01 V70 T5 stuck in Park???? Wife MAD!

jschick · Post by **jschick** » 19 Dec 2008, 06:18

well this Am my wife is ready to blow up her volvo. everyone was late getting around today and her car was stuck in park! It was 32 degrees and my guess is the release mechanism is frozen. when you step on the brake you can here the solinoid in the shifter but you don't here a clang of a good release. (the car sits outside)
does anyone know how to take this apart or get to the mechanism?
this has done it 1 time before when it was around 25 degrees but if you hit the brake a few times it released. today I tried probably 100x and no luck.

i did unsnap the cover but you can't really see anything, looks like I need to remove the shifter handle to get the top cover off, with the handle still on the shifter you can't only pry the cover open enough to see anything except a sealed shifter box!

so how does the leather handle come off? and does anyone know wher the solinoid is or where to start?
thanks

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 19 Dec 2008, 16:08

Depending on which gear shifter you have, there is a printed circuit on the back side of the plastic part that lifts up (the one with the gears marked on them with P-R-D,3, etc.) that may need to be replaced. I'm really not sure how you problem solve to see if it's the issue.

cucuracha · Post by **cucuracha** » 19 Dec 2008, 16:13

check that the brake lights come on, the brake lifght switch activates a solenoid that locks out the gear selector, that solenoid frequently gets gooey from soda etc. that would be my first thing to check you should hear it activate when you push the brake pedal, sould comes from the gear selector area. there is also a fuse for that circuit its included with the brake switch circuit.

jschick · Post by **jschick** » 20 Dec 2008, 13:56

well turns out their are 2 lock mechanisms in the shifter. one activates when you hit the brake, and it is working. the other works when you turn the key to position 2, this one was frozen from spilled drinks, and luckly this one is a longer shaft along the side of the shifter which you can reach and move with a Pen if it gets stuck. a little wD40 and it seems ok now. this one you could also easily remove or unhook if needed!