Brake Light Bulb Warning Light

[daharleyrdr]

So today I take my 2000 V70XC to the dealer for them to replace under the used car warranty (30 days 1K) the driveshaft front coupler joint, goes off without a hitch. Pick up the car and driving home, a few miles from the dealer I go to stop and the dash light on the left side lights up everytime I hit the brakes, I know this is to let you know the brake light bulb is blown, does it three or four times, then It stops. I play dumb and go right back to dealer 5ms later. They look at and the brake lights are working fine as me and the Service Manager look on as the tech hits the brakes!!. The SM tells the tech to change the bulbs anyway maybe its a loose filament in the bulb, he does and they again work fine. SM says "no charge, now we know the brake bulbs are OK, if it happens again we may have to change the wiring harness in the tailgate" this sounds costly to me Im thinking or can I do it myself, and is this the problem? Anyone have this problem?? could it be a loose wire or when I wash it water gets in, because they washed the car for me, Im thinking this also happened once after I washed it! but i checked it then and the brake lights were working fine but the dash light lit up, and again this warning light went away. Now an hour later I get home and the light comes on again when I hit the brakes, again the brake lights are all working fine and the dash light went off again??? What gives thanks Bill

[JRL]

It's a Volvo!
If it contines, someone has to clean out the contacts or replace the bulb housing.
Nothing to do with the harness, they're just trying to get you for some unnecessary big bucks

[daharleyrdr]

Thanks if it continues Ill have to do like you said Ill try to clean the contacts and or replace the bulb housings are they a plug and play deal on the bulb housings? I mean no splicing, and can I get them elsewhere besides the dealer. Yeah a wiring harness replacement did sound a little exreme to me thanks Bill

[daharleyrdr]

Well I got the LED and plugged it in, and It worked but that wasnt the problem as I soon found out. With all the lights on the car turned on I checked the brake lights and they worked, no bulb failure lit on dash.I then opened and closed the hatch when I did the high mount Brake light and the License plate lights flickered on and off when the hatch is opened almost at the top or the point where the gate is fully up the lights flicker off(just the high mount brake light and license plate lights) When I close it about 1/3 of the way they go on and when the hatch is fully closed they all work as they should. I didnt drive it to see if they flicker. I will have to look this weekend, no time now. I think when I unsucessfully tried to change the drivers side strut I remeber jammin a screwdriver in the area od the drivers side hinge near the roof and there was some wires there in a nylon mesh sheet. I wonder if I should check for the wires maybe cut or replace a harness or let the dealer do it but just for labor $125 hr?? Help me guys any Idea, suggestions or wiring diagrams?? Thanks Bill

[JRL]

The harness is a PIA, it goes halfway forward on the car and you have to drop the headliner to plug the front end in

[8pack]

I had the same problem. It is almost certainly a break in one or more of the wires where the harness passes through from the hatch through to the body.


You need to take down the interior plastic pieces that cover the harness on the left side. take the covering off the harness where it passes through the body. the most likely place is where the harness is bent or flexes when you open close the hatch. Carefully separate the wires looking for the broken or torn one(s). cut the bad one through and splice in a patch wire.

If you need more detailed instructions post back and I can give a more detailed step by step...should take about a 1/2 to fix.

8pack

[daharleyrdr]

8Pack
Yes Id appreciate it. When I got home tonight I took a quick look at it Ill tackle it tomorrow morning so any help would be great. I have had the interior pieces off before trying to replace the hatch struts. After reading your post I now realize that the wires on the drivers side hatch hinge in fact run along the hinge and are covered by a black plastic snap on sleeve. I bought some 18-22 gauge wire butt clamps to crimp on hope ill find the bad wires easily. The brake light and license plate lights are affected, thanks for everything Bill

[8pack]

Since you know how to take the interior pieces out we'll skip that....that makes the isntructions easy and I think you already get it.

Take left side interior plastic trim off around the brake light and along the roof rail. you only need the 1st section closest to the rear removed. Since it is cold out be REALLY careful not to crack or break it when removing. It is very brittle in the cold weather (been there, done that).

you will clearly see the harness and where it passes through the hatch. It is attached to the frame with a zip tie or some kind of clip. Look closely, I think if you are careful you can get the harness and the body clip pulled out without breaking the clip. You may have to cut the strap in order to get the plastic covering off, i can't remember. Either way,when you reassemble have some small plastic zip ties handy to put back together once the harness is loose.

