Hi Derek

As far as I can recall every previous 1994-1999 850 / V70 I ever owned (about 6 in total, petrol and diesel) had a coat-hanger type pull cord attached to the motor with a handy finger-ring that was revealed upon removing that little bit of quarter carpet that gives access to the tail lamp bulbs. I often had the need to use it especially in winter when road grime got inside the flap and gunk up the locking pin if I was not diligent enough in regular washing.

If it makes a difference to working out which cars are "affected" by the omission of an emergency release, again as far as I can recall all those previous cars had fuel flaps with a bent metal tab on the trailing edge with a circular hole to accept a round pin from the locking motor. On this current 1997 car the fuel door has a black plastic clip with a square toothed peg that locks behind a square pin!........like this one;


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bz6P4NuRXT0



......Its the kind of detail only serial Volvo beards would probably even notice!

Today, with the help of someone operating the door release button, I just managed to feel around inside the rear wing and find the plastic tab which would release the fuel door if pulled manually. It is EXTREMELY difficult to get at unless you have arms and hands the size of a 7 year old. I tried reaching in with my right hand but my elbow joint was unhelpfully in the wrong place up my arm, and I had to sort of stand to the right side of the car and reach around the tail lamp with my left hand – its that tight!

I don’t think the carpet/bulb aperture would be sufficient, you would definitely have to remove the whole side boot trim. Even if you're the kind of person who carries sockets and screwdrivers with you its still not a job to relish at midnight with an empty tank at a rainy petrol station (especially when the boot trim plastics are getting so fragile now after nearly 3 decades).

So, as I have yet to reassemble the freshly cleaned boot panels, in the next couple of days the fuel door motor is coming off and I’ll drill and fix a cord or wire to this as-yet unseen tab and loop it back to the tail lamp void, as Volvo should have done in the first place.

Interestingly it is very difficult to find anyone with exactly the same problem we have re: the fuel door on the myriad of forum threads on the net. Most replies just point to the wire pull cord most cars seem to have. Even the almighty Robert DIY hasn’t got a fix, his Youtube video in the subject uses an S70 as an example, which is sadly irrelevant. Only on the US Volvo Club site did I find ONE short thread where someone queried this; his description of reaching inside the wing to find the pull tab was funny and accurate – if you are not grimacing in pain you have not reached far enough!

PS I have just re-read your reply and your situation sounds a bit more urgent than mine.

On my car (and I think yours) the pin plunger has a little rubber bellows, if you can find that inside the wing with your fingers you will find the pull tab at the far end of it. If you have not yet rmoved the full side panel perhaps a thin hooked tool might find it, but you could tear the bellows.

I have looked on Ebay and can find only one version of this lock with a bellows, part number 9170198; I'll know better when I get it off but it "feels" like this one.


https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/o6sAA...0Y/s-l1600.jpg

Thanks Mark. I'd seen that video but of course I don't know if I have the plastic part or the metal tab with the hole in it that Robert shows. I will have another go tomorrow and will try and get the whole inside panel off. Yes I have broken a couple of plastic bits! Grrrrr.
If I do have the plastic piece on the door I would at this point be happy to break it in order to get the door open. Maybe I could get a length of cloth tape or insulated wire round behind the door and give it a tug. Id think that the part shown would be cheap from Volvo if it is available but you can never tell with them.

Thanks Mark. I'd seen that video but of course I don't know if I have the plastic part or the metal tab with the hole in it that Robert shows. I will have another go tomorrow and will try and get the whole inside panel off. Yes I have broken a couple of plastic bits! Grrrrr.
If I do have the plastic piece on the door I would at this point be happy to break it in order to get the door open. Maybe I could get a length of cloth tape or insulated wire round behind the door and give it a tug. Id think that the part shown would be cheap from Volvo if it is available but you can never tell with them. Googled the number and it appears to be about £10 on eBay.

If you watch this video on youtube you will see were the lock is mounted even if you don't have the pull cord/wire you can still reach round the lock and pull it with your finger.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvUht8nz8jw

Hi all,

Have taken a couple of photos of the actuator on a 1999 V70

No wire to pull. I have attached a bit of white tape to the black plastic tab that you have to reach in and pull towards the rear of the car.

Then once you have released the flap, you can remove the actuator (two torx screws outside beneath the flap and one inside the cargo area).

HTH
Steve

Thats an S70 - if only the V70 was that simple.

Thanks that's the one.

Lacking an extra joint between my wrist and elbow, I'm going to fit a long cord!

After getting more cuts and bruises with my arm up inside the side panel I gave up and attacked the flap. The plastic door clip put up very little resistance and broke the catch off. It appears the 1998 - 2000 models had this type of clip. This is shown being replaced on the white car in the video. Ordered one from the Bay. A genuine Volvo one and from the UK. £15.97 inc postage. All the others were a pound or two cheaper but came from Latvia or Lithuania. They could be pattern parts even if they say they are "Genuine".
Although it seemed to work off the car I took the actuator to pieces and and added a bit of silicone grease. My release tab didn't have hole for a puller but does now. I have added a length of super strong waxed Terylene tape. It's woven and thin but I've not been able to break it by hand so should be strong enough. I might add a little more lube after seeing Sirobs video. Unfortunately it takes 2 people to refit it as you can't see round the corner to fit the screws when holding the actuator inside so I will have to seek help from a neighbour. No I'm not going to rig up a mirror on a tripod!
At least I can go and get some petrol now. Should have enough to get to the garage. Thanks for the useful comments everyone.
Steve, I will PM you about the mirror mount trim.

Somewhere there lives a ex-Volvo engineer who thought it would be a good idea to remove that old bit of wire on the 850. I hope we meet one dark and stormy night. Glad it worked out for you eventually.