My 07 XC70 being held hostage.

[chrism]

Broken/shorted wiring in the tailgate hinge can also cause a false "Tailgate Open" message. I've been down that road. The previous owner simply removed the rear cargo dome light bulb so that it wasn't always on, but he didn't do anything about the message or its real cause.

[Pittsjock]

Now just the pesky tail gate open, when it clearly is not, warning.
Thanks so much for sharing the wealth of information.

Been down this road twice. First time, it was broken wire in the loom, left side of tail gate, "inside" of the hinge. You have to pull the plastic cover off, then unwrap the electrical tape and push the loom down to inspect. I had about 4 broken wires and the rear dome would fade in and out randomly. My kids thought the car was possessed.

Second time, the wiring harness/plug in the locking mechanism was not fully seated. Remove the interior panel gently and follow the wires to find the plug and make sure it is seated. If that still doesn't fix it, I believe there is a small micro switch in the lock itself, but I did not have to get that far....

[chrism]

https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... =9&t=47882

[Madijain-]

Hey chrism and Pittsjock, thanks. More great information and welcome to my nightmare.
Well, it seems I spoke too soon.
Yesterday, I drove the (devil) vehicle to my destination (seven miles) then parked, shut it off and started it 15 minutes later. Super rough idle, thought it was gonna stall but it didn't. Drove okay at higher speed but no kick down and acceleration was minimal. At home I hooked up my trusty ODBII, pulled one code... P0016. Correct me if I'm wrong but thats the Crankshaft Positioning Sensor Bank 1 Sensor A? So, a timing issue, faulty/fouled sensor or worse? The DIM read Anti Skid Temp. Off and Tail Gate Open. Had a Brake Failure warning but it went away after the initial ignition. I've got mileage, time, temp, gear selections and working odometer and speedometer. RPM at ignition is 1500 but drops to 600 within minutes. All fluids checked and good.
As for the Tail Gate...
I checked all fuses in the cargo area panel and wiring as far as I could see, everything looked okay. There were two items I could not identify nor were they in the service manual. I assume they are trailer wiring? There is no operational cargo area light. There is a bulb and it looks good. I checked the wiring at the hinges but didn't "pull" any out. Everything there looks, surprising, brand new. I will need to revisit this as the opinions on the wiring being the chief suspect, seem to be unanimous. JRL, the electric locks work, could the key lock cause this trouble? Stay tuned...
Madi

[Madijain-]

Oh and I forgot to mention...
... I seem to remember my lights flashing when I locked or unlocked the (devil) vehicle, using the remote. This no longer happens.

[Pittsjock]

P0016. Correct me if I'm wrong but thats the Crankshaft Positioning Sensor Bank 1 Sensor A?

1. Have you serviced your PCV system?

2. What oil are you running in your car?

I have 2 2007 XC70s - one I have owned since new (188,000 miles - #1) and the second I purchased at 129,000 (#2). #1 was factory maintained up to 100,000. We used Castrol conventional in the car and the PCV system failed completely by 120,000 miles.

I purchased #2 in November of 2015 and it was a mess, with multiple codes and multiple oil leaks. The car had originally been serviced with Castrol conventional, then switched to Mobil 1 and then back again to conventional oil. The PCV system was completely blocked.

In both cases, replacing the PCV system fixed most of my problems.

With your car, I would start by pulling the CVVT solenoids and checking for deposits/clogged screen. P0016 is intake I believe. The solenoids are located on the top of the motor, front (passenger) side, right above the CVVT timing gears. You have to remove the front top cover (2 torx ?) and 2 clips. The solenoids are held on with 4 cap screws (10mm I believe). You can unclip the wiring harness/plug and take a look and report back. Depending on maintenance, you may find a clogged screen in the gasket, which will impede, but not stop the flow of oil to the solenoid, which controls the CVVT. As I understand it, the CVVT circuit is mostly used as a means of smoothing out the idle/emissions during warm up, so a malfunctioning solenoid can make the car run poorly.

Here was mine out of #1 - threw the same code. The screen was blocked and it came off the gasket when I tried to clean the debris. I replaced the gasket and the code went away after about 80 miles.

More importantly, if you find a lot of sludge in the motor, I would start evaluating the PCV system and probably replace it before you have more related troubles and also switch to a good synthetic motor oil and more frequent oil changes to start cleaning up that motor.

[vtl]

Idling RPM is 650, that's ok. CPS is pretty easy to replace.

Read the codes with DiCE/VIDA (Volvo-specific scanner and software), it will tell you more.

[jimmy57]

The wiring in tailgate harness is only visible if you take things apart. 125K car has HIGH probability of broken wire(s) in the area where that tailagte harness bends between body and tailgate as the tailgate goes from closed to full open positions.

[Madijain-]

Okay.
The vehicle has had one oil change since I've owned it. Service records indicate regular 3,000 to 5,000 mile oil changes. Original Volvo dealer did an oil change prior to the sale. Castrol GTX 5W-30 Synthetic Blend was recommended and used for my oil change. Next oil change is due any time now. So, the devil vehicle has 125,000, its not unreasonable to suspect the PCV system. It will have to go back to current dealership for the DiCE/VIDA diagnostic. They are fair and reasonable so I'm okay with that. I want it fixed right.
jimmy57, Yup, I'm convinced that the "tail gate open" is a wiring issue in the hinge area. I did take off the rubber seal and the plastic covering on the hinge itself, looked with a flashlight. Seriously, the electrical tape looked brand new but "my luck" dictates the problem will be just out of sight. The Volvo mechanic will have to run that down, as well.
I have no idea what I'm doing owning a Volvo but I love it!!
I sure appreciate the advice.
I'm making a list for the mechanic...

[vtl]

Here was mine out of #1 - threw the same code. The screen was blocked and it came off the gasket when I tried to clean the debris. I replaced the gasket and the code went away after about 80 miles.

VIDA/DiCE shows two specific timing codes if it can't adjust VVT. I forgot which ones, but they differ from failing CPS (which often is not reported).