Good evening,
I am having a situation I can't wrap my head around...
The boot lights are basically not functioning... except if I pull and reinstall the fuse (F13 in the under seat fuse box)!
If I pull and reinstall the fuse, the lights come on. When I close the boot, let it sit for a couple minutes, and then reopen the boot, the lights won't come on. I have to physically remove and reinstall the fuse.
I have put a new fuse in, same results.
Any idea?
Thanks in advance!

 

Do the boot lights turn off as soon as the hatch closes or do they time out like the cabin lights?

 

I haven't been able to reproduce the pattern yet (the lights wouldn't even come on when removing/reinstalling the fuse) so I'll give it another try today or tomorrow.

 

Maybe closing the boot discharges the capacitor for the bulbs? And when you pull/install the fuse, it charges the cap back up. When you reopen the boot, did you unlock/open the driver's door? I wonder if that might activate the boot lights.

Come to think of it I haven't really noticed how/when my vantage boot lights illuminate.

 

So I have been doing more testing, checked the fuses, replaced the relay 4 in the boot fuse box... No luck.
What I've noticed though, when I simulate the closing/opening of the trunk, is that the tailgate lamp tries to come on but shuts down immediately, as if there was a power surge and it would just go into safe mode.
This got me beat, I don't know what/where to check anymore.
Any idea what I could/should investigate further? Any help is appreciated.
Thank you!

 

Quick things to check:
What's the resistance across the fuse? Using another fuse fix the issue?
What's the resistance across the boot light? (is it more than 1 light that doesn't work?)
What's the resistance to ground from the vehicle harness connector for one of the light's ground pin?

 

Behind the passenger rear headrest, there is a bolt in between the center black bracket. If that is not tightened fully the boot lights will flicker. Maybe check that is tight &/or give it a light sand to make sure there is a good connection.

 

Sorry to revive that old thread, but I did more digging this morning.
I do have the 12V all the way down to the tailgate LED (the easiest one to access), but it won't turn on.
However, when I touch the pin on the LED with a fuse tester, the tester turns on (as expected) AND the tailgate LED turns on, along with all LED in the boot.
Any idea what could cause that behavior?
I did check the RH ground header inside the boot.
Thanks in advance!

 

I ended up adding a ground wire from that tailgate LED to the body, all good now

 

Hey mate ,
Reviving your old thread "again":-)
I have the same issue with my trunk lamps and I was wondering if you could tell me exactly were you ran your ground wire from and too please ?
Did you run the ground from the Orange/Black wire on the trunk LED loom ( I'm assuming that is the ground wire) to one of the bolts on the trunk lid ?
When I tested the Orange and the Orange/Black wire with my multi meter they both read as having 12v going to them (weird)
I'm told there is a microswitch built into the trunk release actuator that controls the trunk lights
I have ordered a second hand trunk release from Evil Bay but there is no guarantee that the micro switch is working in that one either.
Its a Volvo Part and part number 31276697
Hopefully this will be my solution, but if not I would like to be able to try your solution as a backup option since it has worked for you on your Rapide.
Thanks for your time

 

That is correct, I "forced" the contact so now all trunk lamps and tailgate lamp will stay on as long as the car is unlocked. They will turn off once I lock the car.
Let me know please if replacing the actuator will solve it for good, I am interested in having the lamps function as they should.
Thank you.

 

I get the boot lid open message on my 2016 V12S on occasion no light on, just the message then I have to slam the boot to get it to turn off - next service (I have a timeless warranty till Oct 2027) I'll have it fixed.

 

Thanks for replying to my message ,
I will definitely let you know if it works , hopefully it still has a good microswitch in it . fingers crossed
I was also toying with the idea of a small press button switch with an inline fuse and mounting it near the fuse panel in the trunk , effectively replacing the factory fuse , when pressed it would simulate pulling the replacing the fuse trick , just breaking continuity briefly . A little manual trunk light switch
Once the trunk is closed the lights would turn off again.
Cheers