW zooms past and bloke screams "your f***ing reverse lights are on". So every time I was going into overdrive people behind were having heart-attacks because the divvy had wired it up wrong!
No particular moral here, just a memory of times gone by. Tom |
May 28th, 2010, 23:34 | #7 |
foot in mouth specialist
Last Online: Sep 6th, 2016 23:55
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Dublin, Ireland
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Hah, that's class... LOL!!!
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May 29th, 2010, 01:15 | #8 |
Master Member
Last Online: Nov 30th, 2021 00:46
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Location: Dunedin
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Does that mean every time you went into reverse your overdrive came on? Can't be good for it!
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Jun 23rd, 2012, 22:44 | #9 | |
Amazoniste
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However, if that trick with the socket won't work I'm probably going to remove the ally cover that it fits in - a regular screw driver can't get in there due to the gearbox-to-overdrive extension casting still being in place (I'm leaving that well alone due to all the lock tabs) but I have a cranked set that look like they should do the job.
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Paul - 1967 Amazon 222S B20 o/d Estate & 1961 A-H Sprite Mk2 948cc WANTED - For '67 Amazon estate - offside rear quarter, preferably new old stock. |
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Jun 23rd, 2012, 23:06 | #10 |
Master Member
Last Online: Mar 10th, 2023 14:03
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Sheffield
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I too have a reverse light conundrum. Bear in mind my car is an automatic. When I engage reverse, the reverse lights flicker on and off, but I can hear a relay clicking in and out rapidly/intermittently. I'm suspecting an earthing fault, but to be honest I've no idea where to start looking. Are the reverse lights activated by the selector linkage somewhere, or on the transmission itself? (My workshop manual has been packed up in a box since I moved house 8 months ago).
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1967 Volvo 121 Auto in everyday use and rolling restoration. 2002 Audi TT quattro. (Sorry!) |
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