I'm trouble shooting the shift lock release on my 92 240 wagon w/ auto trans. I had seen some threads previously, but now when I search for them I can't get back there. Anybody have a link or ideas on how to get the shifter apart so I can replace/fix/bypass the solenoid. Or is it the relay located next to the center console? Thanks!

I had the same thing on the "new" car...92 240 sedan....The PO just always used the release to shift outta park...This proved to be very frustrating to the other drivers in the family ...I searched previous threads under "disable 240 shift lock" and found out how to do it...I however, pried the small "star" rings off of the posts other than break them off....I removed the one for the Yellow release lever and the one on the driver's side, and removed the black plastic piece. on Art's print it is items # 10 and #10b and # 50 and #52...True you can shift the car out of park at any time, key in or out, but that is, in my opinion, my solution....I did save the parts in case I would ever decide to re-install it and then probably replace the selonoid at that time as it is bad....Thanks

My 93 245 had the same problem, and it turned out to be the fuses...that looked good at first glance, so I messed around with everything else. It took getting back to the fuses and installing new ones with some fuse block cleaning to get the shift lock working.

The fuses that came out still looked OK, but they were the problem!

Good Luck!

Plenty of things go wrong with shift locks. Have you at least confirmed that the brake lights are working?

Hi,

Here is how I dealt with it a while back: http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/index.htm?id=993536

I don't expect you'll have a problem with the relay. Solenoid, perhaps, if there's been a soft drink or two spilled.
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Art Benstein near Baltimore

Everything is okay in the end. If it's not okay, it isn't the end.

I've had Volvos for decades, and other car makes intermittantly as well, all without the protection of the shiftlock -- I don't like it -- and I guess I feel that way because I was never (at least yet) an old person with an Audi 3000 :-)

Anyway, I got a '93 240 about 4 years ago, and often wondered (when I first got it) what that black button on top of the plastic quadrant was for, until I read the manual. Funny, though, it doesn't work -- i.e., I can move my shifter freely into and out of park without pressing on the brake pedal. Hmm, maybe that black button is locked in a bypass mode?

Then, a little over a year ago, I got a second '93. But damn it, its shift lockout is working! And I can't get the black button to permanently lock out that shiftlock -- I have to step on the brake pedal, or else push that button, every time.

So I'm on a "quest" (like for the holy grail) to figure out how to rip out that annoying solenoid and bypass it, just like my first '93.

Anyone have any suggestions, instructions?

Thanks for the link Art. I've got brake lights, but I will clean the fuse contacts and replace the fuses on #7 and #12 just to be sure. The problem is intermittent too. Yesterday it worked fine (after sitting for a few weeks), but usually it happens when the car is cold, and takes several minutes to warm up. I've also noticed I have to push the shift lever down to (about 1/2"), as I'm pushing the top button on the shifter. I would like to take it apart and test the relay and solenoid, do you know a link from someone that's done that before? Whenever I try to search the forum (next to the red wagon at the top of the screen), all I get are usless links to 700/900 Maintenance FAQ's that have nothing to do w/ a shift lock release on a 240.

Hi,

I've never had any trouble with the relay - it is tucked safely behind the dash and uses/passes very little current, so I doubt it is a common problem. The solenoid is in the line of fire, though, as you know, or rather in the line of in-car drinks.

My trip into the shifter linkage for shift lock reasons was mentioned in that link you saw: I needed to replace the yellow release lever. You can do that, as well as get into the shifter without removing the cover completely, but it is awkward, so I removed the knob. See http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/index.htm?id=1082095.

If you compare the following two pics, you can see the solenoid's pin near the lower left of the shifter box, first out (locked) then retracted.

