Electrical: Tailgate loom..........again!

[migrator]

Is that using the very flexible multimeter flex available in red and in black from e.g. Halfords?"

It really was a long time back, now. The cable was some that I had acquired during my early 'home mechanicing' - the insulation was more flexible than the normal 'shop bought' reels and it was slightly thicker than those reels. That was another reason for using both hinges.

[Stephen Edwin]

Migrator I'm tending towards using off the shelf very flexible wire either in loops or within the hinges. The multimeter wire sold by Maplin sounds like what you describe. It's a job for warmer weather though.

Angie re trouble with number plate lights it depends on the nature of the trouble. Could the trouble be the lights themselves? The design of the lights is not good. They decline with age. I've fitted one brand new light and am ready to change the other if necessary. I used a genine Volvo light. I like to keep the jam jar as a Volvo. ALthough I'm not a purist liike Sir Anthony!

Or as an entirely functional approach one could find and use a pair of good carefully selected "screw to the tailgate" lights, perhaps LED?

[Paul240480]

This how I did it on my current 240. A loop both sides. Still all good.

http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=119074

On my old Tors, I rewired through the hinges. I used pond pump wire from a garden centre, as it's very flexible

[tannachyallen]

Originally Posted by Paul240480

This how I did it on my current 240. A loop both sides. Still all good.

http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=119074

On my old Tors, I rewired through the hinges. I used pond pump wire from a garden centre, as it's very flexible

Many thanks Paul!

Dave A.

[Jungle_Jim]

I bought a new pair tailgate looms for each side from partsforvolvonline not long ago. I haven't put them in yet... but my tailgate is slowly losing its faculties - though nothing MOT failure yet.

But I was thinking if the new cables don't last more than a few years I was going to investigate ribbon cables - larger versions of the sort of flat cables you get in computers. I was thinking if the ampage rating was ok, and they were sufficiently uv-proof in that spot where they are exposed to sunlight just on the hinge, then these could be a way to have cables which can withstand the flexing. I did source some ribbon cable of correct ampage online - I imagined 'stacking' them vertically on one another, and shielding them from uv on the hinge with some uv-resistant tape. That might be more longer-lasting than the stock stuff.

Either that or do the visible loop and be done with it.

John

[Clifford Pope]

I've been in this situation (who hasn't ?) several times with different cars.
The first time I bought the proper cables, went through all the palaver of removing the hinges, supporting the tailgate, etc. It was complicated by all the connectors being a different pattern and different colours - they must have changed the specification at some point, and I'd bought the wrong ones.

The first wire broke after a year, and then gradually the others.
Now my routine is to replace wires individually with a loop as they go, but when finally several have gone I redo them all as a single bundle and put it inside a piece of convoluted flex-piping. With metal clips on the tailgate and the roof you can angle the cable and put a twist on it so that it folds neatly into the corner when closed, and doesn't hang down and catch on things when loading up.

I'm between stages at present, so have three wires I think, bound with insulating tape.

Another thought I've only just had is to run a new flexible tube sideways along the whole length of the top of the tailgate, eg LH at the roof to RH on the tailgate. That would minimise the amount of droop needed to allow for opening.

[speedyG50]

I recently rewired both hinges.
Don't waste your time with household wire, or the cheap ebay ready made replacement looms, as the continual flexing of the wire when you open and close the tailgate, will break it sooner than later.
Doing a proper job....ie removing both hinges also means you can re-solder the thick black earth cables which are in both hinges....if you can't solder here's a great youtube vid that explains it really well

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_XkMD56oj0


I made up my own looms with unused Volvo wire from various locations in the car and some ready tinned copper braided wire from this company.

https://www.copperbraid.co.uk/round-flexible/

They were happy to send me just 1 meter for about £1.50. Great product.

UK nearside
number plate lights
centre brake light
rear window demister

UK offside
rear wiper
central locking

[tannachyallen]

Decided on the wire loop method. Left the earths in place and re-joined everything else into two loops protected in heat shrink and cable tidy.

Many thanks for all your replies

Dave A

[Stephen Edwin]

Those are seriously tidy loops. Well done.

*****

I've received two damaged tailgate looms for info to me.

I'm puzzled that they are so short. How does one get at the wire ends in the tailgate?

I'm puzzled that they appear to have male uninsulated bullet connectors to dangle in to the tailgate. Surely that invites a short circuit during work on those circuits?

I tend toward's tannachyallen style loops.

[Paul240480]

Neater than my efforts Dave