Volvo RWD 900 Forum

Just bought 2nd daughters 1st car. Her 1st set of wheels is a 95-960 sedan. Will be a bit of a project, but mostly interior & cosmetic stuff. Body is good with some scratchs, engine & trans feel good w/187K. Car should clean up pretty well as it's been sitting a while. It's a repo & has been on the back lot for over 6 months. PS pump grenaded & they couldn't drive it. I took an old pump from one of our past 960's & took it for a test drive before we dropped any cash on it. Was able to get it for $1,000. Should do very well as a 1st car for the daughter. Even though she said the she wouldn't drive a Volvo. Tried to give her a 94-855 a few months back, & she had the nerve to turn it down.

But 1st order of business is popping the trunk. Someone has snapped something off inside the key hole and there is no access. My question is how to open the trunk if you cannot use the lock? Any tips or experience would be greatly appreciated. Also any tips for repairing door panels that have started peeling.

Thanks Dave

Thanks for all the tips. After a couple of hours I did finally get it to unlock. Took the lock out & removed the key, was not even close to the type of key required. Now the original key won't work. Left the rod unhooked & the trunk will lock with the normal power lock system, just cant dead bolt it.

So you can use the door panels from the earlier models? How do you get the inside door pulls to work? I'd have no problem using the earlier door panels if they can be made to work.

Thanks Dave

I swapped the interior door panels (front and rear) between a '94 960 and a '95 945, and everything matched up (except for the defrost vent holes, which I easily could have adapted). So I'm assuming the door panels for the '95 960 are identical and also will swap with no modification.

Having said that, I don't remember exactly how the inside door pull is configured. But everything inside the door panel was pretty much straight-forward, so you won't have any trouble disconnecting and reconnecting the door pulls when you get the panel loose.

There were some electrical connections for the door light, power windows, and speakers which were easily unplugged and reattached. The plug configurations for all these were identical, so no modifications were required there.

In my case, some of the power window switches on my 945 had gone bad, so I was able to change some of the switches within the power switch console, as well.

All in all, a straight-forward task to swap with no unforeseen challenges.

I mis read your 1st post about the panels going into a 940. The 95-940 is the same. The 95-960 is different. Volvo went with new door panels & very cheap glue. Causing the puckering.

So the '95 redesign gave the 960 the interior stylings later found in the S/V70 if I'm not mistaken. Perhaps those panels would swap? Of course you'd be trading apples for apples. The S/V70 panels are just as prone to delaminating. It's been discussed at length on the AWD/FWD forum (and no doubt on volvospeed.com and v70xc.com too). Doesn't seem to be a good easy solution.

If you have matching pre-'95 960 panels they may be your best bet.

-Will
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854 - 244 - Mini

It is sad that Volvo can't get the door panels worked out. Makes a nice car look bad. Wife drives a 98 V70XC & those panels have puckered as well. The 960 just does it a different area. We've had many models & just the 960 & XC have this problem.

Just traded off my 95-945 (for a 91-780t) & the door panels were fine on it.

Bummer.

I guess Volvo used cheap glue in both the '95 960 and the '95 940, even though they changed the door panel style in the 960 for the '95 model.

I searched high and low, including this forum for a reasonable solution to the door panel pucker problem for the '95 cars. Never found a cost-effective solution anywhere.

Bummer.

Dear dm960,

May this find You well. I do not have a 940/960 Sedan. I do, however, have the Volvo Vadis parts diagrams. They show a square opening in the steel frame, that supports the back seat's upper section. I'd guess the opening is 6-8" on each side.

I have not been able to find a diagram of the trunk lock mechanism. However, someone - who has a sedan - should be able to say if there is an interior release handle. If so, You should be able to put a tool through the opening behind the back seat upper section, grab the handle, and release the trunk lid. That will save drilling-out the lock.

Hope this helps.

Yours faithfully,

Spook

It's been a while since I scrapped my 960, but isn't there access from a pull-down armrest in the middle of the rear seat? I'm wondering if you could gain limited access to the trunk and perhaps to the hex screw heads holding the latch inside. Would take a really long socket extension, but may be possible...

Just a thought...

By the way, the peeling door panels (also referred to as "puckering" in this application, in case you search these archives), is a common problem with the 95 models. I think it had something to do with Volvo being environmentally friendly and using crappy glue.

When I scrapped my '94 960, I took the door panels (front and rear) and swapped them with the door panels in my '95 945. The '94 model had molded plastic without the vinyl cover that puckers like the '95 model. The only difference I could tell was that the front door panels for the '95 had a cutout to allow defrost air go through the door and into the side window. The '94 model did not have the defrost ducting in the door. But it would have been a simple matter to cut out the defrost hole and install the hardware from the other panel. I didn't bother, but it looked pretty easy to do. I was fortunate that both interiors were the same color. I also swapped the center console so my '95 now has cupholders.

from experience i have used a hacksaw blade that has been cut down to the point where only the teeth and the slimmest amount of metal behind the the teeth remain. this will often let you slide the hacksaw into the keyhole and drag what is in there out.

this can work only if there is some play in the keyhole.

Good luck and congratulation to your daughter and I hope your fingernails grow back quickly.

I remember a post several years ago saying that you can drill behind the license plate to access the screws. The responder could not remember where. This may be in the FAQ by now. I intended to document the location when I had trim and latch out but as they say the road to hell is...

I’d take it to a locksmith to determine if the something can be removed. I know he would be able to drill it out and even allow the lock to function as an any-key or screwdriver lock. I had a trunk lock like that for years but no one knew the tumbler pins were out. Distant second option, if you have two identical 965s, you can locate the screws and get medieval with a drill. Don let the daughter see this. You would still have to get a new used lock and key.

Locksmith first.

Tom

Edit, the bolt head to mount the latch plate is toward the inside of the trunk. This would mean drilling out the two screws. See a locksmith. From personal experience, there are some that know what they are doing.