Hello Art, I have the shift lock problem happening after a brake light failure, which has been fixed. The right rear bulb was out and I discovered while putting in the new bulb and twisting the bulb holder into the PCB, that the holders tab was slightly touching the outside area ground and shorting out the fuse #7. Once I cleaned this up the bulb replacement was fine.
However, the shift wont release from park and it will not release EVEN WHEN DEPRESSING the release lever. I can hear the click of the relay or solenoid when depressing the brake peddle as the car is running but will not release. Can you send me to the best link of troubleshooting or provide any further guidance here? Also I see that the bulb out indicater is coming on again when the brake peddle is depressed, but the brake lights are all working. The only bulb out is the high beam for the left head light. But I don"t think that has any relation. Your help is worth more than I can thank you for! Thanks JW

Thank you for your confidence. What year is your car; I'm not up on the 93 and that's the one with the button which could be "depressed." The earlier 91-92 have a lever which must be pulled to the left through the brush in the shifter slot.

Bulb warning failure needs further clarification. You know how to figure out which of the three functions is being reported by it, right? Tail lamps reported when the light switch is put in the parking light position. Head lamps when turned to the headlight position. Brake lamps when stepping on the pedal.

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Art Benstein near Baltimore

"Hanging is too good for a man who makes bad puns...
....he should be drawn and quoted."

When informatin is missed then usually I get it wrong, sorry for not including it is a 1991 240DL. The lever inside the brushes of the shift selector is what I'm saying when it is pulled to the left it still won't release the shift. As for the light indicator, I may have not concidered each warning. Although, it does not come on until I press the peddle letting me think the brake lights are out, which they are not.
Thanks again..

OK, that clears things up considerably JW. I will mark the year on this stub of the 10-year old thread.

If the lever doesn't release it, the plastic must be broken. Did it work before, or did you never have a need to use it? Could be the solenoid is jammed somehow - not rusted, it has a plastic insert, but Coca-cola can conceivably weld plastic to iron. :-)

The brake light failure system checks for unbalance in the current paired bulbs use. You say they work, but something is either unbalanced yet, as in one bulb brighter than the other, or it is fooling you temporarily because it is the high-mounted brake light not working. That fooled me recently, that's why I say it. Make sure the lamp in your sedan's back window is bright as well. Be careful, those dual filament bulbs CAN be installed backward if forced, and that would definitely cause the BFWS to trigger, but probably not affect the shift lock circuit. Most common problem with the warning circuit is oxidation and heating at the flex circuit in the area of the bulb socket contacts and where the harness connects.

A trick for troubleshooting is to remove the D+ tab connection to the alternator temporarily while testing the BFWS operation, that way you can check with key on engine off. Don't forget to put it back.
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Art Benstein near Baltimore

"I was worried that my mechanic might try to rip me off, I was relieved when he told me all I needed was turn-signal fluid."

Well my update is that the solenoid, although was pulling in it was weak and would not pull in far enough. I was able to push the locking arm down while I held in the yellow lever. But when I depressed the shift arm and moved it from P to D and then back to P, it would not release the locking arm from the solenoid. I believe the solenoid was too tight and against the locking arm and it stuck every time. This also happened when the car was running and I used the brake. So my remedy although the last thing I really wanted to do, was to remove the lever and locking arm. Unfortunately the locking arm broke in the removal so I wont be looking to dig deeper to replace the solenoid and honestly I stop caring when I saw the difficulty. But hey, It works now and that's all that matters. So long as the car is not put into gear while not running however,I really don't think that will be a problem. Unless your steeling it!

Judd,

With it fresh in your mind, can you identify the parts removed and the part you broke?

By now you know removing the yellow manual release lever cannot disable the shift lock, but you see on these boards claims that it does. I don't want to advise people how to remove safety equipment, but your information might be very useful to others. This short-lived safety design (91-92) was obviously rushed into a production by US import requirements on a car that was supposed to be replaced by 7/9 designs years earlier.

(click on the image for full view)
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Art Benstein near Baltimore

Marathon runners with bad footwear suffer the agony of defeat.

The quick and easy solution when the shifter wont unlock is to break part 10b. It rides right next to part 7 and interfaces with the solenoid. It will break pretty easily if you just apply pressure downward on it with a flat blade screwdriver and a hammer! Once part 10b breaks there is no longer a connection between the shifter and the solenoid.

