V70 Body/Trim: Tailgate wont open

[KATANA MAN]

Many thanks for the info on the tail gate not opening.

Had the same problem with mine last Friday!

Popped the top of the panel off and pushed the black spoon until the tailgate opened.Took out the latch mechanism and pushed the plunger back in and all appeared to be working fine. Re-fitted the mechanism and it worked for a few times then the white plunger jammed on the outward stroke again.

Took the little white gearbox apart and greased everything up with some clear silicon grease and put everything back together!

Now Working great again!

Saved me a lot of hastle trying to find how to get the tailgate open!

Many thanks!

Kat man

[darrell21]

Thank you so much. I managed to repair the tailgate my self.

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.

[darrell21]

Thank you so much, I can now use my estate for what i bought it for. The tailgate is now working fine. The problem was split wires in the hinge behind the sock. Before i had no idear how to open the tailgate without ripping eveything to bits. Even my neighbours were impressed. Thanks again great info.

[rsxer63]

good info... I was wondering why occasionally the tailgate wouldn't open.

[RogerWalker]

I have actioned all the wonderful advice given in this thread yet my tailgate stays stubbornly unlockable with the key fob. The solenoid is OK as I can manually actuate it with a 12V battery. The little microswitch which closes when the tailgate is in the locked position [and presumably tells the main computer whether the tailgate is open or closed] is OK. The solenoid piston is lubed and free running and the wiring loom that passes over the left side tailgate hinge looks like new with no sign of chafing

I have checked back with a voltmeter to the fusebox in the cargo compartment, the 10Amp fuse [sixth down from the top on left] that the manual says protects the tailgate lock is intact but there is no DC voltage either side of it when lock/unlock is actuated to feed the lock solenoid. The fuse appears to be fed from one of the relays on that fusebank - could it be a duff relay? Without a circuit diagram I am reluctant to delve much deeper without expert help. Anyone out there got access to a wiring diagram for a 2001 V70 2.4T estate please? Roger Walker

[willfromsussex]

Hi Roger (you're only up the road from me) I'm also getting tailgate probs but I think its mechanical binding in the gearbox/plunger area, I'm amazed it can jam itself so much that the motor cannot reverse it!) however thinking about yours, I wonder if there is a break in the harness in the 'sense' (microswitch) wire which means the brain is not allowing the signal to the motor as it still thinks it is open. Have you pulled the hinge cover off and pulled sock along the cable to get a decent look at all the wires? Mine actually seemed ok but the copper had gone quite hard in a couple of the cables, meaning future trouble I expect.

Do you want me to measure my fuse and see if it gets volts when I operate the lock?

[willfromsussex]

pics of harness

[Beemer2]

Originally Posted by willfromsussex

Hi Roger (you're only up the road from me) I'm also getting tailgate probs but I think its mechanical binding in the gearbox/plunger area, I'm amazed it can jam itself so much that the motor cannot reverse it!) however thinking about yours, I wonder if there is a break in the harness in the 'sense' (microswitch) wire which means the brain is not allowing the signal to the motor as it still thinks it is open. Have you pulled the hinge cover off and pulled sock along the cable to get a decent look at all the wires? Mine actually seemed ok but the copper had gone quite hard in a couple of the cables, meaning future trouble I expect.

Do you want me to measure my fuse and see if it gets volts when I operate the lock?

Will,

I have the same trouble and after my Volvo garage had investigated that same harness is now looking a sorry mess having been stripped of its outer sheath then wrapped in black tape for its whole length! Have you investigated the cost of this part of harness?

Beemer

[willfromsussex]

no, I have stripped and rebuilt the locking motor gearbox today and so far it seems to be working. I would never have bought a new harness anyway, just soldered in new pieces of cable.

[xc70jason]

What's the chance of this thread being made a sticky?.It certianly deserve's too be.Regard's jason