Any Advice, Part 2!

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Chris152

Thank you both.

Bob - the OS has already been rewired by the previous owner using a bypass loop and all seems to be working that side.
If we're going ahead with the whole loom, I still want to bypass that hinge, and think it best if we get a replacement loom (hopefully it'll be long enough to allow that loop past the hinge) - I've no idea about wire gauges and connectors, so having the whole lot in one will make it easier and hopefully quicker. But that remains to be seen!
Dave - am I right in assuming that the end of the Brookhouse loom that needs to be fed through the tailgate channel is the one without the plastic connectors, and that it's pulled/ fed from bottom (as seen with the gate closed) to the top?
And am I right thinking that once we get rid of the butt connectors at the top and connect into the original connectors that are under the headliner, the existing wires will pull out of the original plastic connectors allowing the new spades to slip into the spaces left in the connectors, or will we need new connectors at the top? (First photo)

I've been poking around again inside the tailgate and in the attached photos, I think:
1. the Yellow and Blue cables come down the tailgate wall and connect to a red connector leading to the window heater via a blue cable (Photo 2);
2. The white wire down the tailgate cavity turns blue, then connects via the black connection to another blue on its way to the no. plate lights (Photo3);
3. The blue wire down the cavity connects via the white cylinder (and obviously, more blue wires and blue connectors!) to the brake light (Photo 3).

Having made those observations, I feel a bit better about us doing the whole loom, and am just hoping the connectors are simple - we don't have the plier things for prepping and crimping new connectors, nor any connectors, nor an awful lot of confidence in my ability to deal with even the most basic electronics!

I hope the above makes sense....

ps Looking again at the photos, I realise it's not easy to tell how the connectors supplied on the new loom relate to the connectors currently present in my car!

Good morn,

I appreciate your issue. Me being a tightwad I'd have just made up a patch myself rather than pay Brookhouse Volvo £24 for what looks like only 4 pieces of wire - but that is just my way Chris. I wonder if fitting a new bit of loom will fix the issue easily if there has been a previous repair, but I hope this is a really simple solution for you.

Good fortune, I'm sure this will be sorted out soon.

Alan

[Chris152]

Ok, thanks Dave - loom ordered, we'll see what turns up!
I may even go out in the meantime and buy one of those auto electrical repair kits, I guess it's time to grab the bull by the horns... :-)

eta - didn't see yours when I posted, Alan - I think the key difference is that you know what you're doing! That said, I do feel a tad more confident having spent some time yesterday tracing where the arbitrarily coloured wires lead in the tailgate, and reckon we can sort this. We'll see.

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Chris152

Ok, thanks Dave - loom ordered, we'll see what turns up!
I may even go out in the meantime and buy one of those auto electrical repair kits, I guess it's time to grab the bull by the horns... :-)

eta - didn't see yours when I posted, Alan - I think the key difference is that you know what you're doing! That said, I do feel a tad more confident having spent some time yesterday tracing where the arbitrarily coloured wires lead in the tailgate, and reckon we can sort this. We'll see.

Most of this electrical stuff on 12v systems is pretty obvious Chris. If you wanted to get yourself a repair kit then you could do a lot worse than this one, which is 10% off at the mo:

https://www.eurocarparts.com/p/maste...RoCKacQAvD_BwE

... what this gives you is a one-handed crimper, that is something you will be grateful for when you are lying upside down in the back of your motor car with one hand trying to hold the remaining half an inch of some wire whilst you attach a connector to it with the other. With that and a cheap multi-meter (they type you can buy for a tenner) you should easily be able to solve this puzzle.

I don't know whether you remember from the RB's thread, but I had something similar with the engine compartment loom (the insulation on most of the cheapo wires Mr Volvo uses had baked over the past 40 years). I probably could have bought a replacement loom some place for £150 or so, but it only took me an afternoon to make up a new loom myself (I think there were only about 6 or 7 wires) that solved the problem completely. You may not be comfortable with that level of repair at the moment, but it would be a really good idea to become so if you intend to keep your lovely old Volvo :-).

