Hi all: I have a 1998 Volvo S90. 6cyl B6304S engine. 86,000 miles. The stock AW40 automatic transmission. I’m in the process of rebuilding the top half of this engine. I have the head off, etc.

I just put the battery back in the car, so I could manually push the car down the driveway to work on it. The ignition is ON, all dash lights come on, I’m able to put the car in neutral, but the car will not roll. It’s like the car is still in PARK or something. All the fuses, are in place.

About 8 weeks ago I manually pushed the car from inside my garage about 20 feet to its current location, with no problem.

Today, the car won’t budge, even though it’s in neutral. The only difference from the move 8 weeks ago till now, is that the battery has been out of the car. Today, I first opened the drivers door, re-connected the battery, and the factory car alarm went off.

Why won’t this car move in neutral? Any assistance would be appreciated. I’m stumped. Thanks… Mr. Tool

If you were able to move the shifter out of park into any other gear it will move as long as the e brake is released. However look at the brake rotors and they will be rusted after the car sits for a while, this is normal. The rust will cause the pads to bind to the rotor. This "bond" must be broken with a good nudge (perhaps use another car with a tire in between?). Also the wheels may turn stiffly for a turn or two. It will move.

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David Hunter

Howdy,

Was the parking brake set for 8 weeks? Is the cable actually releasing at the brake end? Sometimes the cable can rust near the ends of the sheath. The frozen cable effectively lock the parking brake on. Try pulling on the cables under the car with the idea in mind of "freeing" the cables.

Perhaps a bond formed between the shoes and the drums.

Either way, rock the car back and forth as best you can. Find a helper to push as you pull and vise versa. If the problem is a frozen parking brake, you should be able to free it up.

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Mr. Shannon DeWolfe -- I've taken to using mister because my name misleads folks on the WWW. I am a 53 year old fat man. ;-)

Also, check the brake discs; I looked at a old 240 that wouldn't roll because the discs had rusted to the pads.

Ari