Fuses/Fuel Pump Relay
 

I've lost count of the times folks ask for location of fuel pump relay or indeed the fuses. I am sure most 'regulars' know, but for the benifit of those new to 240's I thought a few pics may assist.

Fuses: These are located in the passenger footwell just forward of the door pillar:
http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/k...0/DSC00407.jpg
They have a plastic cover that removes by twisting a fixing (right at the bottom) through 90 degrees.

Volvo fitted ceramic bodied fuses as original spec. Many now will have aftermarket plastic bodied fuses. These can suffer from overheating & if they do can be the cause of a breakdown. Main suspect is the main fuel pump fuse (#6). This fuse in particular should be checked regularly & good practice is to replace it yearly regardless.
Good maintenance: Remove all fuses, clean up the terminals to remove any corrosion. Make sure the fuses are a tight fit for good contact. If needed gently close the gaps a little. A smear of vaseline may be used to keep them clean - there are proper electrical contact cleaners available too of course.
If yours (as did mine) has the plastic fuses, get a set of ceramic & fit them. Keep the plastics in your glove box as temp' back-up's:thumbs_up:

Fuel Pump Relay
This is located behind the glove box.
Open the box & you will see the 7 screws holding it in place around the outer edge. Simply remove all 7 screws & the box will pull out. You will see this behind:
http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/k...0/DSC00406.jpg
And closer:
http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/k...0/DSC00405.jpg
The fuel pump relay is the square one (lower right)(the round one you can see - upper left- is for the bulb failure warning system). In my case it is green, some are white. If you need to change, then go 'like for like' to be safe. Removal is easy. It is spring clipped into a holding bracket & plugged into to the wiring. So un-clip & un-plug.
Replacements are available from GSF & Eurocarparts for around £20, add a bit more for a Volvo one. As these are quite a common fail point, it is a good idea to keep a spare in your glove box:thumbs_up:

Your picture of the fuse box looks the same as the one on my 1973 volvo 164 that I have had a few problems with.
I have just today bought some electrical contact cleaner to see if that helps.
Will the contacts clean up or do I need to look for a new fusebox - if still available?
I bought new fuses but in some cases still have to joggle them to make them connect.
All the fuses I have seen advertised look to be plastic - are real ceramic ones still available?
Thanks
Jonathan

Yes the fuses are still available. I suffered a 'meltdown' of a plastic fuel pump fuse not too long ago':loser: I ordered a set of original spec jobs from Rufe on here : http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=57125

Yes the contacts should clean up okay. A bit fiddly maybe. I used a light grade of emery cloth & then a spray of electrical contact cleaner to remove any left over debris.

If you still need to joggle to get contact, remove that fuse. Then gently try to close the contacts a little to make the fuse fit tighter.

Good luck:thumbs_up:

Without meaning to sound thick, what does the fuel pump relay actually do? Would it have anything to do with why my fuel tank pump buzzes like a blender?

The fuel pump relay controls the fuel pumps, one in the tank and a pressure pump. It is controlled by the ECU or the ignition circuit (depends on model) amd allows the pumps to be switched off if the engine stops.

This may help

http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=116489

Actually once you know what you are looking for, there is no need to remove the glove box to access the relay.
Remove the upper felt carpet thing from the passenger footwell and lie on your back peering up at the space behind the glove box. Once unclipped it will dangle on its wires to a point where you can more easily unplug it.

A useful dodge if it fails is to join a wire between fuses 4 and 6. This bypasses the relay and lets the fuel pumps run continuously. This is a get-you-home measure only - remember to disconnect afterwards!
Also useful in diagnostics - if the engine starts with the wire in place, but not normally, you know you have a faulty relay.

That will work OK with the earlier (Green?) relay.

With the white relay it will only power the tank pump (Yw/Rd) wire directly, it still relies on one of the relays in the pump relay unit to power the pressure pump. It will give you a 50-50 chance of getting home.

http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/attach...8&d=1297526102

This is the earlier relay

http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/attach...8&d=1297761374

The buzzing will be the main pump having to work harder cos your in-tank pump has stopped working. Usually the buzzing starts around 1/4 of a tank of fuel. Mine has been doing just that for about 3+ years now:loser: They will soldier on, as I have found - not good practice though!

I have a replacement in tank pump ready to go (Volvo job about £80 worth).

Shall be fitting it in July with Cumbrianmale's assistance:thumbs_up: I'll take some pics & post em' up:thumbs_up:

Would it be a waste of money to replace the fuel pump relay for this problem then?

I do suspect that my in-tank fuel pump probably has failed, but I'm far too terrified to do anything about it, having read several posts on this forum!

I will be very interested to see your pictures - good luck!

Well, replacing it will not stop the buzzing. Waste of money? No probably not. If yours is original or it is not known how old it is, then it will more than likely give out. Maybe buy one & stick it in your glove box for peace of mind.:thumbs_up:

Yes I am a little daunted at the thought of replacing the intank pump! That is one reason why it is going to be done whilst I have 'back-up' in the shape of Cumbrianmale:thumbs_up: