Hello,

I am new to this forum and have found it a great resource so far in owning a 10+ year old Volvo (1996 850R Wagon). We purchased it new and absolutely love the car.

We seem to be having some electrical problems. When you turn the car on the headlights do not turn on immediately (5-20 second delay). And during this period of no headlights we can not shift the car into gear. If you manually press the shift override button it will go into gear but not on its own until the lights come on. We are stepping on the brake when trying to put it in gear as well.

The other strange thing is that the radio gets all static, no stations at all. Sometimes if you turn the radio on while waiting for the lights to come on so you can shift into gear, when the lights do come on the radio picks up the station and acts like normal.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,
TJ

I have a similar problem with my T5R. Instead of using the shift overide, try wiggling the key. That is what I have to do with mine. Someone told me it was my wiring harness and/or ignition switch.

By the symptoms you describe, you definitely have a faulty electrical connection somewhere in the wagon, but where - I couldn't tell you.

Finding a fault in complex direct current (D.C) automotive circuits, unless it is fairly obvious, is usually well beyond the capability of the ordinary DIY home mechanic so my advice to you would be find a reputable auto electrician and let him have a look at it.

They are normally fairly good at fault finding on a vehicles electrical system as it is their normal day-to-day work and keep in mind, this is also the way they earn their bread and butter.

I agree. Go to a wireman to check.