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P80 Key stuck in ignition C70/ S70/V70

Help, Advice and DIY Tutorials on Volvo's P80 platform cars -- Volvo's 1990s "bread and butter" cars -- powered by the ubiquitous and durable Volvo inline 5-cylinder engine.

1992 - 1997 850, including 850 R, 850 T-5R, 850 T-5, 850 GLT
1997 - 2000 S70, S70 AWD
1997 - 2000 V70, V70 AWD
1997 - 2000 V70-XC
1997 - 2004 C70

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pv544
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Joined: 1 June 2012
Year and Model: pv544 1959
Location: St Louis

P80 Key stuck in ignition C70/ S70/V70

Post by pv544 »

Steering wheel will NOT lock and key can not be removed, gearshift will lock into park but you have to shake gearshift to get it to lock. I can live with the gearshift park situation but don't like leaving key in ignition. The gearshift has been doing its thing for a long time but the stuck key happened recently after being towed home on a flatbed (car failed because alternator pully slips on shaft and does not spin alternator). I know this park lock is dependant on battery power and I have replaced the alternator and battery is now fully charged. Please help before someone steals wifeys car please (steal it).

jimmy57
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Post by jimmy57 »

Does the lock button you grasp with finertips on gear lever pop out when it goes into park?
SOmetimes WD-40 on the button will address this as it has to pop out for the cable from shifter to ignition lock to go to lock position which allows key removal and wheel lock. Sometimes the fault is down below from stuff spilled and it may take some disassembly and cleaning.

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rspi
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Post by rspi »

+1, pull the button out while in park and it will let the key out.
'95 855 T-5R M, Panther - 22/28 mpg, 546,000 miles
'95 955 T-5R Yellow Wagon, Lemonade, 180,000 miles
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BEJinFbk
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Post by BEJinFbk »

The shiftlock overide button is tied into the same ignition lock release cable.
Check both the shift lever button and the shiftlock overide button.

Here's some info from a previous post about this problem:

The ignition lock is designed to retain your key unless the car is in Park.There's a steel cable that runs from
the shifter to the ignition switch to be sure that happens. If the button on the shift lever doesn't pop all the
way back down, the Shiftlock Overide button gets stuck or the cable is stretched a little too long from years
of use, the cable won't be able to do it's job and the ignition switch will not release your key.

I had a similar experience that occurred after someone pushed the Shiftlock Override button in my car.
It was never detailed by the PO and someone had spilled something sticky on the shifter console. That made
the Shiftlock Override button stick and my key was stuck. It looked like it had popped back up, but was still
depressed far enough to keep my key captive. I pulled the button all the way up and all was well.

Later, I pulled the whole console apart and cleaned EVERYTHING. I also tightened up the cable a little bit.
It adjusts at the shifter end. All has been well for several years now. I hope this helps. :mrgreen:
'98 V70 R - Well Equipped for Life Up North... ;)

skidaddy13
Posts: 18
Joined: 13 March 2012
Year and Model: S70 GLT 1998
Location: Tennessee

Post by skidaddy13 »

please clean it or it will break like mine did! apparently from what I have read the shifter is fun to take off!

pv544
Posts: 4
Joined: 1 June 2012
Year and Model: pv544 1959
Location: St Louis

Post by pv544 »

FIXED !!!!Thanks for all the help started tearing console apart but decided to spray gearshift handle --interlock button --and key with WD40 that fixed it guess I finally caught a break thanks yall

Rls5698
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Joined: 6 May 2020
Year and Model: 2008 c70
Location: Mobile

Post by Rls5698 »

jimmy57 wrote: 14 Jun 2012, 13:26 Does the lock button you grasp with finertips on gear lever pop out when it goes into park?
SOmetimes WD-40 on the button will address this as it has to pop out for the cable from shifter to ignition lock to go to lock position which allows key removal and wheel lock. Sometimes the fault is down below from stuff spilled and it may take some disassembly and cleaning.

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abscate
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Post by abscate »

Add me to this exclusive club today, with Shaggkira 1999 V70

The button to the shifter is partially stuck in so I’ll get some lube in it this morning and report back
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erikv11
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Post by erikv11 »

abscate wrote: 26 Feb 2021, 03:29 Add me to this exclusive club today, with Shaggkira 1999 V70

The button to the shifter is partially stuck in so I’ll get some lube in it this morning and report back
Sometimes the button to the shifter sticks because the knob has begun to work its way off the shift lever. Pop it down with the palm of your hand to reseat it.
'95 854 T-5R, Motronic 4.4, 185k
'98 V70, T5 tune-injectors-turbo, LPT engine, 304k, daily driver
'06 S60 R, 197k
'07 XC70, black, 205k
'07 XC70, willow green, 212k
'99 Camry V6 :shock: 153k
gone: '96 NA 850 210k, '98 NA V70 182k, '98 S70 NA 225k, '96 855 NA 169k

scot850
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Post by scot850 »

The shifter knobs start to break up with age. You used to get a replacement button from FCP and IPD at reasonable prices, but last time I looked they were a crazy price and I had difficulty finding them. It is easy to pop the shift knob off to have a better look and clean the shift knob. Turn the top of the shifter boot about 45 degrees and it should release from the bottom of the shifter knob. The brace and pull up hard on the shifter knob. Can be a bear to move but it will. Refitting is the reverse.

Neil.
2006 V70 2.5T AWD Polestar tune
2000 V70 R - still being an endless PITA
2006 XC70 - Our son now has this and still parked in our garage
2003 Toyota 4Runner V8 Limited
2015 Kia Sportage EX-L - Sold
1993 850 GLT -Sold
1998 V70 XC - Sold
1997 Volvo 850 SE NA - Went to niece in California - Sold
2000 V70 SE NA - Sold

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