V70 Ph1 towing wiring

[CPH]

I need some help, I've searched and searched and asked loads of people but I keep getting conflicting advice so really need some definitive pointers.

When I bought the car last year it came equipped with a towbar and single socket (7 pin) towing electrics. At the time I had no intention of towing with the car so I removed the towball and stripped out the electrics which were sliced into the rear light looms in the boot.

Anyway, things have kind of changed and I got offered a really good caravan for the princely sum of £350.00 from a friends dad who just wants the thing shifted of his driveway, so now I need to reinstall the towing electrics.

My plan is to install single socket 13 pin towing electrics and I can obtain the pin-out for the socket itself quite easily. However, my problem is, on how to connect the other end of the wiring into the cars' loom.

Do I just find the right wires for the lighting and and slice via scotchlocks so that the towing socket is hooked up? Or, do I need anything to go in between, relays, fuses, etc?

Wiring in the caravan running lights shouldn't be too much of an issue but there are obviously other circuits that run via the towing electrics to keep things like the fridge running and the charging circuit active - into which circuit in the car do these attach?

Any help or pointers would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Chris

[cumbrianmale]

Get the genuine Volvo loom they are a doddle to fit and reasonably priced.

[mikealder]

Even with the Volvo harness there is no dedicated socket to plug in to on the V70 phase one. you will still have to splice the wiring to get what you want, I can sort you out with some instructions as to which wires do what near the rear light clusters if you want?
As for charging a caravan battery or running a fridge you will need the correct relay to only supply power to the van once the cars battery is fully charged, no point in having a battery fully charged in the van and the car won't start - Mike

[cumbrianmale]

You're kidding Mike? No towing socket to plug and play, my V90 has one and will be older or the same age.

[mikealder]

Originally Posted by cumbrianmale

You're kidding Mike? No towing socket to plug and play,

Nope, No joke, some C70 models after 2001 had a socket and the phase two V70 has a socket to hook a towbar to but the V70 phase one never had one. I have told people this before and they have spent hours looking for it only to find I am right, the wiring diagrams do kind of confirm the lack of a socket - Strange but true - Mike

[S70 B5254T]

Is my 850 likely to have such a socket pre-installed? Looking to fit a towbar for a Thule cycle carrier. Thanks

[cumbrianmale]

Going by what Mike says, no.

[Paddler Ed]

What does the Lamp Control Unit do that is attached under the floor on the back passenger side do? Has a cable connection attached to it, and has the wattage of the lamps (and what lamps are used) marked on it? The only thing it's missing is a feed for the 12S socket and a reversing or fog light.

It's found by lifting the small panel off to the side of the boot floor compartment, and is clipped onto the metal rail. Beige in colour.

Ed

[CPH]

I phoned my local(???) Volvo dealer in Abergavenny and asked if there was such a thing as a plug and play towing loom. They checked and said there was but could not give any details on what came with it or how it was wired into the loom of the car.

He described the connecting plug in the car as an offset rectangular socket - the only thing I could find that was close to that description is under the floor of the boot on the offside - but it has only three wires going into it.

I'm a bit concerned how that plug is supposed to supply indicators, stop lamps, running lights, reverse lights (if there are any), fog lights plus a charging cicuit?

At £137.00 it's about twice the price of having a professional fit the electrics but something I would pay for IF it really was plug and play. One of the guys at Volvo was also telling me I would need a "software update" to ensure it all worked properly! WTH!

I think I'm inclined to just have somebody who knows what they're doing fit the damn electrics for me, seems a lot less hassle!

I think I've answered my own previous query though - a split charge relay is needed for the charging circuit to the caravan and a 7 way bypass relay is needed to protect the lighting circuits in the car. I'm quite confident I could fit it all myself but can I really be bothered, especialy at this time of the year?

[Paddler Ed]

Chris,

Give FRF a call in Swansea (details up in the Dealers Offers bit) with your reg number and VIN (if the number has ever been changed) and they'll tell you what needs doing.

I'd suspect that they got confused and gave you the details of what's needed for the newer V70's...

Hope that helps,

Ed