My 93-940 automatic gear shift handle is cooked and ugly, there are plenty of good ones in the junk yard but I haven't figured out how to remove the part and replace mine. I thought of putting like a condon or a sock to cover it as a temporaray solution, is it interchangeable with another one from a 960 or so?
Any feedback will be appreciated.

Dear CarlosR,

May this find you well. I do not know if a shifter handle from 960 will interchange with that of a 940. Here's how to remove/replace the shifter handle on a 93 940.

A. Remove the overdrive switch
1. On the side of the shift handle facing the seats, is the overdrive switch. It is a "press fit" into the handle. Using a fingernail or a plastic (not metal) putty knife, gently pry out the switch. There is little slack in the wiring harness, so you'll only be able to pull out the switch by 1/2" (12.7mm). The overdrive switch has two small metal tabs, to which the wires are soldered.
2. Note which wire goes to each switch tab. Cut the wires as close as you can get to the tabs, but do NOT cut the tabs, or the switch will be ruined.
3. Using a small file, carefully remove from the tabs, the bit of wire and solder left, when you cut the wire. Be gentle: you do not want to break-off the tabs from the overdrive switch body. Set aside the overdrive switch.
4. Using a wire stripper, remove 1/8" of insulation from each of wires.
5. Using a soldering iron, coat the ends of the wires with rosin core solder the only type to be used on electrical connections)

B. Remove the shifter handle
1. The shifter handle is "press fit" onto the shifter shaft.
2. Grip the shifter handle firmly and pull straight up. It will take considerable force. The shifter handle may come free unexpectedly, so be prepared for that.

C. Replacing the shifter handle
1. Take the replacement shifter handle, and put a 24" (60 cm) length of string through the overdrive switch opening.
2. Attach bottom end of the string to the overdrive switch wires, using electrical tape
3. As you slide the shifter handle onto the shifter shaft - with the switch opening facing the seats - pull up on the string, which causes the wires to enter the shifter handle
4. Once the shifter handle will not slide further down the shifter shaft - and the ends of the overdrive switch wires are just sticking out of the opening in the shifter handle - strike the top of the shifter handle with the flat of your hand. It should seat fully on to the shifter shaft

D. Replace the overdrive switch
1. Put small amounts of solder on the overdrive switch tabs
2. Solder the wires to the switch tabs and allow time for the solder to cool
3. Press the overdrive switch into the shifter handle.

Hope this helps. Post back with any questions.

Yours faithfully,

spook

Glad to hear from you again, hope you're very well, ....well, my 940 doesn't have the everdrive switch, it's a basic 940 SW and it has a small shifter with the release button in the front (I miss my wife's 960 big shifter)and the rubber in the upper part simply disappeared, It's working well but it's really ugly. I think I will have to play with one in the junk yard until I can do it (I love junk yards here in Miami)
So, there are no screws or tabs to remove? just pull it up?
thanks

Estimado Carlos R,

Good p.m. and hope you're well. The 93 940s I've seen all have a shift lever that is a single piece of rubber, with a large release button on the side facing the console. The overdrive switch button is set into the other side of the handle, that faces the seats. This switch button is small, so you may have overlooked it. If your shifter handle has some other format, then my remove/reinstall procedures do not apply.

Yours faithfully,

spook

You're right, I just bought this 93-940 so I am not very familiar with it.
I think I could fix it with some epoxy material, less dramatic than replacing the shifter, let's see.

Another question please, I notice the 4th gear does not work at high speeds, do I have to activate it manually with the OD button in the shifter or is it supossed to work automatically after 60 MPH or so?? if it doesn't work, should I replace the OD solenoid? the tranny fluid was just replaced with Volvo ATF.

The motor is running at 3rd gear even at 70 MPH which means it's going at 3000 RPM and uses a lot of gas.

Dear CarlosR,

Good a.m. Most epoxy glues work best with non-flexible materials, i.e., wood, some plastics, metals, etc. You could try it with the rubber, but don't be surprised if it fails to hold.

At 70 mph, 3,000 RPM is about right (within 100-200 RPM). If your car is normally-aspirated (i.e., does not have a turbo), the transmission almost certainly has a lock-up torque converter (LTC). This serves as "fourth gear" and improves fuel economy. The LTC works automatically.

To know for certain the type of transmission, jack-up the car so you can see the transmission data plate. It is on the driver's side of the trans case. It might read, "AW71L-03". AW = Aisin Warner (manufacturer); 71 = Model Number; L = Locking Torque Converter. The "03" likely is a type designation.

