My 480 journey begins here

Here you can start a thread about your 480 days. Only the starter of the thread is allowed to fill his thread, and only one thread per person. Threads are simply a personal diary.

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nigel poustie
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Re: My 480 journey begins here

Post by nigel poustie » Wed Nov 28, 2018 9:00 am

**Update**
I've just checked again and they're working fine!?! We had particularly heavy rain last night?
Anyway thanks for your help, I'm sure it will come in useful!
1995 -storm grey Celebration - 108

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jamescarruthers
480 Is my middle name
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Re: My 480 journey begins here

Post by jamescarruthers » Wed Nov 28, 2018 10:07 am

No problem. Mine went a little intermittent earlier in the year and fixed themselves by magic too
1987 Volvo 480 ES, 507274, 217 - Red (Ness)
2006 Citroen C6 Exclusive 3.0 petrol/LPG
2008 Mini Cooper convertible (Mau)

Previous 480's:
J123 CFU -- ES
J449 MNL -- ES auto
D864 CPV -- ES
L691 JFC -- Turbo
F70 MNR -- ES
H858 FGV -- Turbo auto
E981 KHM -- ES (509849)

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dcwalker
480 Is my middle name
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Location: York

Re: My 480 journey begins here

Post by dcwalker » Wed Nov 28, 2018 6:50 pm

nigel poustie wrote:
Wed Nov 28, 2018 9:00 am
**Update**
I've just checked again and they're working fine!?! We had particularly heavy rain last night?
Anyway thanks for your help, I'm sure it will come in useful!
They can have a mind of their own...

Might still be worth checking that the relay is fully in place though and - given your comment about rain - that there isn't any damp getting into the relay box.

David
Current: 1994 480 GT, 1996 460 CD & 1997 440 LE with lots of optional extras & 2007 V50 SE Sport
Previous: Celebration 331 (re-homed with Richard S), Celebration 467 (returned to Martin Mc); Celebration 346 (re-homed with Alan480); Celebration 269 (scrapped abandoned project), Celebration 73 (sold on after 6 years), 1992 ES, 1988 ES - and numerous other non-480 Volvos!

Alan 480
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Location: Aberdeen

Re: My 480 journey begins here

Post by Alan 480 » Wed Nov 28, 2018 6:59 pm

dcwalker wrote:
Wed Nov 28, 2018 6:50 pm
nigel poustie wrote:
Wed Nov 28, 2018 9:00 am
**Update**
I've just checked again and they're working fine!?! We had particularly heavy rain last night?
Anyway thanks for your help, I'm sure it will come in useful!
They can have a mind of their own...

Might still be worth checking that the relay is fully in place though and - given your comment about rain - that there isn't any damp getting into the relay box.

David
check drains at each front corner of scuttle are clear , consider cutting off the 'one way flaps' cos they get full of leaves etc and then it floods, especially if parked facing UPHILL :wink:
Alan

480 ES 2litre 'Celebration' ? , C30 1.8ES, SS1

nigel poustie
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Location: Leeds

Re: My 480 journey begins here

Post by nigel poustie » Thu Nov 29, 2018 8:09 am

Yep will do Alan! I tried them again in the evening and not working again. I'm having a day on it tomorrow, so I'll report back.
1995 -storm grey Celebration - 108

nigel poustie
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Location: Leeds

Re: My 480 journey begins here

Post by nigel poustie » Wed Dec 05, 2018 2:32 pm

Hi again.
Headlights are popping up again now, I fiddled with the relay and had no problems since.
There's a couple of bit of bear metal I want to cover, does anyone know the paint code and where to get it from, I think it know as Storm grey, (see pictures at top)
Cheers
1995 -storm grey Celebration - 108

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brinkie
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Re: My 480 journey begins here

Post by brinkie » Wed Dec 05, 2018 2:48 pm

What I usually do in case of unwilling popup motors, is pop the relay out, put a screwdriver in the bonnet lock (so the microswitch inside the lock is closed), bridge the relay contacts (so the popups are powered continuously) and let the popups wink happily for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile I'll open the relay (pop the cover off) and clean the relay contacts. This will fix the problem 9 out of 10 cases!

