1997 850 T5 Door Locks jammed

Southern80 · Post by **Southern80** » 08 Dec 2014, 18:05

Good Night you all!
My 1997 Volvo 850 T5 have two doors jammed now. I can't open them from the inside or the outside.
The first to get jammed was the rear door passenger side two weeks ago and today front door passenger side is jammed too. Any clue where to start and solve this problem? Your help is highly appreciated. Thanks.

Post by **dosbricks** » 09 Dec 2014, 15:27

I'm assuming the lock release knob by the window is also stuck down since that was so in my case. This is a sticky wicket because you will have to remove the inside door panels with the door shut. It can be done. If you can locate a Chilton's manual, it has a good set of pics showing panel removal.

On the front, move the seat all the way rearward. On the rear door, you may have to remove the bottom seat cushion and side bolster. I believe you just pull outward on the bolster. I just folded up the seat on my wagon and removed it at its hinges.

First, pull up on the interior release handle to remove it from it's lever. Then carefully pry off the leather panel insert behind the door latch and remove the screws behind it. Carefully pry off the speaker grill. Remove the screws from the bottom of the lower carpet kick panel--there are about five on the front door and maybe four in the rear door. Feel around down there--you can locate them. As I recall they are T25s which makes it easy to keep your driver engaged in these cramped, more or less blind conditions.

Now when all screws are out, pull outward on the bottom of the panel and at the same time upward to pop it out of its groove along the top just inside the window. If it doesn't want to move freely away and upward, you may have missed a screw. Disconnect any wires attached to the panel at their connectors.

With the door panel off, you will find one of the actuating rods either dangling of fallen to the bottom of the door because it was attached at its end by a metal clip which incorporated a hard plastic grommet. This grommet is the whole nuisance in a nutshell. It will either be missing (in pieces below) or only a part of it remaining. I could not find a suitable substitute on the web, but there is probably one out there somewhere. I used a neoprene grommet of a snug fit obtained at the local hardware store, and they have held up for a couple of years now with no problems. I did this on three doors on the 850. I don't know if S70s are plagued with this problem, but plastic never fails to fail eventually. Good luck.

Southern80 · Post by **Southern80** » 09 Dec 2014, 20:37

Thanks a lot dosbricks for your help. The front door passenger could be fixed following your instructions because it could be opened from the outside but the rear door is locked. It could not be opened and the lock release is stuck down. I have checked the Chilton Manual but does not show how to deal with a door closed.
Also, there is something weird with the central lock: It could be activated when locking the front door, passenger side or from the inside using the dashboard switch but does not work when locking the driver door as used to be. It seems as if something is wrong with a relay but no a clue where to find it, which one is or how to access its panel.
Thank you,

Post by **dosbricks** » 10 Dec 2014, 09:47

In my case, each door would not open from the inside or outside with either the key, the remote, or the interior lock buttons, and the lock button by the window was stuck down and unable to pull it up. Therefore the reason for having to remove the inside panel with the door shut. The reference to the Chilton's manual was only for the photos of how to remove an inside door panel.

If you are having a problem with your electric locking mechanism, then that is a different issue and should be dealt with first. Then if the rear door remains in the condition it presently is in, it will have to be accessed in the manner I described above.