IGNITION SWITCH HELP PLEASE 1998 V70

andyleonard · Post by **andyleonard** » 12 Jan 2009, 20:10

1998 V70, mfg 12/97, ignition lock casting dated 96.....

I have a non-electrical problem in the key-switch-lock assembly. The removed electrical part of the switch operates fine with a screwdriver but does not when assembled and operated with the key. I get occasional free-wheeling of the key, frequent no-start conditions as if the key isn't turned far enough and frequent wrong-position electrical problems. There is play somehow between the key itself and the small output blade on the left side of the lock assembly that sticks into the electrical switch.

Some online tips and also the mechanic at the used Volvo parts place swear the lock cylinder on a "98 but not a 99" comes out by "turning to position 1 and pressing pin on top." I have no pin or latch to press on my cylinder. I have no plug in the cylinder to remove either. It seems the only way to change the mechanism is to drill the bolts and change the whole thing. Am I missing something here?

Question: Can I remove the sheet metal plate on the bottom of the casting and find the bad parts or do I pay $175 for a used lock casting with used keys or $325 at the dealer?

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 12 Jan 2009, 20:24

"mom" did a great writeup here that may help you.

https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... hp?t=13514

Scroll down the page.

...Lee

andyleonard · Post by **andyleonard** » 12 Jan 2009, 21:24

What is the connection between the key and the output tab? How does the key freewheel?

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 12 Jan 2009, 21:30

I would love to answer your question but I have no clue. I have 3 850s in the driveway at the moment but they are all the older style ignition switches and they are all I have ever dealt with. From what I have read the mechanical portion of the S/V series is more of a problem that the electrical part which was always the bugaboo on the older style switches.

I'm sure that one of the S/V series owners will jump in soon.

...Lee

bigfinn · Post by **bigfinn** » 12 Jan 2009, 22:22

Replaced the ignition lock cylinder on my '98 S70 a month back. The ignition would start after playing with the key in the lock cylinder, for a couple of weeks until it completely failed. Went to the dealer and bought a new lock cylinder with the matching key for my car. Installed it myself. Look at Mom's write up on this fix, and also check out volvospeed.com for a step by step guide. (Bay 13 repairs, misc.)

andyleonard · Post by **andyleonard** » 12 Jan 2009, 22:27

Please help me with this: are you guys replacing the CYLINDER ONLY or the WHOLE LOCKING MECHANISM? If the cylinder only, how are you getting the cylinder out?

bigfinn · Post by **bigfinn** » 12 Jan 2009, 22:42

Replace the ignition lock cylinder. Go to the dealer, drop off about $300.00, and plan on a 3 hour fix. You won't be able to fix the faulty ignition lock cylinder. The only way to get the old part out is to drill where the snap-off bolts are located. This ruins the old part beyond repair.

My advice to take pictures as you are taking everything apart. Look at volvospeed.com's write-up on the ingition cylinder replacement and take it one step at a time. I wasn't about to give the dealer another $350 for labor. This was the most complicated repair I have done yet on my S70, and it really wasn't that hard.

andyleonard · Post by **andyleonard** » 12 Jan 2009, 22:55

Please help me with this: are you guys talking about replacing the CYLINDER ONLY or the WHOLE LOCKING MECHANISM? If the cylinder only, how are you getting the cylinder out?

I have no problem drilling out the bolts and changing the locking mechanism with the cylinder in it. Been doing it on BMWs for years. My question is whether the cylinder itself is removable from the locking mechanism casting on a 98 as it apparently is on all earlier cars. The guys at Thomas Volvo Dismantling in Gardena handed me a cylinder and key only for a 98 (they say) and gave me meaningless instructions as to how to remove the cylinder, as mine has no hole in which to insert a drift and release the cylinder from the casting. Equally the boards have instructions for "releasing the catch at the top of the casting" on a 98. What????

bigfinn · Post by **bigfinn** » 12 Jan 2009, 23:08

The ignition lock cylinder is the whole cylinder. Have you checked out volvospeed.com yet? Also check out the pictures from above done by "MOM". Pictures are worth a thousand words. Good luck.

andyleonard · Post by **andyleonard** » 13 Jan 2009, 13:20

OK. Lock assembly casting is out with no drama. Slotting the bolt heads with a small dremel disc and unscrewing them with a short screwdriver seemed quicker than drilling. You need a 90 degree drill adapter to get a straight shot at the bolts anyway without hitting the dashboard with the chuck. Took about 25 mins to pull the assembly. There is no way to remove the key cylinder from the locking assembly in or out of the car as far as I can tell, regardless of what they tell you online or at the store. There is no plug or pin in the barrel portion of the casting to release the cylinder. There is a plug farther down the assembly but it does not affect the cylinder. So, a new lock assembly is either $360 and the lockshop matches the keys or $312 with no key, but matched to your existing keys by part number - pay in advance, 5-6 days - or $312 with a generic key, today by 3PM, depending which dealer you call. I'm going back to Thomas to see a removed assembly for $150. FWIW, dealer says 98-00 assemblies are all mechanically the same, although 99-00 have the chipped keys and a circular chip reader ring, whereas the 98 has just a ring light around the keyhole and no chips or codes.

I found the fault I was looking for. There is a rod that essentially is an extension of the key that is actuated by the back of the tumbler and passes through the casting and operates the electrical switch. My key operates that rod correctly for most of the turn, but at the end - right where you would be actuating the starter motor - the key continues to turn and the rod doesn't. So something inside the tumbler is worn. If you buy a used one, make sure the key and the output tang are in sync the whole time and not just in the first positions where there's no force on it.