Take that black plastic covering off the harness and carefully separate the wires as described below.

When reassembling, don't worry too much about the plastic covering EXCEPT where it passes through the hatch. There is lots of opportunity for the wires to rub and get cut if they are not protected there. Use the zip ties to work the plastic covering back into place and tie down. collect all the wire and zip tie back into a neat tight cable. Don't pull the zip ties too tight. Just tight enough too bunch the wires snugly.

Check the brake lights after you crimp the new wire on and make sure the crimps are really tight. Reassemble and you are done....

Let me know if you find the wire..

[daharleyrdr]

8PACK[
So heres the update. First I want to thank you and everyone on the forum for your help. I got up early, got started pulled the car in the garage took of the interior pieces then the black cover, attached to the hinge covering the wires. Had to cut the strap that held the loom near the side window and gate struts. Then I tried to move the sheathing down first to grt some room to check the wires they looked OK. Then I moved the shething up and couldnt get to look at the whole wire to see if it was broken. I kept trimming off more of the sheath a little at a time then moved it up more out of the way as far up as possible then a broken wire fell out!!. Thats when I found it a small crimp and bend in all the wires in the same area closer to the harness plug inside near the window I cut them,one by one and stripped the insulation and clamped on the Butt Connectors. It was hard to do as there wasnt too much slack to play with and I went thru a few Butt Crimps before I got the process down and how they work. Had to go to Home Depot for more. It was mind boggling because if you looked at the wires the insulation on the outside wasnt broken, just bent so It looked OK but then I realized the way they were bent they were broken inside, away from view. I did 6 or 8 wires one big black one. It took me about 4 hours!! I crimped them and then checked to see what wasnt working, and what was after I crimped them. I had to do the Wiper, Brake Light, License Light, a few times as the butt connectors didnt crimp the wires enough. I then wrapped the Butt Connectors with Electrical Tape individually, then wrapped them all together on the loom also with tape. I was able to get a tie wrap around the loom where I had to cut the original off. I checked the way the gate closes and the loom moves, It looks ok but I hope It will hold up for the long run!!Volvo couldnt come up with a better system, seems a poor design!! If it holds this Summer I may think about putting a sheth over them or shrink wrap. Or maybe replacing the wiring harness in the tailgate I like to keep things stock, but the cost may be too much, If I have the dealer do it what do you think??I wonder if my fix will last!!I now see what everyone was talking about how the wires bend in one place and eventaually break!! Like I said it just amazing that this car when new was over 30K and the Mickey Mouse problembs Volvo should be ashamed putting out something like this I know over time things wear out but please!!! I just wouldnt expect from this class of car!!I also put in the new Hatch Struts, so for now Im happy and proud of myself!!! To everyone Thanks again I appreciate it Bill

[8pack]

The fix should hold if everything is crimped tightly. The only thing that might cause you a problem is it sounds like you did not splice in new wire between each of the breaks. That means the harness might be a little shorter now and as the trunk opens and closes you will be pulling on the crimps. one may eventually break lose.

If that happens, don't be discouraged. Wait for warmer weather and buy as many different color wires as you can find and that match the colors in the harness. Since it sounds like you cut every wire, you can recut them and insert a 3-4" (or more) extension wire between the cuts effectively lengthening the harness and giving it plenty of play. If you REALLY want to do the repair right, get rid of the butt connectors, buy some heat shrink wire covering for the right size wire, and solder in the extension wires and slide the heat shrink tubing down over the soldered connection. Hit each joint with a heat gun or gently and quickly rub the soldering iron over the heat shrink tubing until it shrinks tightly around the wire.

Net, net, you know exactly what is wrong, there is no reason to replace the wiring harness unless you just want the "original" in there which is what has given you a problem in the first place. Save the money, invest some time if you have it if the fix doesn't hold.

FYI, keep an eye on the engine temp. if you notice it running below dead center or cold, you have a bad thermostat of temp sender. Mine went at 115k.

Best of luck....