Image
Last edited by brinkie on Mon Jan 21, 2019 9:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Robert.

Present cars: 1994 Volvo 480 GT 2.0i, 1999 Volvo S70 2.5 Europa, 2010 Volvo V70 2.0F Momentum

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dcwalker
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Re: My 480 journey begins here

Post by dcwalker » Wed Dec 05, 2018 6:51 pm

nigel poustie wrote:
Wed Dec 05, 2018 2:32 pm
Hi again.
Headlights are popping up again now, I fiddled with the relay and had no problems since.
There's a couple of bit of bear metal I want to cover, does anyone know the paint code and where to get it from, I think it know as Storm grey, (see pictures at top)
Cheers
Glad to hear the headlights are behaving themselves again!

The paint code for Storm Grey Metallic is 323

David
Current: 1994 480 GT, 1996 460 CD & 1997 440 LE with lots of optional extras & 2007 V50 SE Sport
Previous: Celebration 331 (re-homed with Richard S), Celebration 467 (returned to Martin Mc); Celebration 346 (re-homed with Alan480); Celebration 269 (scrapped abandoned project), Celebration 73 (sold on after 6 years), 1992 ES, 1988 ES - and numerous other non-480 Volvos!

nigel poustie
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Re: My 480 journey begins here

Post by nigel poustie » Thu Dec 06, 2018 8:28 am

Thanks David.
Do you know where I can get the paint from, I had a little look online with no luck.
Cheers
Nigel
1995 -storm grey Celebration - 108

nigel poustie
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Posts: 110
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Location: Leeds

Re: My 480 journey begins here

Post by nigel poustie » Sat Dec 15, 2018 5:49 pm

Hi, I'm still having problems with intermittent pop-ups! Today, I wound them up manually and didn't have them turned on so when I turned the ignition on they went down? So I guess it shows the motor isn't faulty but why does the relay tell them to go down but not up?
1995 -storm grey Celebration - 108

nigel poustie
Knows where Volvo is from
Posts: 110
Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2018 7:44 pm
Location: Leeds

Re: My 480 journey begins here

Post by nigel poustie » Sat Dec 15, 2018 6:04 pm

What I usually do in case of unwilling popup motors, is pop the relay out, put a screwdriver in the bonnet lock (so the microswitch inside the lock is closed), bridge the relay contacts (so the popups are powered continuously) and let the popups wink happily for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile I'll open the relay (pop the cover off) and clean the relay contacts. This will fix the problem 9 out of 10 cases!


I'm no electrician, so can someone explain in layman's terms what is meant by 'bridging the relay contacts?' I've had the largest relay off and given it a 'clean' (blow!) looks fine to me but I know nothing!
1995 -storm grey Celebration - 108

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dragonflyjewels
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Re: My 480 journey begins here

Post by dragonflyjewels » Sun Dec 16, 2018 7:46 am

I'm no electrician either so can't help you there, but every time we've had a problem with pop ups it's turned out to be the drl bulbs. (the ones next to the indicators you can't turn off) Check there isn't a loose connection, rusty contacts, or incorrect bulb - are the pins offset ? Extraordinary system, no drl disables the pop ups on UK cars.
Sylvia

Snazzy - 1993 Paris Blue ES red dipstick 2.0i bought 2001
Lethal Lily - 1991 White Turbo
Paris the Unicorn - 1991 Paris Edition
hubby has
Sven - 1994 Racing Green GT
Evil Eva - 1992 Paris Blue Turbo

no previous 480s - can't bear to sell any

nigel poustie
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Location: Leeds

Re: My 480 journey begins here

Post by nigel poustie » Sun Dec 16, 2018 4:07 pm

Thanks for that Sylvia. That's something to look at, I did notice that one of them was out when pop-ups failed. Bizarrely the pop-ups are working today and drl are working too. I reckon you're on to something, thanks!
1995 -storm grey Celebration - 108

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dcwalker
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Re: My 480 journey begins here

Post by dcwalker » Mon Dec 17, 2018 6:59 pm

As Sylvia says it's a strange set-up and the DRLs are a critical element in the circuit - wrong bulbs (they should be 21W/4W with staggered pins but are often changed for the more common "rear/brake light" 21W/5W bulbs, which causes chaos), blown bulbs, corroded connectors - all can play a part.

