Help please. Volvo 965 mk2 '97 passenger door lock.

[Errant]

Volvo 965 mk2 '97 2.5L passenger door will not open from outside.
External release lever is slack, it moves freely without resistance.
By comparison, driver door exterior release lever does have resistance and it works.
Central locking/unlocking works on all doors.
Passenger door lock can be operated manually from inside and door can be opened from inside.
I have removed door panel and unstuck some of the foam layer to expose the square access hole to the external door handle.
I can see and feel a vertical rod with my fingertips and move it up and down.
The external release lever does not move, so I think that the rod may be disconnected.
Any good advice on how to check out this problem would be much appreciated.

[monkeh]

Remove the door lock and soak in degreaser... Get it in there, as in put it in a plastic bottle and slos it around, shake it up good. You want to remove as much of the old grease in it as possible.

Then dilute 50% acetone, as pure as you can get it, and 50% ATF. Soak it in that and then start working it with the key. Alternatively, a decent penetrating oil, Not WD40.

If it doesnt budge, then its toast.

[Errant]

Thanks for the quick reply monkeh.

I believe that the door lock itself is all ok. The key turns in the lock and the central locking works and the door lock can be activated from inside manually.

However, the top of the link rod is not attached to anything inside the door handle. Furthermore, within the door frame and visible through a drain hole in the lower corner beneath the mechanism, I have noticed a piece of white plastic with a hole. I have not been able to fish it out yet but I believe it to be the attachment that the link rod should hook to. It is either broken or has become detached from the handle mechanism. So my next step is to remove the door handle and inspect it. Also I will try to fish out the plastic connector bit. I am guessing that the likelihood is that it is broken rather than just fallen of the handle. I may have to try and source a second hand bit and a 740/760/ 940/960 pre 1997 part may be compatible. Any further advice on compatability and how to fix this problem would be much appreciated

I have fished out the bit and it is a broken off lever arm - metal covered in white plastic.

[GreenBrick]

If you want me to whip off a handle of my 1995 940 I can, and get some photos.

[Errant]

This is a photo of the actual broken component and also a diagram of the door lock assembly with the item highlighted in yellow. I do not know the official name for it yet. I need to find one of these and fit it to my handle. There is a pin that holds it in place. Can anyone confirm that 740/760/940/960 models have the same fitment and the front and rear handles use the same component.

[GreenBrick]

Looks newer than the external handle and interior pull handle than my 1995 940. I can have a look tomorrow evening if the internal bit is the same.

[Errant]

I found an online advert for a new Volvo door handle that fits 3 models (see below) including mine.

My Volvo main dealer has not responded as to whether the handle component part I need can be bought new. I suspect the whole handle unit must be bought.

The exact part I need is visible in the photos below - the white plastic bit. It is held in place by an intereference fit hollow pin. I have already removed my pin to release the broken component. I am ready to fit a new component when I can get one.

NEW OEM DRIVERS SIDE FRONT/REAR DOOR HANDLE VOLVO 960 S90 V90 Part# 9154449
1995-1997|Volvo|960
1997-1998|Volvo|S90
1997-1998|Volvo|V90

Other 740/760/940/960 models may have handles containing a compatible bit to fit my handle. Any help with this line of enquiry will be appreciated.

[Errant]

The following 5 photos show the orientation of the white plastic component mounted on a LH door handle that can fitted front or rear. I think that the component will probably fit any door, left or right, back or front. So I am looking for a complete SH donor handle to fit 1995-1997 VOLVO 960, 1997-1998 VOLVO S90/V90 both front & rear doors.

[Errant]

I managed to locate a complete fairly new replacement handle taken from a donor vehicle being sold on Ebay for under £5. I extracted the plastic component I needed to repair my handle and refitted it.

In fact, the part would have fitted any door on the car. That is worth knowing as you don't need to locate the exact same handle (front/rear/left/right).

[Errant]

Getting the handle off was easy, as the linkage was not connected. I made sure that when the cam was fitted and the handle lever was pulled, the cam moved up. This action is what opens the lock when connected to the linkage. In fact the cam can be mounted the wrong way so that it moves down. Putting the handle back on to the car did pose more of a problem. The mechanism including the fitted plastic cam only just goes through the door panel aperture. I found that it was necessary to make the linkage connection with the handle loose so I could manipulate it with one hand to see the hook and cam. I had to hold the connector rod with my other hand. I also used a bright light to assist seeing the hook at the end of the connector rod. Once the hook was in the cam hole the door handle operation could be tested and bolted in place and the door interior panel refitted.