Parts specialist febi has highlighted the ready availability of its wiring harness repair kit (Part No. 107012) which can solve a common tailgate issue that affects Fiat 500 IV and Ford KA II models. 

The problem is that the rear licence plate’s lamps are not working, the rear windscreen wiper and/or demister is not working, the tailgate is not showing as ‘closed’ on the instrument panel and there is false alarm triggering.

This is a common fault that is usually due to a defective wiring harness between the body and tailgate becoming ‘brittle’ with age. This, combined with the frequent opening and closing of the tailgate, contributes to stressing and straining the wiring. Eventually, the insulation cracks, leaving the wiring exposed, which results in short or open circuits.

febi engineers say the simple solution is to remove any necessary interior trim panels and carry out any relevant actuation and electrical tests to the control unit units to eliminate any other faults before repairing the wiring harness. 

The febi wiring harness repair kit come supplied with an OE-matching rubber gaiter, connectors and enough new silicon- insulated wire to cover vehicles fitted with all available options. The silicone insulation is more resistant against thermical stress and stays flexible at any temperature. This flexibility helps to prevent cable breaks in the future. The wires are also ‘tinned’ and are extra fine, making them more flexible and preventing corrosion for a reliable repair.

febi notes that at each repair, the technicians should ensure that the crimp connectors are not positioned immediately next to each other if there are multiple wires to be repaired. Instead the crimp connectors should be slightly offset to ensure that the wiring loom does not become too big.

The fitters should also cut the water pipe for the rear-screen wash and insert the flexible pipe supplied to extend and match the extra wiring harness.

The repaired wiring harness should be wrapped with fabric insulation tape (107140) for protection. New rubber gaiters and grommets should be fitted into the vehicle’s body and tailgate. The battery should then be reconnected, fault codes cleared and operations tested. 

Febi offers a wide range of wiring harnesses and repair kits for many applications. These are available from febi stockist and are fully detailed in the partsfinder online catalogue.