Well... I'm totally frustrated and mystified as to what happened with my new-to-me s40... It's been running and starting just fine in the four or so weeks I've owned it. Then today I took a small errand while on a break at work and when I came back out to start the car, I couldn't turn the key to the third or last position which does all the magic of starting the engine.

I have tried just about every combination of wiggling and moving the steering-wheel, the key-switch, and the shift-lever back and forth. I can't seem to get it to let me turn to that last position. Argh!

I called my regular volvo shop and a tech told me it sounds most likely to be something with a cable and pin system connected from the shifter to the key-switch. The pin has somehow become stuck and the ignition system is not "seeing" that it is indeed in park or neutral. The pin is blocking it from the final turn.

So... I'm wondering if any of you have any helpful hints as to what to try next? Are there any work-around tricks to bypassing the key-swith altogether? Can I pop the cover off the gear-shift lever (at the base, with numbers), or on the lever itself to get in there and somehow coax that cable and pin system to release?

Oh... and I also was wondering if any kind of ODBII error-codes thrown can cause a lock out situation so that you are protected from damaging the engine? If so, perhaps it would be worthwhile to finally purchase a code reader?

Any tips at all would be most graciously thanked...I can't really afford a two and mechanics fees for something that is likely quite simple.