S40: Relay – Volvo S40 2003

[Paul Sanderson]

The indicators, hazards and the dashboard lights linked to them had been intermittently faulty for a while, but now have failed completely. The circuits for all those things go through the one same relay. My local garage tested that relay and found it to be flakey, but is getting no joy from Volvo in respect of supplying a replacement. My garage is happy for me to find a relay myself and they will fit it. I know that’s an easy job and I’ve had a lifetime of tinkering with cars – but now I’m 72, and can no longer get down under the steering wheel to do the swap… though it would be more true to say that I can get down there; I just can’t get back up!

Before I go chasing one on the Tinternet, could someone confirm that the relay needed is MB 953383, which might also be known as 72BM000. In reality it seems to be a Peugeot/Citroen relay and for those it might be 9563533980.

Also, could someone confirm that the location is indeed under the steering wheel, and is not one of the easy-to-reach relays in the engine bay.

The Vin/Chassis/Frame number is: YV1VS10K34F111715.

Best regards, Paul Sanderson
sanderson-by-the-sea@hotmail.com

[lynns hubby]

Unfortunately I can't help with the relay, but I can sympathise with being able to get down, not being able to get up. Unfortunately I am the same as you. Years and Years doing my own, family and friends cars and enjoying it. But now, it is just a chore that I do not need for the same reason as you. It frustrates the hell out of me as I do enjoy looking after my own cars.

Good luck and I am sure someone will be along soon to help.

[lynns hubby]

I am surprised that no one has come along with any assistance for you. I would have expected a reply by now.

[Paul Sanderson]

This is a heads-up for those in the same position, though leading to a successful resolution.

If you have a 1995-2004 era Volvo S40 or V40, and both the turn indicators and the hazards start playing up and then failing altogether, it is the relay that is at fault, not the hazard switch on the dashboard that has a known history of flakiness.

The symptoms are that the hazard lights, the turn indicator lights and the dashboard repeaters for them simultaneously don’t work but then – maybe the next day – do work again. They may be OK for a while, then they temporarily fail again. It won’t be long before they fail completely, which leaves you with a drivable car but no turn indicators.

The circuits for each of these go through one relay, which is the Peugeot relay MB953383. It is also used by Citroen where it may be numbered 9563533980 or 739187, and I also have two other numbers; 72BM000 and 30870939. I can only vouch for MB953383 since that’s the one I used. Including postage, it was £12 from eBay, since Volvo itself is uninterested in supplying such old parts, a policy it trusts you understand by simply agreeing to return your calls on the matter but not actually doing so.

The relay is located down in the driver’s footwell (this is a UK-spec car) just forward of the red bonnet release handle but behind the horizontal under-steering wheel trim panel (which just pulls away). There is also a small fusebox there but you will see a white block close by that the relay is plugged into. I suspect that it is a Volvo adaptor block to allow that particular relay to be fitted for the market my car was meant for.

On my car the white block had to be removed complete with old relay since there was a clip fitting which gripped the two together, and that wasn’t apparent until the whole thing was removed.

[lynns hubby]

Thanks for posting your success. I am sure it will be of help to other members in the future, given the age of these cars now.

[Paul Sanderson]

One further piece of info – if the driver's seat belt isn't fastened when the ignition is on (or maybe the engine has to be actually running, I can't remember) then the red seatbelt warning shows on the dashboard as you would expect, a flashing red warning appears in the light switch binnacle in the roof behind the rear-view mirror (so everyone in the car can see it), and there is also a 'ticker-ticker-ticker' noise alert. So three warnings.

The hazards/indicators relay I've been talking about seems to provide the 'ticker-ticker' noise, but the relay's failure doesn't affect the other two visual warnings I've just mentioned.