S80: Electrical - That bonnet switch!

hippy996 · Mar 26th, 2018, 19:48

Hi, I have searched the forum and although many posts about this can't find a specific answer to help me, I have a 2013 S80 and have the bonnet open light on permanently and the alarm sounding randomly. After some reading I believe I can short out the bonnet switch which will stop this from happening. I have seen a black plug sat adjacent to the headlamp unit (right side when sitting in the seats), it has two wires in and two out. Is this the plug and is it just a case of joining the two wires together?

MartinK · Mar 27th, 2018, 09:08

Whilst I can't answer your direct Q, I have had the same problem, and found that a liberal squirt of ACF50 fixed mine...

I think it was just winter damp and crud that was stopping it working

Been ok since, but I do reapply a squirt of ACF occasionally.

Same applies to the rear door opener - sometimes it sticks, but a wee blast of ACF50 every so often keeps it sweet

hippy996 · Mar 28th, 2018, 07:51

Yes, had already tried using WD40 everyday for 4 days and working the bonnet catches to no avail.
Anyway, yesterday I went for it and pulled the plug, checked the voltage and only 1.6 volts feed so put a short across the two pins. Bingo! lights flashed again on locking (wouldn't flash before as it thought the bonnet was open) and the bonnet open indication with warning triangle disappeared! The alarm has not gone off either.
I then cut the two wires on the bonnet side of the plug and crimped them together for a permanent short.
The only downsides are that there will be no warning that I have left the bonnet open but to be fair I had driven for 30 years in cars without a warning and never had a problem and the alarm wouldn't go off if the bonnet is lifted!
These are minor issues considering what Volvo wanted to charge me for the repair.......£150 diagnostic fee to determine the fault (even though I am telling them what it is) and then £144 per hour labour for repairs plus parts.........(they do give you £50 back from diagnostic if you have the repair done, very generous).

Tatsfield · May 2nd, 2018, 12:42

I also have the "Bonnet Open" message. I unplugged the twin cable connector on the right side of the car and put a paperclip jumper across the feed and the warning went. So I suppose this is conclusive that the car is not receiving a circuit closed signal from the switch and despite spraying with a lot of WD40 Silicone Spray, it doesn't seem to want to operate. I cannot leave the cable plugged in as the alarm goes off at random. I also have a warning that the alarm needs servicing.. Is the switch easy to DIY change? if it were renewed could I bank on the crisis being over or could the fault be in the alarm as well? Am I taking any risk of damaging the system if I leave the paperclip in place shorting out the switch feed?

In addition to my woes, I have failed for the multiple time to install VIDA on my laptop and cannot carry out any diagnostics. I am going to post a plea for help with the installation but meanwhile I either leave the paperclip in place or take a bulging wallet round to the dealers!

IJMOK · May 8th, 2018, 15:29

Hi,

Wrap the paperclip in some electrical tape, this will stop it shorting out,

As above, just be aware that the bonnet sensor system wont tell you if you leave it open...

Vida can be a pain to install, its heavily dependent on having the right version if Internet Explorer installed,

I succeeded in the end by installing it to a clean inside a virtual machine

Rob

Tatsfield · May 8th, 2018, 21:46

Thanks Rob for reminding me that the paperclip could touch some other conductor and cause problems. It wasn't touching anything when left but movement of the car and vibration could move the p[osition of the hanging plug! Thanks.

m3yky · Jul 17th, 2019, 11:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tatsfield

I also have the "Bonnet Open" message. I unplugged the twin cable connector on the right side of the car and put a paperclip jumper across the feed and the warning went. So I suppose this is conclusive that the car is not receiving a circuit closed signal from the switch and despite spraying with a lot of WD40 Silicone Spray, it doesn't seem to want to operate. I cannot leave the cable plugged in as the alarm goes off at random. I also have a warning that the alarm needs servicing.. Is the switch easy to DIY change? if it were renewed could I bank on the crisis being over or could the fault be in the alarm as well? Am I taking any risk of damaging the system if I leave the paperclip in place shorting out the switch feed?

In addition to my woes, I have failed for the multiple time to install VIDA on my laptop and cannot carry out any diagnostics. I am going to post a plea for help with the installation but meanwhile I either leave the paperclip in place or take a bulging wallet round to the dealers!

Did this myself over the weekend! Great fix. Just double check the bonnet is shut of course!

stevieturbo · Jan 4th, 2021, 22:06

2012 V70 same problem. Bonnet open message appeared on the way to Tesco. Doesn't appear to be setting the alarm off at the minute, so that's nice.

Certainly all the mechanical aspects of the mechanism are working, nothing sticky, connector and wires appear to be in good condition.

Sprayed some WD in just to see what would happen. Not a lot really. Wherever the actual microswitch is, looks like a bit of a bugger to get at.

Shorting might just do in the meantime.

SpooForBrains · May 11th, 2018, 16:06

I have the same issue. Can you explain as if to an idiot where on the car the connector is and if I have to remove anything to access it? I've looked at the image above and compared it to a photo of the engine bay of my car and I can't work out what I'm looking at. Mine is an '07 S80 V8, so it may be that the engine bay is laid out slightly differently.

Edit: OK, I reread the post and then worked out which way the photo in the first post is orientated, so just to confirm, this is where I should be looking? Unfortunately my engine is in the way!

volvo bonnet catch switch.jpg

Tatsfield · May 12th, 2018, 15:05

Yes the connector is just inboard of the headlight mounting and faces in line with the car. There is a retaining clip on the plug. Pull out the plug and insert a "U" shaped bent paperclip onto the two connector sockets. Insulate the protruding bare metal clip The car then believes that the micro switch is closed. This is only a work-around not a fix.

