Just bought a 740 GLE (140K) recently making it my first Volvo ever. I really excited and love the way it feels. Sorry I was in the dark so long. But hey better late than never. No it does have its list of problems.. but one of the main one is its Overdrive. For some reason the car like to jump in and out of overdrive. not sure what causes it, I press the button but it doesn't seem to work. Its mostly been in overdrive since I got it, very little do I get the days where it will stay off all day. Usally I can tell when it is on not only buy the feel of the car but the Shift Arrow come on. Since I've had it, it has always been a solid arrow, but today it was flickering, the rest of the lights on the dash was find except for that one. Really could appreciate any feed back any came come up with


Thanks Greg..

OK, yes I am a newbie..but....
It sounds like you need a new overdrive relay or solenoid.
Actually a pretty cheap and easy repair.....buying the part and replacing it yourself is probably the best way to go.
I'm sure some of the more experienced members on here can tell you how.

When it kick out does the arrow come on on the dash?
If it does it is the relay.If it doesn't then most likely it is the soleniod.

yeah it does come on (the arrow I mean) Any ideas on how to handle this problem..?

If the arrow is coming on check for power at the soleniod.If you have power then the soleniod is bad.If you don't have power it is in the wiring.

Now your talking to a person who knows nothing about volvos except they are fun to drive. Where is the solenoid.. and how do I test it to see if it has power...?

Look at the dash and press the buttton on the shifter and see if an arrow comes on.
You can check for power with a test light or multi meter.
The soleniod is located on the left side of the transmission.
It kind of looks like a small cylinder with wires coming out of it.

Hi
I've had similar problems with mine (with the M46 gearbox), and I found that the problem was nothing more than poor connection to the solenoid, making it intermittent. Here the warning light came on, but the solenoid did not operate. Crawl under the car and find the solenoid on the side of the gearbox. Pull off the two electrical spade connectors and clean them, smear with a little electrical lubricant (Vaseline Petroleum Jelly does just as well) and refit.
Also these wires are vulnerable to long grass, so I secured mine in place with a zip-tie round the body of the solenoid.
This worked just fine, but I did also have a problem with the relay failing on another occasion, and this was also intermittent then the overdrive just would not engage, and the warning light did not come on. Here replacement of the relay was the only solution.

Funny, the Laycock de Normanville overdrive unit is British!!!!

If you have not sorted your problem yet, I hope this helps

Gordon.

My 87 had the same problem when I had an auto in it. It ended up being the wire running from the shifter OD button to the OD solenoid was old and the insulation was flaking off. The bare wire was shorting out on the aluminum transmission case.
Spliced in a new section and the problem was solved. On my 87 it was a green wire that comes out of the bottom of the shifter and hangs down running to the solenoid. I'd check the wire before I tore anything apart.
Two butt connectors and a piece of wire is cheaper than a new solenoid.

Ok I did figure out that is must be the wiring because if I tap the shiter hard it comes but only for a second. This weekend I am getting under there and figureing this out. Wish me luck boys stay tuned for an update

Good luck it isn't that bad to replace the wiring.