Y'all, I haven't posted here in years, mostly because that damn car refuses to die. But lately when I unlock the driver's door with the key, instead of the loud gunshot sound of all four doors unlocking, it's kind of a thump and the back door lock knob doesn't come up all the way.

In addition I can no longer open the trunk/boot, which is a bummer because I have stuff in there I need. Any ideas how to open it? The ignition key doesn't fit the trunk lock.

Battery was replaced about three years ago. Car cranks and starts fine even after a few weeks of sitting and/or temperatures in the teens (F), now that I've replaced the plug wires, plugs, cap & rotor...

Thanks for the all the replies. Many possible solutions, apparently, but the biggest take-away for me at the moment — I’ve been out of the country since I first posted this questiomn — is that I’ve been using the valet key all these years without realizing it. I have two normal keys with the rounded corners that have been sitting in a drawer forever; I'd been using the square-corner key all this time. They are all the originals; I had a new key cut at a dealer using the VIN but it never worked because the pins in the door and ignition had worn down a little, so that was ten bucks wasted.

I can live without the central locks for the time being. Fixing that will be a project for when the weather warms up.

Thanks again, y'all.

I have experienced the same problem with the 700/900 series. The locking relay is supposed to activate the locks for about one second. When the relay fails, it activates the circuit for something less than a second, which is not enough time for the lock/unlock solenoids to do their work.

Replacing the locking relay solved the problem each time.
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john

Hi John,

As spook would politely wish, hope you're well.

Just as a note of clarification, the 200 central locking was not used in the 7-series. There are no timer relays in the 2-series, just ordinary metal-cased Bosch as-reliable-as-rain-in-the-PNW SPDT relays. I would go so far as to say, no one has ever solved a central locking trouble by replacing one, although I'm sure many have been changed as a result of the general dim view folks take of relays. As difficult as these are to reach, I'm sorry for those who jump on the part swap approach with this advice.

The 2-series central locking holds the actuator as long as the switch (knob or key) is operated.
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Art Benstein near Baltimore

“Never underestimate the difficulty of changing false beliefs by facts.” --- Henry Rosovsky

Most of us have had trouble with the failing insulation in the high-strand-count wiring at the key switch and the lock knob switch in the driver's door, but symptoms of that failing are dead batteries overnight and phantom operation while driving. Abandoning them for a keyless entry is a great way to solve these issues, but I think you have something other than driver's door trouble.

Lack of oomph, which I hear in your description, is on the other side of a set of power relays from those switches. There are two main wear issues causing weak actuators. Both can combine.

1) The actuators themselves are bound up with old grease and moisture ingress. The motors can be bound by rust. Old chipped window scrapers subjects these actuators to the weather.

2) The wiring through the door jambs, being bent back and forth over a long time carries less current as individual strands are broken, reducing the voltage available at the actuator motors.

Also, the trunk actuator on the 86-93 240's is marginal to begin with so when old, it tends to be like we are, sluggish in the cold weather. Speaking for myself of course.





Your valet key is just a "thicker" version of the owner key, teeth cut the same. I think you could get a copy made just by selecting the non-valet blank, if the key copying machine does not grind profile.

The valet key is about 2.4mm thick, and in its profile, the fixed-width land is left at full thickness. The key that works in all the locks has this land reduced along its length from the 2.4mm thickness of the blank to 1.8mm.

You could grind it to that thickness. I have two valet keys for our 89 sedan, so I tried this on one of them, and it now opens the trunk and glove box, as well as the door and ignition switch.




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Art Benstein near Baltimore

"People that can use a test light, meter, a scope, and talk to the consumer without being mean to them can do very well in this growing industry. I've been an electronics tech for 30 years so I know just how much fun this electronic stuff is." -Dave dl242gt

Art, the detail astounds me. I never owned a later model sedan so the Valet Key was never an issue, I just knew about it.

But what possessed you to put a micrometer on the keys to measure the thickness.
By the way how many Volvo 240s have run thru your hands over the years.
Cheers

http://volvowiringdiagrams.com/volvo/240%20Wiring%20Diagrams/Volvo%20240%201987.pdf

PDF Page 7 of 20:

SYSTEM WIRING DIAGRAMS
Power Door Lock Circuit
1987 Volvo 240DL/GL

With key or driver door open, pull up on other three, uh, lock knobs. Press down on driver door lock knob or with door closed use the key. Do the other three doors then lock? Yes / No?

If yes, the three doors lock, the issue is power or ground connection to / from the unlocking (not locking) relay. Corrosion at the relay to socket connection or corrosion at the black wire to ground or corrosion at the fuse 8 load (fuse right) side. Spin the fuse, gain access to the relay and socket, loosen / tighten.

If no, and you have not replaced the outer window scrapers, so a gap is present between the failed factory exterior window scraper (you can replace these with new and better made from poron or neoprene - I forget) and the driver door glass window, allowing moisture to intrude into the door cavity, moisture can cause the driver door power lock switch to fail.

Indeed, as aforementioned, you may also have issue with wire insulation as 1987 is the final year of this issue (though) I've seen it on 89s. Through you have strain relief at the driver door hinge action. Though doubt it. You get some power lock action. Though not enough power.

