98 V70 Tailgate Fix

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Like many V70 owners of this era, I've experienced more than my share of both the tailgate rattling and the trim around it. I went with the new, improved OEM solution, using metal plates, screws and new clips. The problem is the clips. They don't hold up long, and are brittle. My last solution was to just remove the interior panel and stow it in the attic.

The long, arching plastic trim above is very light weight, makes quite a bit of noise when simply scratched with a fingernail and also seems to rattle.

The third problem is with the tailgate latch. After a few thousand closings, it wears, becomes loose and rattles itself. I've wrapped the post in electrical tape, duct tape and silicone tape. It lasts for awhile, then its back to more noise.

Acousticians hate noise as much as The Grinch.

So what to do?

While cleaning recently, I found several items I'd forgotten about and they all pointed towards the rattling tailgate. I even found the inner panel while putting away the Christmas decorations. I've been removing other thorns in my rear lately, it's time for this one.

So here's what I found:

A nice big piece of thick, acoustical pad. I think this was from an old loudspeaker project. It was completely unsuitable and overkill, and thus wasn't used. It has a self-adhesive layer, a thin layer of foam, an 1/8" layer of what appears to be MLV (mass-loaded vinyl), more foam and a thin, scrim layer to protect the foam.
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These thin pads have a sticky layer, perhaps some MLV and a layer of foam on top. No manufacturer ID on them. I think I bought them from a auto-shop at a steep discount years ago.
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Next up is another attic find: Owens Corning Miraflex fiberglass insulation, wrapped in a pink plastic envelope. It's no longer manufactured. Encased in the bag, it was touted as being 'much easier to handle and nearly itch-free'. I noted when using it that it'll break into tiny, tiny pieces and become air-borne. My arms were a bit itchy after using it. So I'm skeptical. I've noticed that newer fiberglass is much better at not "breaking" like this and tends to remain in long threads and truly be 'nearly itch free'.
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This is a very thin, dense mat made of recycled fibers. Similar material is commonly seen inside under carpets or in the trunk.
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This is what I call "poor-mans MLV": Oatey 40mil PVC SPL (shower pan liner). I tried to find a local supplier of MLV, but no joy. Due to its weight, it's very expensive to ship. So the thought occured to me to try SPL as a easily available alternative. It's tough, heavy, easily cut, relatively inexpensive and can be glued. All the box stores carry it. Plus, I didn't want to add too much weight to the tailgate, thus putting additional stress on the two struts holding it up.
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I also found some strips of what I think is butyl adhesive. This has the benefit of not hardening and is very useful to tack plastic pieces together that tend to SQUEEK and make noise. It's quite heavy and easily adds mass to a lighter object to quiet it down. Very good for using on something that rattles (if you can find the rattle...).

So I'm going to use a combination of these things, as well as a few more, to quiet down the tailgate, fix the rattles, reinstall the inner panel and dampen the noise from it as well. Quite a tall order given that this is the infamous rattling V70 (850) tailgate we're talking about. Hopefully you'll find something here to help you in your quest for a quieter tailgate of your own.
 
Right on OP! awesome post!

Growing up in the 80's, I recall the incessant squeaking and rattling of the rear tail gate on my family's old 145 and 245 wagons.

That was enough to keep me from even wanting a Volvo wagon!
 
Update I: So I started last night by removing the thick, dense foam pads I had stuffed between the inner & outer metal tailgate panels. These were better than nothing...buy not by much. They were better insulators than absorbers.
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Next I cut 12" long sections of the matted material, rolled it up and placed it at the very edges, around the inside perimeter. By rolling it up, instead of just cramming fiberglass in there, I have alternate sections of material/air/material/air, etc. Plus this material is much denser and heavier than fiberglass.

Then I cut up blocks-to-fit of the thick pad that I could stick to the outer sheetmetal from inside to increase its mass, eliminate ringing and increase the surface area of absorbent inside.
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The areas between pads were then filled with Miraflex, trying not to pack it in, but lay in multiple layers where possible.
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To contain the fiberglass (which did make me itch), I cut panels of the dense, gray matt slightly larger than the cut-outs so that the edges would tuck behind the metal.
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I removed the three inner bolts holding the wiper motor & arms to the door and the one outer bolt holding the wiper blade arm.

Today, I tacked up the SPL to the inner metal door using a hot glue gun. This allowed me to roughly trim it to length & width and mark locations for holes. I was able to remove it afterwards with a good pull. Hot glue does an excellent job of sticking to the SPL, even better when the contact point is roughed up with 80g paper. It firmly adheres to the metal framework. These contact points on the SPL will allow me to see where it made contact and to sand them for better adhesion.

I also dealt with the wire-wrapping-foam that had now deteriorated into goo. Fortunately, denatured alcohol will mostly desolve it...mostly. This took awhile. I needed to wipe down the inner sheet metal as well as bits of foam would impede adhesion. Plus it was just a mess.

I separated three wires, repeatedly wiped them down but was unable to get them goo-free. So I decided to go with some scrap fabric to wrap them to both contain the residual goo and to finally allow me to rid my fingers of it once and for all.

I'll post more photos tomorrow.
 
