This suggestion comes from my experience with 740s.

Do you know if you have an actual key or a valet key?

Does the key you are using lock and unlock the glove box - if not, that is a valet key and it will not unlock the rear.

Try all the keys that you have - I think that the handles are larger on real keys.

See this url - https://volvoforums.com/forum/volvo-240-740-940-12/what-do-you-do-when-only-key-valet-key-25246/

Also, Volvo switches are a weak point - perhaps the switch has failed - try pulling the switch out and if it only has two wires, try touching the wires together to activate the trunk (sic) lock. All a switch with two wires does is to connect the two wires.

A lot of Volvo procedures start with a small screw driver to pry gently. The difficulty is to figure where to pry!

Many things snap into place, one side has a hook, and the other a detent - if you pry on the detent side, the item comes out, if you pry on the hook side, you break the hook. Try prying gently on each side, with luck you can figure out the correct side. If you have no luck, try the top and bottom.

If the switch has more than two wires, you need to try another switch.

Well, I can say from recent experience, your latch mechanism inside the tailgate might have rusted itself together. I just had this happen on a wagon I've had in storage for sometime.

Eventually, I had to crawl into the cargo area, remove the tailgate trim panel and brutalize the mechanism into submission. If I recall correctly, there are three fasteners securing the latching mechanism. At first I thought, no problem, just undo the fasteners. But, one of them was so welded by rust it could not be undone.

I'd be more specific except it would require me to go out to the wagon and revisit the remnants of the destruction.

Just like your situation, I could unlock the tailgate yet not get the latch to release.

The best I can advise is to carefully pop off the tailgate interior trim panel (a trim panel removal tool is nice to have) and attack the problem head-on.

Richie (near The Burgh)

Hello,

The lock pin control rod (#37 in the illustration) has probably become disconnected.

You will have to remove the tailgate panel from the inside to access the control rod. The panel is held in place with door panel clips around the perimeter and by the handle cover and bezel in the middle. The handle cover slides off the metal lever inside and then the bezel comes off with 2 screws.


--
Eric
Hi Performance Automotive Service (formerly OVO or Old Volvos Only)
Torrance, CA 90502

I'm just confused by "wagon" and "trunk." There's no trunk release button in any 93 240 I've seen, but then my experience is limited to North American market cars.

Does this owner's manual help, at least with the jargon?

http://www.volvotips.com/brochures/240-260/instruction-books/Volvo-240-owners-manual-USA-Canada-1993.pdf
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Art Benstein near Baltimore

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