pop up maddness

carl · Post by **carl** » Sun Feb 01, 2009 11:01 pm

ok well today i turned my lights off and both pop ups went nuts..... constantly opening and closing. Only way to stop it is by turning off the ignition or by fiddling with the rotary switch's off position. Both lights go up perfect on both low and high settings.

anybody any ideas?? Im thinling of a new rotary switch as i can also hear clicking from that area when they are going nuts..

glasgowjim · Post by **glasgowjim** » Sun Feb 01, 2009 11:12 pm

Carl
check and see if the clicking is coming from the big (tall) relay as its the headlamp relay. if that is not the problem it could be the rotary switch. I can supply both parts. If you cant figure out which one is faulty then get back to me. Do you have access to a multimeter?

regards Jim

carl · Post by **carl** » Sun Feb 01, 2009 11:18 pm

yea I have a tester. what do I check and how? clicking is def coming from behind the steering wheel. perhaps the triangler box under the hood.

Cerberus · Post by **Cerberus** » Sun Feb 01, 2009 11:18 pm

carl wrote: fiddling with the rotary switch's off position.

I fink you found the problem...

C

carl · Post by **carl** » Sun Feb 01, 2009 11:25 pm

Cerberus wrote:
carl wrote: fiddling with the rotary switch's off position.
I fink you found the problem...

C

what you mean a temp fix to the problem! no good for flashing female drivers, they'll think im crazy

Cerberus · Post by **Cerberus** » Sun Feb 01, 2009 11:51 pm

carl wrote:
Cerberus wrote:
carl wrote: fiddling with the rotary switch's off position.
I fink you found the problem...

C
what you mean a temp fix to the problem! no good for flashing female drivers, they'll think im crazy

No... I mean yr rotary switch is faaaaarked...

C

glasgowjim · Post by **glasgowjim** » Sun Feb 01, 2009 11:52 pm

to be honest cerby will be right , wiggling your rotary should make no difference .

carl · Post by **carl** » Mon Feb 02, 2009 12:09 am

ok, yea just took apart that relay and it looks brand new inside. IM thinking it is the rotary switch then? just tested the lights tonight and they seem fine now but ill try tomoorow more so when the engine is warm. In the mean time Jim you can send me a pm about posting me out a rotary switch?

Thanks all for your help tonight...yet again theres always something new every week with my 480 lol

glasgowjim · Post by **glasgowjim** » Mon Feb 02, 2009 12:24 am

you have a pm

carl · Post by **carl** » Mon Feb 02, 2009 9:52 pm

Its freezing outside and the headlights have got worse. Dont think i need the switch or relay as these have been tested ok. Now headlight motors spring to mind??? more so as when pop ups go down the nearside keeps opening and closing...heard this may be a micro switch. For now I have taken the fuse out and winded them up manually lol

carl · Post by **carl** » Tue Feb 03, 2009 6:31 pm

ok heres a quick update.

the passenger side pop up when closed remains to still bob up and down untill i either turn off the key or time it right so as when it closes 'blip' the rotary switch on again then it closes. To note that ALL the bulbs and lights work normally too i.e. the main beam, side lights and dipped etc.

I have replaced the rotartary switch, tall relay and both dlr bulbs which are working as thay should. Also the bonnet switch has been tested and seems fine. Checked all visual wiring too which seem good.

my next goal is to remove and inspect or replace the passenger side pop up motor as i hear there is a micro switch in there.

Further to note on occassion both headlights have bobed up and down when switch off, but 75% of the time it is the ns one.

If anyone would be kind to shed any light on perhaps a similar experience and what they done to solve....would be great.

In the mean time thanks to JIm for the parts offer!!!

richj · Post by **richj** » Tue Feb 03, 2009 6:42 pm

similar experiance: I got in my car, some hot girls walked past. Started the engine up, flicked the lights up and they winked at the girls. Never did it before, never did it again.

Get a multimeter and check the output from the rotary switch and the input to the headlight motor(s). That should narrow down the possibilities somewhat.

carl · Post by **carl** » Tue Feb 03, 2009 6:49 pm

richj wrote:check the output from the rotary switch and the input to the headlight motor(s)

I have a multimeter but not sure how or what way to test it?

carl · Post by **carl** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 5:46 pm

5/2/09

On Tuesday night I got so fed up with the pop ups I went out and bought a 440td. So It (480) has been parked up.

Today (thursday) I had a brain wave. Lets spray the pop up shock absorber with some white grease and low and behold.........they both stayed down. Now... not too sure if the snow an effect with added weight keeping it down but i doubt it.

Will test again next day and get a bit more grease round the shock proper as you need the plastic light surround off.

However I did notice that all along that nearside light was VERY squeaky compared to the other....so is my problem solved????

to be continued.....

fargo · Post by **fargo** » Sun Feb 08, 2009 2:47 am

It is interesting, mine went mad today too.

My wife went out with it, she sat in the parked car, then suddenly the pop-ups started their show without touching anything. She asked help on the phone and only opening the bonnet helped, then the lamps stayed still. Later at home I could only stop them by removing the fuse, even if I removed the ignition key, they kept going up and down...

Now I need a quick solution, any help is appreciated.
No, I don't want to torch it yet

glasgowjim · Post by **glasgowjim** » Sun Feb 08, 2009 12:45 pm

For that to happen there has to be power going to the popup motors so it would suggest that either there is a short circuit or the popup relay is defective.

take popup relay the tall one out and then see if it makes any difference if the popups are still going crazy then you have defective wiring betwen the relay and the popup motor. If it stops the problem then as likely or not the relay is defective. You can check it out by taking a wire and shorting across the relevant terminals and get the popup to go up and down.

just an idea.

oh and check your drl bulbs if one of them is bust even on a single bulb element then it could have insane effect on your popups.

Iroll480 · Post by **Iroll480** » Sun Feb 08, 2009 12:54 pm

Could also be a short in the wiring from the pop up motor. Sometimes the wires are damaged where they enter the pop motor behind the black rubber like goo and short out there. Scrape away this insulating stuff to check the insulating of the wires itself.
Or the micro switch in the motor itself is gone, that way the power stay's on and the pop ups go crazy. Solution is another motor in that case.

carl · Post by **carl** » Sun Feb 08, 2009 12:54 pm

As jim says above. But also a temp fix, like you suggested, take the fuse out and manually wind them up.

Yakmelk · Post by **Yakmelk** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 9:55 am

could anyone tell me how I can manually rewind the popup ? I got both pop up's down and they refuse to come up, anyone who can tell me where the switch is to manually wind them up ? thanks!

Iroll480 · Post by **Iroll480** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 2:14 pm

There's a big round white knob at each side under the mechanism. You need to turn it till your fingers get sour, the pop ups rise agonising slowly. Good luck.

Volvo 480 Club Europe

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