If you change a DRL I'd strongly suggest changing both - they don't like being unbalanced, either. In the true spirit of 480 randomness, some cars seem fussier than others over this :lol:

Bridging the headlamp relay involves removing the relay, switching the lights on, and then holding a wire across the appropriate two connector points. There is a thread on here somewhere I think because I know I have done it in the past...I think it's pins 87 & 30 and 87 & 30a you need to bridge for each headlight in turn. The connections are marked on the relay and the worse you will do is blow a fuse if you get it wrong! If they are working OK they should keep going up and down as long as you hold the wire in place - on at a time, obviously.

If you think the relay is at fault then I should have a spare one you can try out.

As for your previous question about the paint, it is doubtless NLA from Volvo but I have successfully used a company on-line who mix the paints to spec on a couple of my Volvos - you could try Expresspaints.co.uk.

Hope all that helps!

David
Current: 1994 480 GT, 1996 460 CD & 1997 440 LE with lots of optional extras & 2007 V50 SE Sport
Previous: Celebration 331 (re-homed with Richard S), Celebration 467 (returned to Martin Mc); Celebration 346 (re-homed with Alan480); Celebration 269 (scrapped abandoned project), Celebration 73 (sold on after 6 years), 1992 ES, 1988 ES - and numerous other non-480 Volvos!

nigel poustie
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Posts: 110
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Location: Leeds

Re: My 480 journey begins here

Post by nigel poustie » Mon Dec 17, 2018 7:12 pm

Thanks for that David.
I've sorted the paint, I got some mixed up at Car Paint Repair.co.uk but thanks. I'm just waiting for a dry enough day to do it!

As for the lights I'm thinking the DRLs is a good place to start!

Thanks for your help!
1995 -storm grey Celebration - 108

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dcwalker
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Re: My 480 journey begins here

Post by dcwalker » Mon Dec 17, 2018 7:18 pm

nigel poustie wrote:
Mon Dec 17, 2018 7:12 pm
Thanks for that David.
I've sorted the paint, I got some mixed up at Car Paint Repair.co.uk but thanks. I'm just waiting for a dry enough day to do it!

As for the lights I'm thinking the DRLs is a good place to start!

Thanks for your help!
Great! In that respect I am sure any decent paint company will do...

I know what you mean about needing a dry day though!
Current: 1994 480 GT, 1996 460 CD & 1997 440 LE with lots of optional extras & 2007 V50 SE Sport
Previous: Celebration 331 (re-homed with Richard S), Celebration 467 (returned to Martin Mc); Celebration 346 (re-homed with Alan480); Celebration 269 (scrapped abandoned project), Celebration 73 (sold on after 6 years), 1992 ES, 1988 ES - and numerous other non-480 Volvos!

nigel poustie
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Posts: 110
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Location: Leeds

Re: My 480 journey begins here

Post by nigel poustie » Wed Dec 26, 2018 5:35 pm

Right update....The pop-up problem is definitely the connection of the DHLs. The pop-ups didn't work today and one tap of the DHL lense cover and they came up! So does anyone know where I can get the genuine Volvo DHL bulbs from?

Next problem.....The full beam is not 'clicking-on' and staying on, they work if you hold the lever back but it won't hold on it's self, any ideas?

Also, the horn has stopped working, not checked the fuse though....

Sorry for the barrage of questions but I'm a 480 novice but keen to keep things in check!