If not, suspect corrosion at fuse 8. And maybe behind at the fuse panel backside. As what happened with the power windows failing fully in my 1989 240 and like issues. It was corrosion at the fuse panel load side power window system. 1 for the relay, and 1 for full current to power the relay load side for regulator power through the switches. Though as a paradoxical system I disassembled the door panels, the center console to gain access to the single power system relay, the fuse panel, and the driver door power window control and switches as my neurotic and comprehensive response in November 2015.

Sort of a paradox between fuse panel, relay connection to ground, and unlock and lock relay (two separate relays for each action) corrosion at the relay to wire harness socket. The ground for the relays and system are a stack of collected ground under a large machine screw at the upper right (passenger) center console frame support just under the seam between the center console cover with ashtray and switches and the kick panel next to the passenger right leg, in left hand drive 240s. Loosen and tighten. Corrosion forms here.

Check corrosion at either end of fuse panel fuse 8. Emery cloth, DeoxIT-D spray or grease and replace. Any improvement? If not,

- Disconnect battery and spray the fuse panel backside wire harness terms with DeoxIT-D spray. A slightest of wiggle may help as the wire end terms can be a bit frail. (Have spares and a crimp tool). Thoigh DeoxIT-D does it's work dissolving corrosion in a few minutes or more.

- Remove the center console to gain access to the relay array (?) under the top center vents and sort of behind (or to the front) of the center console coin tray. The relays are small silver cube cans. Identify them using the wire harness insulation color description in the line art wire diagram.

Dave Bartons relay info (look over the page, good info)

240 lock / unlock relay
http://www.240turbo.com/volvorelays.html#1259926-101gray
Scroll up a bit and see your NLA relay. Two used.

Relay locations:
http://www.240turbo.com/volvorelays.html#relaylocations

See the "Relay Locations - 1987 240 (PDF)" - perfect for you and your 1987 Volvo 240!

Summary:
- So if the locks "lock" using the key AND the lock knob, the unlock relay is your concern. Power from the #8 fuse and ground connection to it.
- If you do not get action to lock and unlock using key and door closed lock knob, the #8 fuse on the panel front and back side term connections. Though if the exterior window scraper on yours is rotten and dog chewed, water intrusion and age may be at issue. Whether rotting wire insulation or no.

Questions? Hope that halps yooooooooooo.

Sunday's Fun Day, Charlie Brown.
--
Give your brickboard.com a big thumbs up! Way up! - Roger Ebert.

hi david,
i'm afraid it might be the wiring in your master door lock. i believe the wiring insulation is made of the same material as the biodegradable insulation on the earlier 240s wiring harnesses.

i took one apart to see if i could repair it. the wire is a really small gauge and separated into several tracts. it's really difficult. i gave up and purchased a couple used replacements.

these are no longer sold and the price of decent ones on ebay shot up 4-5 fold. what i bought at $25 is now over $100. ouch.

as noted in a previous post, you need to take the door panel off for inspection.

hopefully, this is not your problem. the trouble is finding a decent replacement.

regards,
byron golden
86 245
92 245
94 940

The Cheapest Way Out of this is to get another Key made---go to Volvo with your VIN number, so you can open the trunk. You really don't need Power Door Locks. The Key that you have will open the Drivers side and the Passenger side doors.

The Rub is the Trunk.

If you are not inclined to repair the Power Locking Mechanism...just get a Key Made

The door locking mechanism just needs to be cleaned and lubed if all the other doors are locking/unlocking?. The door panel will have to come off.
Unless the trunk lock was changed at some point? You are using the the "VALET" key which will not open the trunk ever. Its usually a tad shorter than the normal key but sounds like you dont have a reference key to compare it to

Hi joekidd,

As spook would politely wish, hope you're well.

Just a note of clarification. The valet keys for the 86-93 240 are the same length as the service keys. And the valet key will indeed get you in the trunk, if used with a working central locking switch (front door) in the case the trunk latch hasn't been set to disable it, by withdrawing the service key in the horizontal position. All in the owner's manual. :)


--
Art Benstein near Baltimore

"A gentleman is someone who can play the accordion, but doesn't." -as retold by Monte Leister

So what's Mike Hammer up to these days?

"The ignition key doesn't fit the trunk lock
That's odd because earlier model Volvos had 2 keys - ignition/door and Trunk. BUT The later models had a single key that did it all...Though they were also supplied with a "Valet" key, that only worked the ignition and the doors but would not allow those larcenous parking-lot attendents access to the glovebox or the trunk.

BHowever your issue is with the Power Locking system. It's in the doors, you've got to remove the inside panels to be able to inspect the mechanism. The Driver's Door has the Main "Motor"

Basically a piston shoots out of a electro magnetic cylinder in drivers door when you turn the key, with a simultaneous triggering of same in the other doors and inside the trunk lid.


This pdf --- On Page 7 shows the wiring
http://www.volvowiringdiagrams.com/volvo/240%20Wiring%20Diagrams/TP31054-1%201987%20240%20Wiring%20Diagrams.pdf

it's for an 87 but it gives the path, in a diagram.

I would suggest doing a SEARCH here in the Brickborad as this problem has been discussed, as I recall. But basically you've got to remove in interior panel of the drivers side door and take a look at the main trigger mechanism.

Say Hi to Mike...

PS
Hey Velma. There's got to be a YouTube on it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ym9cKtVB5GA

and yeh I know
It’s “Velda”. “Velma” was the girl with glasses on “Scooby-Doo”.

If like the 700s, you'll have to pull door panel. There is a switch that triggers all the other locks.
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Post Back. That's whats makes this forum work.