Hi, All-

I picked up a couple of nice, original CIBIE taillights recently to replace the Scantech ones I bought several years ago. The Scantech taillights deformed and melted a bit around the brake light bulb holder, which I guess is a common problem.

My questions is this: The taillights I bought are apparently newer and only have 5 wires connecting to them, where the old ones had 6. On the original taillights, there is an extra connection beneath the brake light, and it appears a yellow wire goes into it.

Any ideas on how I can make sure these new lights work?

Thanks in advance.

Aaron

As I recall, the 245 tail lights are the easiest to convert from pre 86-type to 86-type and vice versa. Just pull out the extra silver contact in the bottom bulb holder in the main light housing to go from 86 to 85 style. If you need to update an old housing just insert the contact. The housings are identical. This is not the case with sedan tail lights, but it is simple with 245 lights.

Thanks for all the advice and confirmation that this 'backdating' works. I'm going to clean all the contacts with fine steel wool, put dielectric grease on all contacts. I don't want to revisit this job for a looooong time.

Aaron

Uncle Aaron,

May have forgotten ....

On the newer taillights with the dual filament brake light option, and you seem to not want to bother with that you'll find using a single filament brake light bulb +12 VDC contact at the bulb center bottom may not line up with either the brake light or running light contact in the dual filament bulb holders (white bulb holder for for right tail light and black for left).

So, if you can, use the single contact brake light bulb holder from the tail lights you are replacing. However, I think the receiver (hole) to accept these lamp holders is different between the single filament brake light and the dual filament.

I'm not sure on this. Sort of confused here in memory.

You can alter the tail light housing plastic, yet one wrong move during you mod and you may damage them.

One solution is to mount the brake lamb bulb holder (white for right, black for left) into the tail lights they came with. Remove the +12 VDC running or position from the bulb holder. Use a dual filament bulb. Solder the two +12 VDC contacts (position filament, brake filament) at the dual filament bulb together (those +12 VDC contacts are made of lead and can flow with solder). So you'll have both filament lighted when you press the brakes. You don't want the brake light +12 VDC circuit to back feed the +12 VDC brake light voltage into the running or position light circuit.

If I did not say already, you may want to pull your tail lights out and give them the very warm simple green, dish detergent, and the like solution to get rid of the dust and stuff collecting for decades inside the taillights.

You'll note the'll seriously brighten up.

Both the coupe/sedan/wagon 240 taillights collect a lot of dust and fluff from the open design to vent the heat generating maps.

Also, give the clear reverse lenses a wiggle. The Volvo factory clear reverse lens plastic on the 200/700 multi-panel tail light lens assemblies can come off. I cleaned the lens and mating surface, cleaned the tail light assembly, use silver paint appropriate for the duty to brighten the reflector bowl (no over-spray, please!), and use a UV resistant form of GOOP adhesive (RV, Automotive, or maybe best, Marine) to adhere the lens to the taillight assembly.

I've also found some taillights that leaked around the seams between the lens and the taillight body assembly. Getting all very clean, I smeared some GOOP adhesive around the seam inside the light box space through the bulb holder hole.

Inspect the foamy gaskets. Some folks use a forgivable adhesive to seal the foamy 240 tail light gaskets for all 240s. Forgivable in that you can remove the tail light assemblies without damaging the gasket.

I think that does it.

Questions?

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Sorry to go on. The upstairs apartment people are chain smoking cigarette cartons and feet pounding indicates they've got the nicotine (stain) levels up for a little while.

Spokane, WA - America's White Trash Town. The Epitome. The moral: NEVER, EVER let some crappy company with some job sucker you into it with an in-person interview. The hiring manager refused my offer for an in person interview in March 2007. Stoooooopid, stoooooooooopid, so stupidly me. Caveat emptor, for certain, yet the company and manager were most unethical doing so in suckering me here. A thin veil of "you must relocate (at my expense as I always indicate on resume and cover letter) now or we may pull the job offer".

Sorry to go on so. Looking out a window with nice rain and all the white trash can do is smoke white trash cigarettes and curse the rain. Most of N. America is in ongoing drought conditions. And then they come buy asking me to fix their god damned white trash car they don't care for themselves.

cheers,

dud.

I finally finished off this project today, and my 'backdating' of the taillights seemed to work. I really only had to remove the bottom tab from the 'donor' driver's side taillight and mount it onto the new taillights. I cleaned all the contacts with fine steel wool, applied a bit of dielectric grease to each contact, and reassembled everything. I now have nice, crack-free factory Cibie taillights that work! I'm so tired of seeing that bulb light on the dash. And, the A/C finally works consistently, as there was some kind of a short in one of the taillights that blew the fuse every time the car was put into reverse, which is the same fuse as the A/C. Go figure.

I'll keep you posted if anything changes, but so far, so good.

Aaron

The stock tailights on your 1985 245 are all single filament bulbs.

Of the four panels from top to bottom:
1: Red. Position, marker, or running lamp. Whatever you want to call these.
2. White: Reverse lamps.
3. Amber or yellow: Reverse.
4. Red: Brake light.

Your 1985 North American market Volvo 245 may also come with the single rear fog lamp like my 1990 240 DL estate (wagon). You'll see a toggle switch, below the dash and console illumination dimmer switch. The switch glows when you use the single rear fog light in poor driving conditions of limited visibility.

