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sedan license plate light (aka number plate lamp) springs? 200

Once the springs have rusted through, to the point of being nonfunctional, resorting to double sided tape to hold the lamp assembly in place seems like the simplest solution. Anyone come across other solutions (e.g. aftermarket plastic or metal clips) that can be used to hold the assembly in place? Sourcing the original metal springs seems highly unlikely as the volvo parts catalog (240 series 1988-, Edition 05-1993) only lists the entire assembly. Even if the original springs were available I don't believe them to be a viable alternative as removing the remainder of the old springs from the plastic mold would be challenging. Let me know what solutions you have come up with and thanks in advance for your willingness to share your wisdom.


Springs that rust and eventually fail.


Original parts catalog


Number plate diagram from parts catalog


Springs that have seen better days.








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    sedan license plate light (aka number plate lamp) springs? 200

    Hi Blue,

    I'm happy with the 3M double sided tape on mine. I think it's more weathertight than the gasket it replaces and haven't needed to replace the bulbs in a long time.

    Speaking of lights, would anyone know the Osram # for the underhood lamp ?

    regards, Peter








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      sedan license plate light (aka number plate lamp) springs? 200

      Peter, Dave,

      Thanks for the input. I'll be sure to stay away from the "Extreme" and other VHB (Very High Bond) tape. Would be an interesting experiment to try the less tacky 3M tape on one lamp and the butyl tape on the other and see how each side holds up with time.

      Thanks again and be well.

      -Ihor








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      sedan license plate light (aka number plate lamp) springs? 200

      Some of the double sided tapes are so good that they're difficult to later separate when you need to remove things, like to change the bulb. Too easy to break things. My preferred weapon for such jobs is black butyl mastic. Sold in rolls as black butyl sealent tape in typically 1" wide x 40ft rolls, available at most decent hardware stores. You can cut narrower strips with a razor knife to suit the job. Makes an excellent waterproof gasket and adapts to irregular surfaces. Some of my interior plastic trim is being nicely held with mastic where the plastic clips have broken.
      --
      Dave -still with 940's, prev 740/240/140/120 You'd think I'd have learned by now








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      Festoon Bulbs for license, underhood, and interior dome 200

      Osram Sylvania appear to no longer make the festoon bulb for underhood lighting.

      I believe, yet am unsure that the festoon bulb used underhood on 240 so equipped is the same length as the interior dome bulb.

      On the iPd site, several Flosser made festoon incandescent bulb offerings vary by length.

      100938 - Flosser - 6411 Light Bulb 12V 10W 41mm Long Festoon - 989773

      https://www.ipdusa.com/products/4837/100938-6411-light-bulb-12v-10w-41mm-long-festoon-flosser-4231-989773



      100939 - Flosser - 6418 Light Bulb 12V 5W 35mm Long Festoon - 989777

      https://www.ipdusa.com/products/4838/100939-6418-light-bulb-12v-5w-35mm-long-festoon-flosser-4033-989777


      124561 - Flosser - LED License Plate Bulb - 965831 (240 Wagon license plate bulb)

      https://www.ipdusa.com/products/11180/124561-volvo-led-license-plate-bulb-flosser-914030-965831


      Osram-Sylvannia US market light bulb finder:

      https://www.sylvania-automotive.com/apps/vlrg-us/Vlrg/


      I'd suggest LED versions of these bulbs.

      https://www.superbrightleds.com/

      Amazon sells these also. As with any bulb type, quality can vary between retail vendors and production runs. Super Bright LEDs appear to drive for consistency yet their stock is from overseas.








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    sedan license plate light (aka number plate lamp) springs? 200

    Ah, a kindred spirit.

    I've saved a half dozen of these, both aftermarket like you show in your first picture, and the original Cibie lamp, in the hope I'd find a better solution.

    I think the drawing in your post is of a wagon's tag lamp.

    The aftermarket lamps are completely different in construction. Even the springs are different; uncoated and shaped to fit different plastic castings. Worse, the bulb socket is prone to poor connection.