Good fortune,

Alan

PS. This is the article from the RB thread about making up a new engine compartment loom a couple of years ago:

https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showp...postcount=1260

... the whole thing really did cost about a tenner and solved the problem completely (and rather better than Mr Volvo had 40 years previously). This is a little skill it would be worth you acquiring (IMHO).

[Chris152]

Self-solder joints! I missed that one, Alan - I think even I could manage those (just watched a youtube 'how-to' video)! If we need to use the crimping kit, I'll have to get next day delivery as the MoT is now next Wednesday, I'm going to have a word with the lad but don't mind paying the extra to be sure we're set up ready for the job. Who knows, we may not even need it but it's clearly a good thing to have - I was looking at a kit at Halfords which I can just go and collect, but a few reviews say it's not really built to last, better to get a decent one I guess.

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Chris152

Self-solder joints! I missed that one, Alan - I think even I could manage those (just watched a youtube 'how-to' video)! If we need to use the crimping kit, I'll have to get next day delivery as the MoT is now next Wednesday, I'm going to have a word with the lad but don't mind paying the extra to be sure we're set up ready for the job. Who knows, we may not even need it but it's clearly a good thing to have - I was looking at a kit at Halfords which I can just go and collect, but a few reviews say it's not really built to last, better to get a decent one I guess.

Well, you probably won't use it that often Chris, so a cheap one may well do the job. I'd get one with one handed operation though. The self-solder joints are excellent.

If I were you (and because I'm a tightwad) I'd take Dave's suggestion and remove the high level lamp for the MoT, get it through the test then fix this properly in slower time.

Alan

Alan

[Chris152]

That was the plan after Dave suggested disconnecting for the MoT, Alan, but then I realised the no. plate lights weren't working either (I was checking with the boot open), presumably as a result of our fiddling with things. But I looked yesterday and the no plate lights were working fine (with the boot closed), and just now I went out to check again and I can see that they work fine, but consistently switch off when the boot is opened. So consistent that I wonder if that's normal -
Is it normal for the no plate lights to switch off when the tailgate is opened?!

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by Chris152

That was the plan after Dave suggested disconnecting for the MoT, Alan, but then I realised the no. plate lights weren't working either (I was checking with the boot open), presumably as a result of our fiddling with things. But I looked yesterday and the no plate lights were working fine (with the boot closed), and just now I went out to check again and I can see that they work fine, but consistently switch off when the boot is opened. So consistent that I wonder if that's normal -
Is it normal for the no plate lights to switch off when the tailgate is opened?!

Do the number plate lights dim when the brake lights come on Chris?

[Bob Meadows]

Quote:~ Is it normal for the no plate lights to switch off when the tailgate is opened?!
------------------------------------ " ----------------------------------------
Volvo could market that- don't know why though!

Straight answer is no, just another symptom of a broken/faulty wire making contact in one position only, once you do the postmortem all will become clear.
Regards Bob.

[Chris152]

Ha, clutching at straws. Could have been an energy-saving measure - you don't need the number plate lit up when the tail gate's open? Hm.

I can't tell if the number plate light's dimming when the brake light's on Dave - it's one of those very rare days here in Wales when the sun shines and I can't make it out.

It's clear what we need to do but the loom hasn't arrived yet, hopefully tomorrow and we can start looking at how it'll fit on Sunday/ Monday.

Thanks both, C.

[nemesisthewarlock]

Originally Posted by Bob Meadows

Quote:~ Is it normal for the no plate lights to switch off when the tailgate is opened?!
------------------------------------ " ----------------------------------------
Volvo could market that- don't know why though!

Straight answer is no, just another symptom of a broken/faulty wire making contact in one position only, once you do the postmortem all will become clear.
Regards Bob.

Useful for those going Dogging I suppose?