At the bottom of the instrument cluster, there is a row of system status lights. All come on when you turn the key and should go out, once the engine is running. Is a "Up Arrow" lit-up, after all others have gone out? If so, there's a problem with the over-drive system. This usually is the result of a relay failure. The overdrive relay is on the central fuse/relay block, behind the front center console ashtray. See the FAQs, under Site Features, for accessing this area.

You should have on board spare fuel pump and overdrive relays. No tools are needed to change these. You can get spares at a salvage yard. Test them., by installing them and verifying that the car drives properly. If these relays work, write the test date on the relay, and put it in the glove box or storage compartment. The date notation will tell you that the item is in working order.

Hope this helps.

Yours faithfully,

spook

The overdrive button

Dear Spook,

I found an almost new shifter that fits in my 93-940 but this one doesn't have the hole for the overdrive switch in it, this one is from a 97-850 and the switch was not located in the shifter itself...my question is, could I just relocate the switch somewhere else, or better, just get rid of the switch and disable this option that I won't most probable use ever?

Hi I had the same issue and Benjamin Meza sold me a new OEM one at http://www.swedishengineering.com for $50. I found it impossible to find it new elsewhere, and the dealer's cost was absurd. This little plastic item completely changes your car's interior appearance.

Dear CarlosR,

Good a.m. I'd not disable a factory-installed item. With time, you'll find a suitable exact replacement.

I'm not sure that a shift lever handle from an 850 will fit properly on the shifter shaft: I've never tried to do that.

If you are sure this shifter handle will fit onto the shifter shaft of a 940, you might carefully cut an opening in the reverse side of the handle, and install the overdrive switch.

Relocating the switch is unlikely to be easy: moving wiring usually means removing lots of things, as wires usually are secured by cable ties. Some of these can be in places, into which hands are not meant to go.

Hope this helps.

Yours faithfully,

spook

you're right, I should wait until I can visit the junk yard again.
thanks

Thanks for your help, yes I found the OD button and it's working as it should, I guess, the tranny changes into 4th gear but I thought that 3000 RPM at 70-80 Miles per hour was too high, comparing with the 2.9-6L in my 960, that one runs at 2000 RPM even at 80 mph, that's a great difference.
Isn't there a sensor involved in the interval change? like the speed sensor?
The ECM only gives 1-1-1 (no error code) so I cannot tell.

Dear Carlos,

Good p.m. The speed (RPM/Crank) sensor sits atop the transmission bell housing, just behind the engine, at the 10 o'clock position, as you face the engine. If the sensor starts to fail, the car stops. The sensor has no direct connection to the transmission. It reads the flywheel/flexplate rotation. That information, sent via the Engine Control Module, tells the fuel pump to keep running, after the initial, 1-2 second spin-up, when the key is moved to "ON". If the RPM sensor fails, the car stops running, due to fuel pump shut-down.


If the ECM Code is 1-1-1, that's great (all is in good order).

So far as I know, the only external influence on shifting is via the kick-down cable. If it is out of adjustment, shifts may be delayed or premature. I've never adjusted it, so I do not know how to do so.

One of the MasterTechs - e.g., Paulii or Rule .308 - who generously contribute insights gained from years of problem-solving, may be able to help.

Yours faithfully,

spook

I used your suggestions last week to replace my 940's overdrive switch, which had again failed. The earlier fix used the Spook "solder" technique; I instead decided to replace the entire unit which includes the long pigtail to the connector beside the radio. Bugger of a job: lots of disassembly and required removal of the shifter.

Dear Steve,

Good a.m. Did the switch fail, or did the solder joints break? I've used on my own cars, the the approach I set forth. It has not been problematic. However, I don't have a need to use the switch.

As the switch is held firmly in the shifter housing, I doubt that even constant use could cause the solder connections to flex enough, that the solder joints would fail.

If the wires came loose from the switch, it likely was the result of not having cleaned the switch tabs down to the bare metal, which is copper. This is not easy. The tabs are very small and thin, so great care is needed.

This cleaning is necessary, because the harness wires seem to be brazed onto the tabs. To ensure a strong solder bond, I removed all traces of the brazing metal. Soldering scopper wire to copper tabs produces a strong bond, if rosin core solder is used, and if enough heat is applied. Because the tabs are small and the wires are very thin, I used a 25-watt soldering iron. That seems to have worked.

As you noted, replacing the entire overdrive switch harness is a complex job. If the soldering is done properly, I think it should give lasting results.

Yours faithfully,

spook