Sorry for not responding earlier but here I am now....
The parts that were removed were: 52, 10a and 10b.
After removing the yellow lever I realized the removal of the locking arm was necessary because the yellow lever does nothing except to push the solenoid in manually and without it in place the arm still can not travel freely. I thought that I was a head of the game when I started to remove the locking arm but quickly realized that due to the shape of the arm there was no way I was pulling it out in-tacked and in your pictorial of 10b, if it were turned horizontally, you would see there is a raised eyelet that would not come through the shift arm assembly and would need to be broken anyway. I suppose one could really get into this and pull these parts without and breakage but considering time and necessity it wasn't an option. I will probably drive this 240 to death so I am okay with it.
I have put 27000 mi on the 240 in six years and I consider this a small hick-up for 2002700..So a BIG thanks again to ART for mentally preparing my head for this operation. You are always my search and go to man for the 240... However, that said, I appreciate everyone that has contributed to the site and your information is of great value too!!!
Judd

Hi,

Just reading over the actions you took.

In other words, you disabled it, out of necessity!

In My Humble Opinion, the whole apparatus was made to protect those disabled in their heads, out of necessity!

Driving a stick or automatic your right foot should always go on the brake when you crank the car.

Every car should start without a foot on the gas pedal. Start it and it idles or fix it! A car that stalls is as dangerous to drive as one that suddenly races or revs up for no reason!

In carbureted cars, you can first set the choke with one depression of the right foot. Afterwards, you crank the engine, the foot has to be gone from the gas pedal and over to the brake pedal, period!

In a stick vehicle, both feet are busy. Disengage the clutch and hold the car in place. That's what you do! Even forget parking brakes as they may not hold.
This way the brain, does not, get trained to be using the gas pedal. At all, at any time, on any vehicle made! Even on your lawnmowers!

Ever heard about some older folks or even young folks, with the distraction of their kids or anything else going on today of how they stepped on the gas instead of the brake pedal?

All by accident, it is claimed and it went through the front windows of a building! Even jumping a curb and running people down on a sidewalk.
Then blaming a parking lever failure. No pun intended but that is a "step ahead" in the whole process of actually moving and then you operating the car!

There is a quiet consensus or known fact, among many California Highway Patrol officers, that I have had the privilege to know from various circles, that in many of these investigated cases, the person that has done these things, will turn out to be a left foot braking driver. In most cases, they do not ask the driver directly but those who know the driver or have ridden with them.

What happens is they develop a problem of mixing up which foot to use!
We use our limbs almost "unconsciously" in doing lots of things over and over all the time! Just think about it! How many time times we touch or rub our face and clean our nose with different fingers or hands.

You can spot some left foot drivers when you see brake lights coming on and off while you are going down the road in traffic. The whole stream is moving steadily and yet some drivers just cannot seem to keep off their brakes.

You know they should be giving it the gas, to keep moving. Especially moving along with others going up a grade!
They never really slow down but the brakes are flashing on and they are keep right up with the flow!
Unconsciously keeping their safety zone, or car spacing as they perceive it gets shorten.
They are, Unconsciously on edge, working that left foot lightly.

My sister is one those. Her foot stays cocked right over the brake pedal. A whole lot of the time it's even on a highway! She was taught that in Drivers Education, on about using the left foot, while she was in 60's high school.
Never mastered a manual shift car either. Early in her marriage, she wiped out one transmission going clutch less.
She gave the term "gear grinding" a new meaning to her young machinist brother and his new brother-In-law!

Today, she is always having brake pad and rotor change out issues. She gets her daughter to replace them, as her husband raced cars and trained her to work on his cars.
My niece told me, Three set of brakes in 70,000 miles. Three fronts and Two rear sets.

In my mind, I wanted to blame it on her Chrysler Van but I know it shouldn't be that much, even for Chryslers.

Now her mind is in her seventies, I just got to keep my hands in my pockets and my mouth shut around them!

