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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2016
    Location
    Spokane WA
    Posts
    47

    Default Drivers side rear lights.

    Afternoon all, I am at my wits end here and my last remaining three hairs are about to fall(or be torn out) so I need someones help. I have spent the last four hours taking out the trim and removing my upper rear light module to change the bulbs.The message said position light but apparently it always says that and it could be any or all of them.As it turned out there were two duff bulbs and I have replaced them and put it all back together.Now I have no lights at all on that side,I was wondering seeing this is a funky Volvo and they have minds of there own,whether there was some procedure I have to follow to reactivate them or is it a simple(sic) wiring problem. Aftr much testing I find I do not have power to the little green plug that feeds the upper cluster and I don't know why.Actually I don't have power to the lower set either which is why i think the problem is elsewhere.Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated ,thanks in advance.
    Geoff G.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    Windsor, ON, Canada
    Posts
    44

    Default

    I would start by saying check your fuses. Not sure why you had to rip into the trim to gain access to bulbs. Only time I had to open up rear trims was to actually replace the physical lens itself.
    Hers- 04 XC70 2.5T, 300KM
    His- 04 S60 2.4, 310KM

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Mar 2016
    Location
    Spokane WA
    Posts
    47

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by br0dy View Post
    I would start by saying check your fuses. Not sure why you had to rip into the trim to gain access to bulbs. Only time I had to open up rear trims was to actually replace the physical lens itself.
    Thanks for the reply brOdy.I spent most of yesterday trying to get my hands in there to get the bulbs back in but my hands are too big ad not bendy enough(arthritis).Re the fuses,yes I have power to the fuses ,I meant to say that in my post.There are two green wires and a yellow wire going to that plug,and a black one i assume is ground and no power to any of them.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    Windsor, ON, Canada
    Posts
    44

    Default



    Here's the wiring diagram for your rear tail lights. I believe position light can mean either the front, rear, or side marker "turn signal" lights? I might be wrong on this.. whenver I have a bulb failure I turn on the 4-way hazards and walk around the car while my wife plays around with the shifter and brake pedal.

    It seems your issue is isolated to RSH5 or RSH4 which are the shunts for the tail lights. Swap them and see if the issue follows the shunt? That's where I would start.. also check continuity of that green wiring feeding your tail light make sure you have continuity and notihng shorted to ground fault. Sorry I am learning myself so hopefully I am not giving you a bum steer.

    Also just thought of something. Did you plug back in the interior ceiling light that had to be unplugged for the top trim? I seem to remember that causing an issue when I had mine apart.
    Last edited by br0dy; 08-13-2019 at 05:25 PM.
    Hers- 04 XC70 2.5T, 300KM
    His- 04 S60 2.4, 310KM

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Location
    GA
    Posts
    1,420

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Geoff69a1 View Post
    removing my UPPER rear light module to change the bulbs.The message said position light
    You have 4 "position" (parking) lights the bulb out system cares about. They are 4 - 5 watt filaments in the LOWER tail lamps. Usually two #67 bulbs on one side and a 67 and a two filament bulb (21w and 5w for rear fog and parking) on the other side.

    The front "position" lights can be burnt out and you won't get a warning. No warning for side lamps and license plate lamps either. The Volvo bulb out system usually only cares about 2 low beams, 4 parking lamps, 3 brake lights on a 01-07. You can get turn signal/rear fog lamp warnings on some cars.

    If you replaced bulbs and stuff does not work - either you did not get the bulb holders in correctly (easy to put them back in wrong) or you could have shorted something out which would make the CEM turn the power off to that circuit. To restore power usually you would have to fix the short and then sometimes have to use VIDA to erase the code to restore power.

    The outer brake lights (1156, 21 watt) are in the UPPER tail lamps and the bulb holders commonly have melted connections that require UPPER tail lamp replacement.

