The shiftlock solenoid in my 1993 940 has been intermittently reluctant to release. Before it stranded me at an inconvenient time, in a dangerous place, or with people who are not in a position to "hoof it", I decided to remove it. Given that my non-shiftlock 240 has not left a trail of blood and mayhem behind it, I really don't feel bad about eliminating this troublesome "safety" feature.

Not a pleasant job. The description in the FAQ is helpful, but not enough. I tried taking photos of the process, but they came out dark/blurry.

In the end, all the talk from the FAQ about a u-shaped tang just made my head hurt. Even with it all apart, I STILL don't see what they were talking about. Since I have no intention of ever installing a new solenoid, breaking the mounts was perfectly reasonable. A screwdriver and some pliers and I pried on the solenoid mounting tabs until they broke, then wiggled the evil device out of the shifter body. Here's the shifter, showing the spot where the solenoid used to live. I can now move the shifter back and forth simply by squeezing the button, just like on my pre-shiftlock 240. Joy!



here is the solenoid, part number 3544454 in all its glory. See those fasteners? God help you getting those off without breaking the plastic studs, should you be trying to actually install a new one of these.



Tomorrow I'll have to reassemble. I don't look forward to getting the shifter back thru the hole in the tunnel, nor do I think reconnecting the cable for the key-removal safeguard will be easy.

John
--
1989 245 245K / 1993 945 131K

I used the shifter out of my junked 89 . It was an easy fix.

It sounds like you want to mash it with a hammer and set it on fire. If not, do it for me. The one in my 1993 944 does not work either but the override still does. It sounds like Volvo intended for a shifter replacement if it failed.

The 1992 240's shift lock doesn't work either and the override lever has almost broken off. Just a thought, the 240 electric mirror switches were gummed up with sugary drink spills and just an R&R cleaning them in tap water got them working. I may douse the solenoid while installed with water and then hit it with a spray lube.

"nor do I think reconnecting the cable for the key-removal safeguard will be easy." That cable was broken or disconnected in my 240. That is the real safety feature because the shifter "has" to be in "park" before the key is removed. I have had the car start to roll a few times, thankfully while I was still in the car.

Tom

Hehe you guys make me feel better about my maintenance(or lack thereof)! I too have been using my override button in one of my 940's as I am too lazy to take the damn thing apart and rip 'er out as well. Its on my 2 page "list of things of things to do"...Enjoy the day peeps!