91 240 wagon automatic. ok i have two issues i really need help with.

1. my overdrive won't engage! i have changed the relay and the solenoid and checked the switch and fuse #11. the switch makes the light come on and go off and everything seems to work well except the overdrive won't engage. i can hear the relay clicking which i guess is it engaging. i watched the mechanic replace my solenoid (which i bought off eBay new for like $70), i had him do it because i don't have a lift and i don't really trust the ramps i have. the old solenoids plastic top crumbled when he removed it but besides that the wiring under the car looked like it was in great shape. the new solenoids wiring connecter didn't match the old one, it was a pressure fit not a snap in one like the old one. the guy that replaced it just jammed it in the old connecor but it seemed to be making connect but i can't be sure. i'm at a loss as to what the issue is, i don't think the transmission is bad but i can'r be sure?

I bought the car and i didn't realize the overdrive didn't work. Before i changed the relay and solenoid i took it on a 30 mile trip and on the way there the overdrive didn't work, but on the way back as i got up to speed on the highway and fiddled with the switch and shifter and the overdrive engaged! then i hit the button again and it turn off and won't turn back on for 5 miles then it turned on again???? Since then i haven't been able to make it work. it sounds like this would be the switch but now the switch engages the relay everytime?

could the solenoid wiring connection be bad, like it isn't making connection because it is a different connector and the mechanic just jammed it in there.

i have heard the passage ways in the transmission for the overdrive can get clogged and the overdrive won't work? can i get my transmission flushed to solve this?

i have heard there is a pulley on the engine that has something to do with the overdrive which can get jammed and the overdrive won't work? is this true?


2. the horn worked...i installed an aftermarket stereo (upper stereo mount) and speakers and replaced a heated seat switch....now no horn and and when i press the horn the rear wiper goes on?! my girlfriend finds this very entertaining and says i am waving at the people behind me when i try to honk! i don't use the horn alot but would like to have one again. the wiper controls on the stick still work and don't make the horn work so no crossed wires. is there a connection between the stereo and the horn? the stereo had an amp that was mounted on the back of the lower dash cubby. i had to reroute the cable up through the dash to the stereo to hook up the speakers. i used an aftermarket stereo wiring harness to connect to the factory harness (there were two harness actually one for the stereo and one for the wiring for the speakers from the amp harness, 2 or 3 wires from the car harness did not have matching wires in the new harness?). i checked the fuse #2 its ok. there is a broken wire in the right side rear door hatch wiring harness (in the hinge) but i don't think this is it becasue it was broken when i bought the car and the horn worked. the rear window washer sprayer was broken off when i got the car too.

i opened up the rear hatch panel and everything looks great no ware on wires or anything? the wiper motor looks good, the foam ring that goes around the motor had come off i put it back on. i installed a license plate mount (car didn't have one).

i replaced the solenoid around the same time as the stereo could there be a connection there?

thanks in advance for any advice/help you can give me.

the solenoid should have been tested b4 install. Esp. if it was used. it can be heard when it clicks in if you have the door open and the motor off. Dirty connections, bad fuses are possible-clean it and replace ALL aluminium fuses with brass or copper ones. Especially clean (& replace?) the fuse near the Left front suspension tower which is in its own sealed package and wire coming directly from the battery. Replace holder if it won't clean up. Passages do block, a flush may be necessary, and a new tranny filter and oil. A blocked passage indicates insufficient servicing. Collapsed filters are the usual first result, with various damages from then on. Used ONLY specified tranny oil. OD should engage abt 45-50mph along the flat with light throttle, and the light OFF. If you don't want to lock out the OD, then the solenoid can be discarded and a bypassing plate can cover the holes successfully. They're are available via the web. You're looking for an AW71L one, I imagine. The L stands for lockup-as special version of the AW70/71 tranny with a special lockup torque converter for better economy. this bypass plate should interchange with the earlier models. Abt $40 + fitting, I think. Easy to make your own-plenty of pictures abt.

thank you very much for your help. the solenoid was new but it still could have been a dud. i'll check the tranny filter and might get it flushed if it is collapsed or the oil looks overly dirty. the fuses are all original i guess i should replace them. i really don't want to lock out the od as i may want to tow a light trailer at some point.

do you have any ideas as to my silly horn issue?

again thank you for the advice.

fuseholders corrode too! horns get old, can corrode up. wiring gets water in the exposed ends, and oxidizes into a non-conductive state-re-terminating the weathered ends can be of great benefit. Do NOT solder terminals, crimping will do until it corrodes again. recommend 12V Bosch Klaxons from VW/similar, &/or Italian Fiam air horns (if legal) as good replacements. Some diaphram horns can be re-tuned for max loudness with spanners and screwdrivers-not to be done near neighbours!!!!!!!!! Best systems use 2 horns, at a DISCHORDANT setting-7 notes apart. A very harsh sound, & automatic random interrupting of horns makes them even more disconcerting to the unaware/sleepy/careless. Musical air horns (Bo Dukes' General Lee type) are usually illegal as a primary emergency horn, and often as secondary too. Supposedly for entertainment only, but horns are only to be used in emergency here..

I pulled the stock radio from my 91 240 wagon & lost the horn, too, plus the instrument panel lights. Weirdness. Kind of up there with the way that the left rear door auto-lock doesn't work for beans

i guess there is some connection between the radio, horn, and the rear wiper? i think they may be on the same fuse. maybe i hooked the wrong wires up? i just matched colors to the aftermarket harness. did you have a aftermarket harness for your stereo to hook to the car harness? did you have 2-3 wires left out when you installed it. i wonder if these wires are the horn or wiper wires?

Get a wiring diagram and start tracing. You've crossed something up somewhere. The fact that the wiper controls on the stick work doesn't mean no crossed wires. The front and rear wipers are separate wiring. The washer sprayer probably needs a new pump - that is located up front and pretty easy to change.

Did you use the original stereo wiring harness? Was it even intact when you started? Start your tracing from there. Good luck - you'll need patience and persistance to find the problem

i solved my horn issue! it was a ground wire that had puled loose behind the steering wheel. i pulled the gauges to repair my tripometer switch and found the loose ground there.

Still no head way on my overdrive. i changed the fuses but no change. i guess my next step is a transmission flush. if i ask will the guys doing it take off the overdrive solenoid and flush there?