    Yes there is very little room to get your hands in to replace the bulbs - a trick is - once you get a bulb holder out - never put it down, never let go of it until it's reinstalled - if you do it is almost impossible to figure out how to put it back in

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Location
    Calgary, AB
    Posts
    20

    Default

    Geoff, I was dealing with the same issue last year, and found that our local dealer would send an assistant tech out with you to install your bulb if you bought the bulb from them. Young guy with skinny hands. Lol. Worth a try!
    '06 XC70 (Ice White) - 2.5T-Auto -102K Miles to-date
    '93 850 GLT -2.4L-Std - the Red Rocket - gone
    '80 240DL -B21F-Std - killed in 2015 by a Mazda outside our house @282k kms

  7. #7

    Default

    What Hoonk said about not putting it down, if you DIY it. Too late now, I know. I too have wrestled with that bulb, the lower on on the tail lights and it took forever to get it back in. I've never seen a car go through light bulbs as my 2004 does. It's crazy. I hate the driver side headlight when you have to take out the air filter box to get enough room. And my LF low beam headlight is messed up inside, the part where the bulb is held. So I can not aim it properly. Since when does the bulb support inside a modern halogen headlight fail! Ugh...

    And I forgot to mention that if all else fails, use the heel of your hand and whack the side of the car near the light a few times. That worked once for me and, knock wood, the light still lights! I got the idea from an internet post - it has worked for others.
    Objects in closer are mirror than they appear.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Mar 2016
    Location
    Spokane WA
    Posts
    47

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by br0dy View Post


    Here's the wiring diagram for your rear tail lights. I believe position light can mean either the front, rear, or side marker "turn signal" lights? I might be wrong on this.. whenver I have a bulb failure I turn on the 4-way hazards and walk around the car while my wife plays around with the shifter and brake pedal.

    It seems your issue is isolated to RSH5 or RSH4 which are the shunts for the tail lights. Swap them and see if the issue follows the shunt? That's where I would start.. also check continuity of that green wiring feeding your tail light make sure you have continuity and notihng shorted to ground fault. Sorry I am learning myself so hopefully I am not giving you a bum steer.

    Also just thought of something. Did you plug back in the interior ceiling light that had to be unplugged for the top trim? I seem to remember that causing an issue when I had mine apart.
    Thanks for the diagram brOdy,unfortunately it might as well be in Martian as far as I'm concerned,I can't make head or tail of it. I'm following up on what Hoonk said about the system turning off.I'll report back any progress in tha direction.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Sep 2002
    Location
    Belgium
    Posts
    2,404

    Default

    Deleted, clearly not relevant.
    Last edited by Willy; 08-15-2019 at 01:05 PM.
    144 GL (1974)--->244 GL (1982)--->940 GLE 2.3i (1992)--->XC70 2.5T (2004)--->XC90 T5 (2018)

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Location
    GA
    Posts
    1,420

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Geoff69a1 View Post
    might as well be in Martian,I can't make head or tail of it.
    Here is a portion of that Diagram. 10/18 and 10/17 are the left and right LOWER tail lamps. A green with white stripe wire (GR-W) on one side and a green (GR) wire on the other feed battery voltage to the rear parking lights. Note the jumper from terminal a:1 to terminal a:5 on the left side - appears to be a single bulb up top (the circle with the x in it) and a double filament bulb below (two small x's) - Meaning 2 parking bulbs on each side. Terminal a:6 on the left side has a black wire (SB) which is the ground wire, shared with the ground for the Licence plate lights (10/3) The ground wire terminates at 31/72 which is a bolt in the body - the location of which is listed in the back of the wiring diagram books. The areas that look like there should be wires going to them on the tail lamps actually do - the lower two points below a:1 and a:5 on the left tail lamp are for the rear fog lamp and the reverse lamp. Only the wiring pertinent to title of the diagram is shown. But the other two wires in the connector should be a blue wire for the reverse bulb and a pink wire for the rear fog bulb.

    With the parking lights on you should find Battery voltage @ the GR-W wire and the GR wire. The REM (rear electronic module) determines when to send power to the parking lights via instruction over the CAN (controller area network) network from the CEM (central electronic module). Parking lights are fused left and right. In the larger diagram the fuses are called 11C/30 and 11C/31. All the left parking lights (1 in front and 2 in the rear) are on one fuse, the right 3 on the other. The right fuse (11C/31) appears to supply power to the license plate lamps also.

    Fuses 11C/30 and 11C/31 are in the "C" fuse box, position 30 and 31. There are 5 fuse boxes in the car, the "C" fuse box is under the cover on the left end of the dashboard, visible/accessible with the door open, and there is a legend on the back of the cover.

    But going back to your original post - you said you removed the UPPER tail lamp to replace bulbs - did you replace bulbs in the UPPER and now you have Parking light problems? The UPPER tail lamp has the brake and turn signal bulbs in it.


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    Last edited by hoonk; 08-15-2019 at 10:41 AM.

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