In this case, I think maybe, she is one, that needs that lock out feature because she is long past retraining!

So with all this said, if you are NOT, a left foot braking person or anyone else who may drive your car, you will be good to go!

Don't worry about it.

Just ask any prospective borrowers of your car, Do you use your Left Foot to Brake?

If they don't know what you are talking about, your will be ok with them.

Phil

okay Art . I have the cover off and with the key in on position I can see the solenoid move in and out with brake peddle. Also the yellow lever will push the button for the solenoid but still no release. All fuses are good.
I'm stumped...Judd

I have a 1991 240 series sedan with auto transmission. The shifter is sticking in park which I am manually overriding by pushing in the solenoid button inside the shifter. I have checked and replaced fuses and verified #'s 7 & 12 are operational. I have looked at and cleaned the interlock relay contacts, and verified there is power coming into the solenoid switch. I've also used electrical contact cleaner and cleaned inside the shifter. Did not appear to be anything spilled or any broken wires, or anything stuck inside. I'm still having the problem described above (stuck in park). Not sure what to do next and would welcome comments and suggestions!

I have read what I can find on this subject and have not come across anyone who has posted how to either replace the solenoid on a 1991 240, or to disable it if feasible. I checked on the replacement solenoid and is around $325! If there is any way to fix or disable this function I would prefer to do so but don't know how. Thanks for any help that may be offered!

If, after all these pictures and drawings, you can't figure it out for yourself without step-by-step help on the internet, you're in the market for professional assistance at the going rate. Whether that is economically sensible, just to avoid using your index finger to work the shift release, is a decision for you alone.
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Art Benstein near Baltimore

What's the use of happiness? It can't buy you money. - Henny Youngman

If you've verified the electrical part is working, there's only one thing left to do. That's the part I have not yet tackled -- removing the solenoid to examine it closely enough to find what makes it sticky. As you can see in the drawing below, that's not as easy as fiddling with fuses and relays.

On the car pictured in the previous post, I wound up adding a tell-tale light to prove to me the lock release was not an electrical fault, and it did. The shift lock remained "sticky" on the first use in the morning, despite the electrics being verified OK up to the solenoid. I have not (yet) taken it to the next step (daughter's car) as the workaround is to give it a few seconds, or if in a hurry, use the yellow release.





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Art Benstein near Baltimore

Dancing cheek-to-cheek is really a form of floor play.

Art, I'm just curious (since I don't have an automatic) - what are your thoughts on just removing or otherwise disabling the shifter interlock? Seems to me this 'feature' is regulatory overkill after the infamous Audi problem in the 80's. Although a number of American-made vehicles had clutch pedal safety switches, I'm glad Volvo never used them.

Hi Gary,

Your philosophical question begs some introspection on my part - as I've found it to be a stimulating challenge to make these cars work as designed and, in general, keep my mitts out of them modification-wise. That is a reversal from my true nature, and most of my reputation.

For instance, our 25 year-old home is riddled with the fruits of my innovation hobby, especially electrical/electronic, mechanical, and plumbing. Now I realize how all that gadgetry needs to come out before passing it on to someone less inclined to maintain one-of-a-kind systems. It will take months.

Now I know my cars go directly to the crusher, so that's not a worry, but in the back of my mind I envision something going wrong with a safety-affecting mod - some insurance company lawyer denying a claim - someone getting hurt. In the forefront, I realize these things like the shifter lock have to function while in warranty or there'd be a TSB or recall changing them, so I know they can be fixed.

I have a lawn tractor given me by a neighbor moved away; it needs to be fixed before each use. The lockout that forces me to sit in the seat, hold the clutch in, and disengage the mower deck, while troubleshooting the waterlogged ignition switch, annoys me like this Volvo release must annoy others. But I still haven't wired around the safety switches. I think removing the solenoid in the Volvo may be a lot of work. So far it has been easier for me to fix it.
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Art Benstein near Baltimore

In democracy it's your vote that counts; in feudalism it's your count that votes.