Hi Art,

I know what you are talking about with old plastic and the super tight clip inside.
I seen several them busted in the yards.
Luckily, I have never had to work on mine.

But a few months ago, I had to work on my third brake light of a new to me 1992 from the Wagonmiester in Lancaster Ca.

While looking at some pet worn spots of defroster lines I noticed the cover was slightly cocked. It was not engaged straight but was fairly tight. At least it was not busted.

From my practice of passing the junkyard ones, this one, the cover slip off without a big struggle.

I have seen where they made it in sections. Outside clips to remove the rear section, that your picture show, plus there clips to remove the unit from the lens on the glass.

While working with both parts in my hands I could not get the outer housing to engage straight onto the other part. At the same time the large clip puts a lot of pressure on the grooves between inner and outer housing.

At first my thought was to heat the plastic of the clip and weaken it. In trying to figure out how to apply heat to the clip I could see that the clip seemed to not drop into that slot at all.
It was not long enough to the hole.

I noted, On this particular light, the clip pushed downward on the inside of the outer housing so much it was really hard to keep things aligned while pushing it closed.
My outer assembly was just jammed on there, holding tight in the grooves on the sides, inside the housing.

Everything was under a strain but barely twisted enough that I noticed it.
I got out my old measuring stick a thin 6" scale and started checking things.
I came to the conclusion that the mold maker put the "screwdriver slot" to far forward on this unit.

In studying the plastics mold marks for injection points or the ejector pins. I found a fine seam line in the bottom groove.
If there is any kind of flaw or crevice in the mold surface the plastic will find it. Most of the time you see them as tiny circles.

After measuring a few more times, I decided that this unit was the victim of a mold makers change.
There was a pocket made in the original mold for a insert to make the space hole.
For some reason, the insert was a removed or placed in backwards on the inner or outer mold.
The ramp is in the wrong direction on the housings hole. It was not made to allow the screwdriver in, even though it works.

There was metal in there that got cut out at one time. This was metal in the original mold, that was removed to make the ramp molding.
With no insert in it, this allow plastic to fill the area forward where the insert ramp should have dropped into, from the inner mold half and stopped the plastic to form the ramp.

I think the ramp on the insert confused somebody in the shop or on blue print paper. This caused the plastic to fill a void and created a molding shift line.
I think it's also possible the clip mold did not get "its revision" if there was one, to make it to where the hole is now.
It comes down to One or the other. More costs to rework or more or less plastic cost.
Typically, a failure to communicate starts and ends it all.

I took my Dremel tool and cut the plastic back to that faint line. It's about 1/4 to 5/16 long increase of length, if I remember it well.

Now the housing slips on and that clip pops into the opening.

I still have to use a screwdriver to push up on the clip, as you said, it is very strong but the screwdriver contacts the clip by pushing straight up towards the ramp on it.

Now I don't know if all the taillights are made the same way or just this car.
It could be that it has a borrow part from another year.

Do they make after market lights for these cars or is it Volvo had several vendors to source, you got me?

I think the manual is telling us right. To insert a screwdriver it but the application point is off, forward of the clips step.


In mine, the clip was spreading the housing slightly instead of clipping into the slot. It was jammed tight.
By inserting the screwdriver between the housing and under the prong of the clip, it adds even more pressure and its enough to "snap" dried out housings.

So on those junkyard specials, that have not split, I think you have to use the widest and thinnest strong screwdriver in your tool box. Do not use the housing as a fulcrum and lift that strong clip!



Now off subject and back to the rear defroster.

I have purchased some conductive epoxy from Circuits Works. It's a circuit board trace fixer.
I found it a OLD electronic store, hanging on a hook. It was like $30 for a real tiny tube of it.

The web sites prices for it is "now" have gone totally "out of their minds!" Must be an error!

I'll let you know how it works or not, if I ever get around to it!

Phil