940 Towbar Electrics

Hi,

Can anyone help?

I have just bought my first Volvo (1994 940 Wentworth Auto, 2ltr + Turbo) and want to fit a towbar.

I think I have ordered the necesssary kit to do the job but I have a question or two that someone out there may be able to help with?

1. Where is the bulb failure module located? there is small black box stuck to th rear near side wheel arch is this it or is it with the fuses/relays in the centre console?

2. Do I need to worry about the module if I have the necessary bypass relay?

3. Can I wire the bypass relay into the relevant wires "after"the bulb failure module?

4. I have been told there might be a socket or power supply at the rear of the vehicle avoiding the need to go back to the battery for power, if so where?

5. Has anyone done this before and can offer the benefit of their experience?

Thanks in anticipation

Stevedon

Ps. Apart from fuel consumption (the jurys still out!) I now know why people chose Volvo - its BRILLIANT! and I am now a convert.

[Peter Milnes]

Both saloons and estates of this year have the 10-pin connector in the boot area. If you go to the dealer he will probably be able to sell you a connector prewired to plug into the socket, but will more likely look dumb and say huhhh! The bulb failure module has already been taken into account if you have the connector. I have done this to my 945 (1996 model) and have had no problems at all. I also have a 12S plug/socket on my caravan which only has three wires to connect in. However I have yet to do this extra and am working on modifying the wiring to take my own connection block as the wires are not really thick enough to take battery charging and refrigerator current levels.

However the connecting code is as follows the connector being coded as D5. Pin 1 (Green), left indicator, goes to pin 1 (Yellow) of the 12N connector. Pin 2 (Violet/White), Foglamps, goes to pin 2 (Blue) of the 12N, but follow connecton instructions for the version of 12N you use. Pin 3 (Black), Earth, goes to pin 3 (White) of the 12N. Pin 4 (Blue/Green),right indicator, goes to pin 4 (Green) of the 12N. Pin 5 (Grey), right tail, goes to pin 5 (Brown) and also pin 7 (Black), if using foglight cutout, of the 12N. Pin 6 (Yellow/Brown), brake light, goes to pin 6 (Red) of the 12N. Pin 7 (White) left tail, goes to pin 7 (Black), (but ONLY if you do not have a foglight cut out switch). The other three connections are for 12S connector and are as follows: pin 8 (Grey/Black), reverse light, goes to pin 1 (Yellow) of the 12S. Pin 9 (White/Black), Battery 12V (car) from fuse 3, goes to pin 4 (Green) of the 12S. Pin 10 (Blue/Green), Ignition on 12V (car) from fuse 8, goes to pin 2 (Blue) of the 12S If I recall correctly. The White wire on pin 3 of the 12S goes to the Black wire on pin 3 of the D% connector as it is another earth. However it has to take the current of the refrigerator and battery charging so I actually connect both white wires (12N and 12S) directly to the car earth point, not to pin 3 of the D5 connector.

All the best, Peter

Thanks for your advice, Peter

I have had a quick look for this 10 pin connector in the floor storage area and rear quarter panels(although I emphasise, a quick look. Do you or anyone else know where its likely to be or what it looks like, is it round? I have found a small black box fixed to the top of rear near wheel arch but I think is is something else. There are no other obvious connectors, is it tucked away up in the quarter panels, do these need to be removed? It seems unlikely but you never know, someone might

Thanks

Stevedon

[Peter Milnes]

In estates it is found under the left hand removable floor corner panel and hangs fronm the wiring loom for the lighting. it is a black rectangular object with ten wires going to it. I think that on saloons it is behind the side cloth very near to the rear lights or maybe even underneath the lefthand lamp cluster. The small black box is for the ABS rear sensor/Speedometer signal wiring,

All the best, Peter

Peter, thanks for your input.

Things have moved on a bit. I have spoken to two separate dealers who advise me that a number of Wentworth variants exist but on most models this connector doesn't exist and it is necessary to tap into the circuits protected by the bulb failure system before the control relay which I understand is located behind the fuse block in the centre console.

However I have spoken to Towsure who supply a suitable Smartcom bypass relay which allows tapping into the protected circuits at the rear of the vehicle avoiding running separate cables from the front to the back of the vehicle.

One other tip they gave was instead of using the designated fuse connections at 3 & 8 it is easier to run separate power supply cables direct from the battery. In addition they say its also easier to run the cables under the car clipped out of the way to say the brake pipes rather than stripping out all the thresholds etc. to route through the vehicle. Apparently addtional protection of this cabling is not required but I have to say I think some protective sleeving would be a good idea.

This all sounds very logical but if you or any others have any further ideas or can see any pitfalls I would be grateful for your views.

Thanks

Stevedon

[Peter Milnes]

The thresholds are undone by some starhead screws which means a starheaded socket set is needed (or a starheaded screwdriver) to undo the screws. It is very easy to run any cable under carpets and threshold panels to the rear with the advantage that they cannot get ripped off by any obstruction that is driven over inadvertantly.

I can assure that the towing hook connector is listed in the 1994 wiring Green book for 940 series cars. Your best bet is to e-mail Volvo Cars UK who will tell you if there are exceptions.

If you check your VIN, the letter in the middle (tenth digit) should be R for 1994 model. However it is possible that the letter may be P (1993 model) in which case it is quite possible that the connector does not exist.

All the best, Peter

If you do run cables direct from the battery for this, or any other reason they MUST be protected by an appropriatly rated fuse AT THE BATTERY END not at the load end !
If this is not done, and the cable shorts out to earth, you will probably have a fire as a result.
Colin.

Thanks to Colin and Peter

Peter, I have taken your advice and emailed VC UK ref the socket, hopefully they will be able to help.

Colin, thanks for tip ref power supply fuse at battery end (any idea on rating?). The direct feed from the battery still sounds like a better option than threading cable from the fuses around the dash and through the thresholds. I was thinking of securely clipping cable under the car to say brake lines or similar; with adequate protection the possiblity of damage should be minimal.

Thanks

Stevedon

Ps. Once I have the towbar out of the way there are a couple of other items I would like to pick peoples brains on such as how do you check aircon, it doesn't seem to work, it may simply need recharging but the * button doesn't illuminate, I think it should - is this bulb or symptomatic of something else.

Special Thanks to Peter

I have just fitted the towbar and all went well. During the installation lo and behold the elusive 10 pin connector that 2 dealers said didn't exist was found and made life very easy- Peter you were right all along!!

Thanks to Colin,

The power supply under the car was easily and safely routed with a 10A fuse at the battery.

Regards

Stevedon

[ivor940]

Re Volvo towing wire kit, have just fitted one and it made the job very easy. One note of caution, check the bracket which holds the socket if it is not a Volvo one. The wires may chaffe at the centre hole as the wires are "potted" and are not close together as they exit the socket. You may have to enlargen the hole.

ivor940

94 940 2.0 SE Turbo Estate 5 spd 143k

VOC member