This advice is based upon my experience with my 2012 XC70 and may not apply to your older S80. However there will be a connector and it will be short circuitable.

Mar 27th, 2018, 09:08	#2
MartinK Senior Member Last Online: Jan 10th, 2019 14:27 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Edinburgh & Aviemore	Whilst I can't answer your direct Q, I have had the same problem, and found that a liberal squirt of ACF50 fixed mine... I think it was just winter damp and crud that was stopping it working Been ok since, but I do reapply a squirt of ACF occasionally. Same applies to the rear door opener - sometimes it sticks, but a wee blast of ACF50 every so often keeps it sweet __________________ 2009 XC70SE Geartronic

May 2nd, 2018, 12:42	#4
Tatsfield Premier Member Last Online: Apr 25th, 2024 17:47 Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: Poole	I also have the "Bonnet Open" message. I unplugged the twin cable connector on the right side of the car and put a paperclip jumper across the feed and the warning went. So I suppose this is conclusive that the car is not receiving a circuit closed signal from the switch and despite spraying with a lot of WD40 Silicone Spray, it doesn't seem to want to operate. I cannot leave the cable plugged in as the alarm goes off at random. I also have a warning that the alarm needs servicing.. Is the switch easy to DIY change? if it were renewed could I bank on the crisis being over or could the fault be in the alarm as well? Am I taking any risk of damaging the system if I leave the paperclip in place shorting out the switch feed? In addition to my woes, I have failed for the multiple time to install VIDA on my laptop and cannot carry out any diagnostics. I am going to post a plea for help with the installation but meanwhile I either leave the paperclip in place or take a bulging wallet round to the dealers! __________________ 2012 XC70 SE Lux Polestar 230 bhp D5 Auto Oyster Grey

May 8th, 2018, 21:46	#6
Tatsfield Premier Member Last Online: Apr 25th, 2024 17:47 Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: Poole	Thanks Rob for reminding me that the paperclip could touch some other conductor and cause problems. It wasn't touching anything when left but movement of the car and vibration could move the p[osition of the hanging plug! Thanks. __________________ 2012 XC70 SE Lux Polestar 230 bhp D5 Auto Oyster Grey

May 11th, 2018, 16:06	#9
SpooForBrains New Member Last Online: May 18th, 2018 13:57 Join Date: Apr 2018 Location: Havant	I have the same issue. Can you explain as if to an idiot where on the car the connector is and if I have to remove anything to access it? I've looked at the image above and compared it to a photo of the engine bay of my car and I can't work out what I'm looking at. Mine is an '07 S80 V8, so it may be that the engine bay is laid out slightly differently. Edit: OK, I reread the post and then worked out which way the photo in the first post is orientated, so just to confirm, this is where I should be looking? Unfortunately my engine is in the way! volvo bonnet catch switch.jpg Last edited by SpooForBrains; May 11th, 2018 at 16:12.

May 12th, 2018, 15:05	#10
Tatsfield Premier Member Last Online: Apr 25th, 2024 17:47 Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: Poole	Yes the connector is just inboard of the headlight mounting and faces in line with the car. There is a retaining clip on the plug. Pull out the plug and insert a "U" shaped bent paperclip onto the two connector sockets. Insulate the protruding bare metal clip The car then believes that the micro switch is closed. This is only a work-around not a fix. This advice is based upon my experience with my 2012 XC70 and may not apply to your older S80. However there will be a connector and it will be short circuitable. __________________ 2012 XC70 SE Lux Polestar 230 bhp D5 Auto Oyster Grey Last edited by Tatsfield; May 12th, 2018 at 15:27.

Mar 28th, 2018, 07:51	#3
hippy996 New Member Last Online: Feb 8th, 2024 10:05 Join Date: Mar 2018 Location: Cannock	Yes, had already tried using WD40 everyday for 4 days and working the bonnet catches to no avail. Anyway, yesterday I went for it and pulled the plug, checked the voltage and only 1.6 volts feed so put a short across the two pins. Bingo! lights flashed again on locking (wouldn't flash before as it thought the bonnet was open) and the bonnet open indication with warning triangle disappeared! The alarm has not gone off either. I then cut the two wires on the bonnet side of the plug and crimped them together for a permanent short. The only downsides are that there will be no warning that I have left the bonnet open but to be fair I had driven for 30 years in cars without a warning and never had a problem and the alarm wouldn't go off if the bonnet is lifted! These are minor issues considering what Volvo wanted to charge me for the repair.......£150 diagnostic fee to determine the fault (even though I am telling them what it is) and then £144 per hour labour for repairs plus parts.........(they do give you £50 back from diagnostic if you have the repair done, very generous).

May 8th, 2018, 15:29	#5
IJMOK Junior Member Last Online: Oct 26th, 2021 17:50 Join Date: May 2012 Location: Cheltenham View Photos By: IJMOK	Hi, Wrap the paperclip in some electrical tape, this will stop it shorting out, As above, just be aware that the bonnet sensor system wont tell you if you leave it open... Vida can be a pain to install, its heavily dependent on having the right version if Internet Explorer installed, I succeeded in the end by installing it to a clean inside a virtual machine Rob

Jan 4th, 2021, 22:06	#8
stevieturbo Member Last Online: May 10th, 2023 17:58 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Antrim	2012 V70 same problem. Bonnet open message appeared on the way to Tesco. Doesn't appear to be setting the alarm off at the minute, so that's nice. Certainly all the mechanical aspects of the mechanism are working, nothing sticky, connector and wires appear to be in good condition. Sprayed some WD in just to see what would happen. Not a lot really. Wherever the actual microswitch is, looks like a bit of a bugger to get at. Shorting might just do in the meantime.

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)