Update II:

Yesterday I added pieces of adhesive MLV w/1/4" foam to the inner panel. Not necessary to completely cover it + I need to leave room for attaching the SPL w/ hot glue. Note the wiring is now covered in white cloth:
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Next, I looked at the upper, plastic trim-ring. This is very light, tends to rattle, generates quite a bit of noise when scratched and is rather flimsy:
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I added pieces of the same material used above. I scratched the glossy plastic with 80g and wiped down with denatured alcohol to improve adhesion. Next I added a few pieces of scrap SPL to some of the curves and tight spots, holding it in place with hot glue. Finally I had some window-sealing "fur" weatherstripping left over from redoing the house windows. I thought this would work well in a small channel where the plastic fits around a seam on the door. You can see it installed at the top of the trim piece. This will prevent the plastic from directly contacting the metal and making noise.
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With this accomplished, I added some to the tailgate frame:
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Next up was adding the SPL to the tailgate inner door before installing the trim panel. I roughed up the SPL with 80g and wiped these areas with alcohol to improve adhesion. Using the glue gun, I centered the SPL on the door, applied HG and stuck the middle section down. Then worked out towards each side to minimize wrinkles. As this panel is not a flat plane, I had to push in on the liner and tack it in place, particularly around where the wiper motor & rack fit. I had previously made slits for the bolt holes, and wire mounting brackets.

I kept working my way down to the bottom of the door, pausing to make a few slits in the liner to pop the wires through. The HG works great here. It's strong enough to hold the liner in place after 10sec, yet I can tug on the liner to remove it. I don't have to worry about Tx heat softening it over time, nor fumes. You have to watch your fingers though as the glue exits the gun at 380°F! (BTW, I can't recommend the SureBonder HE750 glue gun enough. The trigger is a pleasure to use. Far exceeds my previous cheap glue gun.)

With this done, the only thing left is to reinstall the tailgate panel. The clips have proven problematic. I'm tempted to screw it down with drywall screws in a few places to hold it tight. I need a few more clips to replace the broken ones. My indy wants $1.25/ea! I think I'll check an auto-parts store first. Maybe even WW Grainger. More on this later...

Finally, to solve the rattling latch problem, I used a piece of 8mm id x 13.5mm od silicone tubing slit lengthwise to fit over the post and held in place with electrical tape.
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Over time it will come loose as the tape wears. However, it's easy & cheap to re-tape. I used the tubing I had on hand. The thicker sidewall keeps the latch snug and the silicone holds up well to repeated flexing, hot/cold, etc. If silicone isn't avail. a similar hose should work or even the clear & opaque plastic hose at the local HW store.

I'll also use this on the two back-seat latches to keep them rattle-free.

This work has added noticeable mass to the door, but not excessively. It has definitely quieted it down as well. I'll have to travel over a few really rough roads for the 'acid test'.
 
Update III:

This is what the interior panel now looks like:
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Save for a few cut-outs, this provides a complete barrier to any sound that might get through the rest of the treatments. It's sealed to the tailgate sheetmetal with a continuous bead of hotglue around the perimeter plus a few spots near the middle to hold it in place.

All that's left now is to reattach the trim panel. Hopefully this will be the LAST time I have to deal with the tailgate rattling......
 
Update IV:
I secured some new clips from a local source, and added a few pieces of MLV/foam to the plastic rear panel to dampen down the noisy/scratchy plastic trim.

First, I popped back in the upper part. Wasn't sure if I'd need to slip the joint between it and the lower part or not. Testing would tell. With it afixed, I added the lower part pushing where appropriate to secure the clips into the panel. Last part is to secure the interior tailgate release trim....when I locate it. I think it's still buried on the bench....

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I'm very pleased to report that all is quiet in the rear! No squeeks or rattles. Tailgate is heavier still, but no issues with it staying up. We'll see how the shocks hold up over time. It's been a very long time since this was all in place...very long. Nice to have it all back together, and quiet and see the finished panel in the rearview mirror.

Fortunately, the only thing I had to buy for this project were new clips and the SPL. I'm quite pleased with the way the SPL works as a quick substitute, particularly in this application where adding too much weight to the door could be problematic. In other applictions, you could always add another layer of it.

Thanks for viewing!
 
Update: Well over time and tail-gate-closing, I've managed to break yet another set of plastic trim clips. The top edge is now hanging free! I think it's time to go to sheet metal screws....
 
Are you using genuine Volvo clips? I used the iPd repair kit and went through 2 kits worth of clips in 4 months before I went to the dealer and got the genuine item. 4 years on and they're still good. The OEM kits come with cheap [censored] plastic and they just tear apart after a couple of overly hard drops. The Volvo clips seem to have held up very well to spousal abuse.
 
with non-volvo wagons I owned, there were always two sliding wedges, spring-loaded, on the sides of the tailgate. As the door would close, it would press into the wedges and then once pressed together the door would send them forward against their springs. the springs always kept the wedges tight to the door, and the wedges kept the door from move side-to-side. Does the v-70 have such a thing?

Sound-proofing is fun if you are sensitive to it. I have found the cheaper undercoating spray (not the stuff labeled as sound-deadening, oddly enuf) to be helpful as well as cheap "peal 'n seal" at lowes. Peal 'n seal is an aluminum backed, adhesive tar-type of tape, about 1/8" thick. It's heavy. It is very sticky. It cuts easily with a utility knife. and it's cheap.

I recently sprayed all 4 interiors of the tundra doors with the undercoating, and used peal 'n seal on the back of the cab, and it really changes the mood inside the cab when the windows are up.

Especially if you are sensitive to noise, or interested in your music, it's a nice reward.
 
Quote:
with non-volvo wagons I owned, there were always two sliding wedges, spring-loaded, on the sides of the tailgate. As the door would close, it would press into the wedges and then once pressed together the door would send them forward against their springs. the springs always kept the wedges tight to the door, and the wedges kept the door from move side-to-side. Does the v-70 have such a thing?

Unfortunately, no. That's a great idea though.
 
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