Friends,

In our 1993 Volvo 940 NA sedan we are unable to turn the key back to the 0 position in order to remove it. This problem developed gradually over the past month or so. At first, we were able to push the shifter harder into the Park position and then the key would release. Shortly after the weather got a bit colder--in the 40s and 40s--this trick failed altogether.

After reading a number of related posts, I removed the instrument cluster and disconnected the cable that goes into the back of the ignition lock assembly and comes from the shift assembly. That did not fix the problem.

I have also disassembled the shift assembly to see if anything is keeping the shifter from going all the way into park. If that is a problem, it's not apparent.

I checked the cable and it does retract when the shifter is moved from reverse to park. It seems that the linkage at both ends does work.

I can imagine four more possibilities to explore:

1. the lock cylinder and and cable work but are out of adjustment (there is an adjustment point near the shifter). If so, I'm trying to imagine which way to turn the threaded adjuster. I assume that the cable is not pushing into the ignition lock far enough.

Since the adjuster seems to lengthen the housing, I guess that I should try to make the housing shorter to get the plunger to go further into the ignition switch.

I'm also trying to think through how colder weather might have made the cable shorter . . .

To test the plunger theory, it might make sense to push a small screwdriver into the lock cylinder where the cable normally goes, to see if that would release the key.

Some posts on the board have described a clicking sound that would occur when the cable is removed, but I did not hear that. Perhaps lubrication of the ignition assembly would do the trick.

2. there is another way the car locks the ignition such as an electrical connection.

3. the ignition cylinder is worn out (or the larger locking mechanism is worn out). Since the cylinder is not available anymore, that would mean I would need to buy a used part.

4. the cable, which appears to work fine, might need replacement.

I'd be happy to hear of any further ideas!

Thanks much,

pmp3

I have a 1994 940t that I purchased years ago. When I got the car the ignition key could not be removed from the switch assembly because it would not go into the position to do so.

I don't remember the details at this point but removing the cable that was attached to the lock assembly was all I had to do to allow the assembly to move into the proper position and the key came right out.

I know you have tried this without success but thought it might somehow help.

Randy

Dear pmp3

Hope you're well. The problem most likely is in the lock cylinder.

A few months ago, I could not open a station wagon hatch by turning the key: the key would not move. To open the hatch, I had to use the central locking system. Ascertaining that the hatch lock's mechanism connecting rods were in the correct places, I concluded the problem was in the lock cylinder.

I removed the lock cylinder from its housing in the hatch handle. Being careful to keep the lock's pins and springs in place, I flushed the lock cylinder with brake cleaner. That removed dirt, congealed lock lubricant. The I lubricated the lock with a teflon-based (non-graphite) lube, and re-assembled everything. The lock works fine.

Thus, you might want to lubricate the lock cylinder with a teflon-based (non-graphite) lubricant.

In addition, your idea - to use a small screwdriver to press on the ignition lock mechanism - seems sound. There, too, a bit of the right kind of lubricant might be helpful.

Please post your results.

Hope this helps.

Yours faithfully,

Spook

Hi Spook,

Thanks for the good suggestion. I'll try the lube, which I just ordered, and then I'll try pushing with a probe.

I wonder if it would make sense to try to remove the lock cylinder, which would make it possible to really clean it out. Based on what I read in the FAQ, it seems like a fairly simple operation.

Best,
pmp3

Dear pmp3,

Hope you're well. I've removed hatch and glove box lock cylinders. So long as one makes sures the pins and springs stay in place, there's no great risk.

Flushing with brake cleaner is pretty certain to remove all grit, old lubes, etc.

Hope this helps.

Yours faithfully,

Spook

Friends,

I'd like to thank Spook and rstarkie for suggestions.

Good news, so far: I fixed the problem--I think--by taking the electrical ignition switch out. However, I'm not confident that I really understand the whole problem.

I had previously tried:
1) removal of the cable from the shifter;
2) adjustment of the cable from the shifter; and
3) probing the hole the cable goes in,
but none of them helped.

At this point, I think there my have been two separate conditions that, alone or in combination, caused the problem: a bad electrical switch and a poorly cut copy of the key.

A) Bad Switch?

About a month before the problem started, I replaced the original electrical switch (which was causing an intermittent no-start) with an aftermarket unit, which seemed to work. I have now installed a Volvo brand ignition switch, and it seems to work well.

Has anyone heard of the key getting blocked by the electrical switch? I have not taken the switch apart to see if anything looks stuck.

I wonder if the spring in the switch kept pressure on a poorly cut key.

By the way, I replaced the "normal" screws with metric cap screws and they were much easier to install--the hex driver stays in the hole much better than my stubby screwdriver stays on the old screws.

B) Poorly cut key?

As it turns out, the key still turns with some difficulty. I had not really noticed this before--but the key works poorly, not only in the ignition but also in the doors.

Since we had no original key, we went to the dealer to get one made. However, the key that corresponded to the VIN didn't look at all like the key from the car. The helpful parts person was able to figure out the key code by matching the cuts, and he made a new key. He said that a dealer might have swapped out all the locks, but the dealer should have put a sticker in the glove box--we don't have one. The new Volvo key works a bit better, but is rough. I wonder if the new key might be slightly off . . . and I guess an automotive locksmith could really figure it out (using a Lishi Volvo tool (S66NN, NE-40, NE66) which is only sold to locksmiths, I think--see https://www.lockpicks.com/volvo-s66nn-ne-40-ne66-lishi-pick-decoder-tool.html)

I still a bit puzzled about: how the switch could hang up; whether a poor key might hang up; and whether the two conditions together might cause the ignition key to stick in the lock. Time will tell, I guess.

Any further comments would be very welcome.

Best,
pmp3

Dear pmp3,

Hope you're well. Did you remove the shift-lock cable from the ignition lock housing. If so, exactly how did you remove the cable? The cable seems to be secured to the lock housing by two black plastic lugs. How did you disengage those from the housing? The lower lug is hard to access, so did you work from underneath? If a tool was needed, what tool did you use?

Thanks for your help.

Yours faithfully,

Spook

Dear pmp3,

Hope you're well. I, too, face an ignition key that won't return to "0", so can't be removed.

The metric socket head cap machine screws needed to replace the factory-supplied slotted-head machine screws - that secure the ignition switch electrical unit to the ignition lock body - are: M4, 0.7 pitch, 13mm. They require a 3mm hex key or hex bit. I found these machine screws at an ordinary hardware store.

As these screws' heads face towards the front of the car, they aren't in plain sight.

As you noted, the hex recess keeps the bit in place. Further, the hex screw heads' circumferential reeding make it easier to finger-turn them versus the slotted screws heads' smooth sides.

Hope this helps.

Yours faithfully,

Spook