importfan21

Hi all,

I've been MIA for a while - been busy with work.

Finally got around to giving the AMG some love. Went to replace all of the 1st gen LED bulbs I put in this thing a decade ago with better ones. I noticed that my license plate bulbs and trunk bulb get no power (even with the incandescent ones, to rule out a polarity issue with the LED bulbs). They used to function. Checked both fuses boxes and no blown fuses.

Any thoughts? Tried a ton of LED/halogen bulbs in each socket to no avail. My hunch is the wiring harness going up the trunk arm into the trunk, but I'm not sure if the cargo/trunk bulb runs off of that harness?

FYI: LED high beams are AMAZING (only bulbs I never converted back in the day as I rarely used them).

PJmak

Any previous damage to the trunk? Is there a chance that it was replaced and the wiring didnt make its way back to the bulbs??

Im not an electrician but I would eliminate the obvious first.

Its pretty easy to remove the plastics and the carpeting thats hiding all the wires.

importfan21

I've had the car for 10 years. No damage to trunk. Was working perfectly fine a month ago. As mentioned, I figured I shorted the system/blew a fuse by accident when installing the LED bulbs, but fuses check out.

MattCordell

Did you check if wireloom running along the bracket hasn't been cut off by tension, with possible power failiure?
If you remove the plastic cover on the passengers side trunk bracket you could see if the loom is intact or not?
If loom is under tension and you open and close trunk it could get damaged.

importfan21

Took the cover off the hinge. At first I thought the loom was under tension as it is ran outside of the hinge (I see it's hollow and there's a vacuum line running through it with room to spare). However, I noticed the back of the plastic cover has a dedicated channel for the loom to run outside the hinge - very strange.

Found the culprit. Looks like the loom comes off the hinge and runs through this clip. No tension, but appears the movement worn through the brittle wires, severing 4 of them. Time to shrink tube.

importfan21

All fixed!

Never underestimate aged wires! Had to strip them with a boxcutter/pocket knife as the wire strippers literally ripped/cut the wire!