If you have a rear fog light, when engaged, one of the rear brake lights remains illuminated on your wagon. I think the left one. Not sure.

You may also want to take a look at wiring diagrams in your Volvo, Bentley, or Haynes (yes, I know) 240 service manual to review the wiring differences between these years and the 240 wagon rear tail light wiring and wiring harness.

Also, see this site for more Volvo wiring diagram info:
http://www.volvowiringdiagrams.com/?dir=volvo/240%20Wiring%20Diagrams

Since like 1988 or so, not sure, on both 700 series and 240 series, the brake lights on wagons and sedans changed in that the brake lights became dual filament bulbs. An extra 5W (watt) running light paired with the 21W brake light filament.

So with sedans and wagons at around 1988 or so - not sure, the brake light bulb holders are special. The hold the dual filament running light/brake light bulbs. These brake light bulb holders are the only ones with two contacts for the two filaments.

The bulb holder come in white for the right (North American passenger) side and black for the left (North American driver) side.

So, again:
White brake light bulb holder= right (N. American passenger) side taillight.
Black brake light bulb holder= left (N. American passenger) side taillight.

Most Volvo owners of Volvos of these vintage stupidly reverse the bulb holders. So the Brake lights are powered all the time. Heat build up in summer can cause the lens to bulge from the excessive heat if the brake light filament is on all the time.

So, with wiring diagrams in hand, the tail light assemblies in front of you, some extra wire, solder (please don't crimp the electrical connections using solder-less butt splice or other, non sealed connectors), and heat shrink, plan the Volvo 240 wagon tail light modification on your 1985 245 so you can use those taillights that are the same configuration as the tail lights on a 1988 or so and newer 240.

The bulb out sensor can be tripped with the use of solderless connectors. If you truly abhor soldering, you may want to use the sealed solder-less connectors that include an electrically conductive, corrosion inhibiting grease like those from 3M.

You may want to also clean with tail light assembly interior to remove all the dust build up. Some simple green or a little (lemon) dish washing detergent, a good swirl in a very warm soapy solution of each of the floor reflector chambers can ensure clear, bright, tail lights.

Use the same bulbs in pairs for each light. Use of different light bulbs can trip the bulb-out sensor.

Aaron, you may want to join the Oregon Volvo Tuners in Portland (http://www.ovtuners.org) so you can have some local help with your many Volvo issues, judging by your posts on your 1985 245.

Questions? Comments?

Hope that helps.

MacDuff.
--
woo.

Hi, MacDuff-

Thanks very much for your reply. I think I see a way to modify the new taillights to 'backdate' them to the same configuration as my 1985 taillights. Other than the extra pin (which I can swap onto my new taillights), the only other difference is the bulb holder, which I think I can swap over, too. This will make them identical, as far as I can tell.

Thanks!

Aaron

Yep, you got it. I've done this to several sets over the years, works great.
Dave Shannon
Durango CO
'88 Volvo 240 DL
'67 1800S
My Volvo Pages
My Jeeps

Uncle Aaron,

Glad to hepkats (help)!

With the change in the brake light set up from your 1985 single filament brake light to the dual filament position light / brake light, the the two +12 VDC contacts on the post 1988 (or so, not sure again the change over year) bulb holder are positionally different.

Your 1985 240 wagon tail lights:
Look at the break light bulb electrical contacts. The +12 volt contact is in the center. You can interchange this bulb for the turn signal and reverse bulbs.

Your newer 1988 and newer wagon tail lights:
Look at the break light bulb electrical contacts. The two +12 volt contacts (one of reach filament) are off center. On this dual filament bulb, you can use a 9 volt battery to know what of the +12 volt contacts connects to the 21 watt brake light filament and the 5 watt position filament.

You may have issues trying to use a 1985 240 signal filament brake light bulb holder with the dual filament contacts on the 1998+ (or so) Volvo 245 wagon tail light assembly. I'm not sure, yet you'll have alignment issues at the least preventing electrical contact (alignment) of the bulb.

You want the bulb holder fully secured into the tail light assembly. Insert and turn entirely to the stop.

You may want to use the dual filament brake light bulbs. Use a nine volt battery to figure what contact on the bulb connects to the thicker 21W brake light filament. Abstract (or transfer) the bulb contact position to the dual contact brake light holder (white for right, black for left). Abstract the brake light holder contact to the brake light contact position on the tail light assembly. Simply connect the brake light power wire to the connectors on both tail lights.

Install the dual filament bulbs, mounted to the bulb holders (white for right, black for left) that came with your newer, replacement tail lights, and power them up.

At some point when you feel up to it, you could run a jumper wire from the red running light +12 vdc contact and connect it to the position lamp filament on your revised tail light set up on your 1985 Volvo 245 wagon.

I think that does it. I could be wrong, so verify with the parts you are working with now.

Also, keep your old tail lights. Clean them up, maybe repair cracks or leaks with something like Goop adhesive (choose the Goop Marine, RV, or Automotive for UV resistance. If you find you don't need them, perhaps your could sell them to someone. I'd keep them. Volvo 240 tail lights are a real bother. Worse on the sedans as you may have read here on the bb.

Hope that helps.

Questions? Comments?

Thank you,

Buttermilk.
--
"A cold, tall glass of buttermilk with a little pepper."