Cheers!
1995 -storm grey Celebration - 108

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jamescarruthers
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Re: My 480 journey begins here

Post by jamescarruthers » Wed Dec 26, 2018 8:26 pm

You likely don't need new bulbs but new holders. There is only one source of DRL holders that I know of. You can buy new DRL holders from Skandix. Search part number 3414335‎
It will be 19.16EUR each, 38.32EUR for two plus 18.88EUR postage. Total 57.20 EUR.‎

The bulbs are a certain quirky type but nothing special that you need 'genuine'.‎ 21/4W BAZ15D the important difference is to make sure you get 21/4W, not 21/5W and also to exactly match the case code ‎BAZ15D so that pins fit the holder. If the wrong bulbs have been forced in in the past then the holders have another reason to be making bad contact also, on top of corrosion, heat and bad connection!

The holders are not exactly a reasonable price. But beggars can't be choosers nowadays. They are well worth getting as the corroded contacts cause heat in the cluster and do something between premature ageing to ‎melting the lenses.

You could use the postage opportunity to get a few other things that they sell that are useful to you. E.g. While not the best reproductions, their 3D printed heater control knobs are okay.‎ You might as well treat yourself to some new 21/4W BAZ15D bulbs also as the Base connectors are likely damaged on yours from bad connection and heat. 

P.S. They are DRL's (Day Running Lamps) not DHL's (but this could stand for Day Heating Lights if you have knackered holders!).‎


The main beam stalk problem we've spoke about in the other post. You'll need a new stalk but finding one which someone can honestly say works without having a 480 to test it on is a bit of a gamble I find. I tried opening one but it was a disaster and I threw it in the bin!


The horns are in an exposed position ‎in the centre of the car under the front bumper. There are two. You should be able to hear a relay in the CEM click when you press the horn button. If your under tray if missing, the horns are easy to access and you can check with a multimeter if there is voltage getting to them, or a bulb. If I remember correctly the horn button just pulls off, so you can easily verify the contacts in there.

One more point: the 480 horns combine to have a mag‎nificent deep tone. Bear in mind this if you replace them. I have none original ones and they are quite disappointing! I must reinstate the 480 bellow!
Last edited by jamescarruthers on Wed Dec 26, 2018 8:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.
1987 Volvo 480 ES, 507274, 217 - Red (Ness)
2006 Citroen C6 Exclusive 3.0 petrol/LPG
2008 Mini Cooper convertible (Mau)

Previous 480's:
J123 CFU -- ES
J449 MNL -- ES auto
D864 CPV -- ES
L691 JFC -- Turbo
F70 MNR -- ES
H858 FGV -- Turbo auto
E981 KHM -- ES (509849)

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jamescarruthers
480 Is my middle name
Posts: 2501
Joined: Mon Jul 07, 2003 3:19 pm
Location: Cambridge

Re: My 480 journey begins here

Post by jamescarruthers » Wed Dec 26, 2018 8:42 pm

DRL holders: only available here as far as I know‎
http://www.skandix.de/en/spare-parts/el ... /1015190/‎


DRL bulbs: available everywhere, so do not buy from Skandix unless you are also buying the above holders due to expensive shipping from NL to Germany to the UK.
http://www.skandix.de/en/spare-parts/el ... 03d3c32cf‎

‎For example, from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Original-halog ... B003ANDGVE

If you look elsewhere, BAZ15D and 21/4W are the details you need.‎
1987 Volvo 480 ES, 507274, 217 - Red (Ness)
2006 Citroen C6 Exclusive 3.0 petrol/LPG
2008 Mini Cooper convertible (Mau)

Previous 480's:
J123 CFU -- ES
J449 MNL -- ES auto
D864 CPV -- ES
L691 JFC -- Turbo
F70 MNR -- ES
H858 FGV -- Turbo auto
E981 KHM -- ES (509849)

nigel poustie
Knows where Volvo is from
Posts: 110
Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2018 7:44 pm
Location: Leeds

Re: My 480 journey begins here

Post by nigel poustie » Thu Dec 27, 2018 9:08 am

That's an amazing response James, thank you very much!
1995 -storm grey Celebration - 108

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