    You're right about replacing the spring providing you could find some of them. I had to destroy the housing, even with the lens removed, to release the tang retaining the spring in the molded plastic.

    We are up against two facts of repair life which nearly invalidates the premise "if someone assembled it, it can be disassembled." One-way barbs and adhesives make unrepairable assemblies out of individual parts.

    Have you researched the price of replacement lamp assemblies, both OE and aftermarket? I seem to recall the cheap lamps were about $9 each, but I haven't taken the time yet to check on that memory.

    --
    Art Benstein near Baltimore

    "Being nice to people is so much easier with your mouth closed." -- Benjamin Davis








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      sedan license plate light (aka number plate lamp) springs? 200

      Art, I'm honored.

      Yes, the first photo in the original post is of an aftermarket part I found on the web when looking for a replacement to my original (last photo in OP) that has the failed springs. I haven't had one in hand so I can't comment on their construction but they definitely look different from the original. 

      Re drawing...
      For comparison, here is the 5DRS diagram from the same volvo parts catalog I got the 4DRS diagram.




      Re price...
      There are a number of ebay sellers offering the aftermarket sedan version for $17 - $20 ea. One seller had a pair for $29. Neither of my go-to online parts suppliers carry the tag lamp at this time. 

      Finally, some thoughts on another potential solution...
      Now if I only had some spring steel, here is a rough diagram of a solution that may work with the original CIBIE housing. Pros - just break off the exposed rusted spring w/ no need to remove the original bard in the mold and snap the new spring into the existing voids in the housing. Cons - need to custom build this spring.



      Be well,
      Ihor








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        sedan license plate light (aka number plate lamp) springs? 200

        Sure enough, I'm impressed with your drawing. Making and forming a spring from flat stock is of yet beyond my skills, but looking at those prices just for the aftermarket junk, could be worth looking into.

        The reason I noticed the parts drawing was wrong is the terminals at the ends. Looks like the illustrators just took the wagon lamp and swapped light bulb drawings. I have the same parts catalog on fiche, page 221.

        To Tom's credit, I've seen a picture before where someone installed a broken lamp with RTV sealant using a wooden stick cut to wedge between the driveway and the lamp while the sealant cured. If the bulb holder and lamp are the OE type, I'd consider this a long-term solution, especially with a new bulb, but those aftermarket bulb sockets look like something that Lucas would have come up with.


        Here are some views of the aftermarket lamp in case you haven't had one in your hands yet.







        These are a couple springs from an OE lamp. The black coating is flaking off, but the rust has just begun to weaken the metal.





        For now, I'm going to keep my limited stash of old tag lamps. As dangerous as traffic stops are these days, I want to be sure these seemingly trivial items won't become someone's probable cause.

        --
        Art Benstein near Baltimore

        “Dance like no one is watching; email like it may one day be read aloud in a deposition.”








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          Aftermarket vendor becomes Volvo's supplier 200

          Went to look up what a genuine OE lamp cost. I see a picture of an aftermarket version in blue packaging for $22 vs the going rate for the same part elsewhere at $9. Even shows the same incorrect parts drawing!

          https://www.tascaparts.com/oem-parts/volvo-license-lamp-3518672
          --
          Art Benstein near Baltimore

          Two fish swim into a concrete wall. The one turns to the other and says "Dam!"








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    sedan license plate light (aka number plate lamp) springs? 200

    A couple of small dabs of clear silicone near the rusted springs. Put the light in place with a new bulb installed and hold in place overnight with masking tape. In the morning remove masking tape. It should be several years before the bulb needs to be replaced. The unit is then easily removed as the silicone never hardens. TOM








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      sedan license plate light (aka number plate lamp) springs? 200

      Great idea! Definitely meets my desire to "adhere" (pun intended) to the KISS principle and deserves the "Duh, why didn't I think of that" response accompanied with palm hitting forehead sound in background. I just need to decide between using the 35 vs 50 yr warranty one. :) Thanks again Tom for sharing this simple fix.







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