V70 Body/Trim: Tailgate wont open

[pd154]

Chopped of the locking "ram", stabilized to the other piece there, the white piece, and it seems to work well.

[zijldun]

Thanks for original post from 2008, still useful 2015 (V70, 2001 reg) - just fixed stuck boot (had to make hole in trim to access opening spoon / catch but once boot was open just followed instructions...
I couldn't open pictures from original post - I contacted Volvo forum but they said pictures lost in server change last year. Doh! Just seen pictures posted #96!

[Larryjw]

Thanks for the detailed post! On my 05 plate V70 the tailgate wouldn't unlock, and the rear wash-wipe stopped working it seems at the same time. Unlocked the tailgate today (using your method) and then tried to find what must be a faulty connection. Had to take out 5 panels to get to the corner for the wiring harness (good job there is a lot of load space in the V70 to put it all...). Then cut back a bit of insulation tape at the top and bottom of the fabric and rubber sheath that "protects" (that's a laugh!) part of the harness that goes through the hinge and into the car, so I could pull it back and inspect the wires themselves.....what did I find ? 5 (yes five) completely separated wires !!! I suppose the car is 10 years old, so that must be a lot of opening & shutting the tailgate, but smacks of inferior quality wiring to me. The harness is not made in Sweden, I won't say what's on the label, but you get my drift. Anyway, five crimped connectors (and a great deal of panel re-fitting) later and everything now works - but I'll get ready for the next batch of broken wires in due course. Thanks for the original post, and later comments; all very helpfull. Not a difficult job in the end, but a lot of time taken - and a lot of money that the Main Dealer didn't get - cost me £1.50 for the connectors!!

[Brendan W]

Originally Posted by Larryjw

cost me £1.50 for the connectors!!

You was robbed

[Itsmemrb]

Originally Posted by Symes

I thought it might be good to ‘celebrate’ my 100th post by putting together a quick ‘how to’ which will might help if / when your tailgate refuses to open! This problem generally is either down to the wiring loom failing where it flexes at the hinge, or the lock itself – however there are also fuses and relays which should be checked before you start taking your car apart!

Assuming the initial checks point to wiring or lock, you’ll need to open the tailgate to remove the trim.

Before you can repair the lock or wiring, there’s a bit of a struggle involved to reach the mechanism.

Lower the rear seat(s) and climb into the loadspace, then carefully ease the top of the rear tailgate trim away from the frame. <IMG SRC="tailgate.jpg"><img src="trim removal.jpg">

Take care as you don’t want to split the plastic.
Once you have created a gap you can look down into the tailgate interior and see the lock, using a long screwdriver, or similar, press down on the ‘spoon’ as shown. <IMG SRC="tailgate interior.jpg"><img src="spoon.jpg">


The lock will disengage allowing you to carefully remove the trim.

Remove the trim around the hinge and inspect the loom which may show signs of wear and tear – repairs will be much cheaper than replacing the section of loom – as long as you ‘re handy with a soldering iron and heatshrink! If like me, you’re lucky the only damage will be some breakage to the insulation – I took a short cut and just used insulation tape to make each cracked wire safe.

To remove the lock itself:

Disengage the arm connecting the exterior handle to the lock, remove the electrical connections and unbolt the lock itself.

Once removed it was easy to see what had occurred – the solenoid had over extended, pushing the actuator arm past it’s normal position so it ‘misses’ the ‘spoon’.<IMG SRC="actuator.jpg"><img src="lock assembly.jpg>

Closer inspection of the solenoid showed that the sliding pin was ‘dry’ and showed signs of binding.
<IMG SRC="solenoid.jpg"><img src="solenoid2.jpg>

I decided to break down the solenoid further, the unit is secured with lugs which can be opened with a small screwdriver.
<IMG SRC="solenoid3.jpg">


The internal screw and cog mechanisms were greased, but the sliding pin had no lubrication where it contacts the housing.
<IMG SRC="solenoid4.jpg"><img src="solenid5.jpg>

Nothing ventured, nothing gained, so I cleaned up the pin and filled the grooves with vaseline before reassembling the solenoid into the lock mechanism.
<IMG SRC="solenoid6.jpg">

Refit the lock into the tailgate and reconnect the wiring loom, do not fit the trim until you are happy that the lock is operating reliably!

It's been 6 months since I repaired my V70 tailgate lock and so far the mechanism has operated flawlessly.

hi was wondering if u still have the pictures to this thread as have issues with my tail gate. thanx

[4candles]

girl with gun.jpg


Don't think she see's too good, but eventually i think she may just get your catch working... ps. stand behind her!

[Symes]

Hi itsmemrb,

The photos are on page 10, post #96

Hth

[mattyda23]

will this method work on a 2008 v70??

[Symes]

Hi mattyda23,

I'm afraid I don't know the answer to that one... I've only done this with the Phase2 models - although I can imagine that the design of the P3 isn't much different...

You'll probably be best posting the question in the P3 section. ;-)

[StuAgain]

My '99 V70 had the stuck tailgate and after getting the trim off from the inside, checking wiring and greasing solenoid, still jamming! Found that the 7 seater has an internal release handle (sensibly), so examined the mechanism and saw that a rod could be attached to the white plastic actuator via a plastic catch.
Useful wire from a coathanger suitably bent, attached to the plastic catch and a couple of holes drilled through the internal metalwork and the trim and bingo a release lever topped with a knob from a golf tee fitted to it after the trim replaced.