240 Keyless entry installation questions, 1993 240

[drj434343]

I went to install a keyless entry system on my wife's 1993 240 wagon and learned some interesting things.

First, it appears a past owner at least partially had the same idea, as there was already an actuator installed complete with wires going back into the dash somewhere, but no linkage was present.

The reason for the lack of linkage seems to be that the lock hammer appears to be a dummy; it is only connected to a microswitch that controls the remaining power locks, it is NOT mechanically connected to the driver door lock (i.e. it doesn't slide up and down).

It appears that the driver's door is essentially a manual lock only, and the only way to lock it is using the keys from the outside, as turning the key triggers a similar micro-switch and turns a mechanical arm to physically lock the driver door.

So, I don't seem to be able to retrofit in the way most other people do, wherein they install a salvage actuator into the door and mechanically link it to a lock hammer that does actuate the driver's door as well as the rest of the system.

Is this unique to only the final years of 240 in an attempt to keep people from locking their keys in the car? It also seems to have the added advantage (or disadvantage) that its impossible to drive the car with a locked driver's door unless you reach out an open window with the keys before leaving.

If this were such a desired feature, why does my friends 940 revert back to the old system with manual hammers such that you can again lock your keys in the car?

Am I looking at a stock setup? Do I need to harvest the manual hammer mechanism from an earlier 240, and if so, does anyone know what years still had a mechanical driver door locking hammer?

 

[cleanflametrap]

Check to see toggle spring (upper left in top pic, and at E in lower pic) still exists. It may have broken and frustrated a PO, resulting in his disconnecting the linkage.

 

[drj434343]

Thanks for the pictures Art. My latch mechanism appears to be the same as yours, and furthermore, the toggle spring is intact.

The issue seems to be that the arm (E) that the lock hammer is attached to only moves a few mm up and down, not the expected motion as seen in the other hammers on the other doors. No matter how hard I pull up or down on the hammer, I only get the microswitch amount of motion out of it.

I can't figure out by looking at it what is jammed. Is something just seized up, or was this by design?

 

[TestPoint]

Remove the lock mechanism on the door jam. Two screws/Trox bolts. Impact driver helps. Comes off from the outside. Goes back on without issue. I would bet you find it is all corroded up.

 

[nel621]

Not sure what is in a '93 door but I would think all you need is everything that is the passenger door to make a remote lock work. You will have to "flip" the motor around to mount it. You should still be able to lock all the doors with the drivers knob as well as lock all the doors with the key. The newest Volvo I have done this to is a 90 240. YRMV

 

[cleanflametrap]

The mechanism which prevents you locking your keys in the car is the plate C. C moves to the right (in the lower picture) when the latch pin P is in the unlatched position (door open).

A folded tab of C just under the post 3 keeps E from pivoting when the door is open. If you close the door, even before it latches, that C tab does not reach into the window between the two positions of E, operated by the lock knob, or its outside key lock plate F. A broken spring at 1 (seen clearly in the upper picture at right) will keep C from following the latch pin P.

Shine a light in and check the location of C relative to the posts 3 and 5. If it isn't all the way to the left, just like in the picture, and kept there by spring 1, the lock will be frozen just as you describe.

 

[drj434343]

The mechanism which prevents you locking your keys in the car is the plate C. C moves to the right (in the lower picture) when the latch pin P is in the unlatched position (door open).

A folded tab of C just under the post 3 keeps E from pivoting when the door is open. If you close the door, even before it latches, that C tab does not reach into the window between the two positions of E, operated by the lock knob, or its outside key lock plate F. A broken spring at 1 (seen clearly in the upper picture at right) will keep C from following the latch pin P.

Shine a light in and check the location of C relative to the posts 3 and 5. If it isn't all the way to the left, just like in the picture, and kept there by spring 1, the lock will be frozen just as you describe.

This x1000. I'm ashamed I didn't think to close the door and try the lock. It works as expected when closed. I think that means I can continue the keyless installation normally.

 

[cleanflametrap]

This x1000. I'm ashamed I didn't think to close the door and try the lock. It works as expected when closed. I think that means I can continue the keyless installation normally.

No shame in this. It baffled me the first time I got an 86+ 244, only after I ran after the PO driving away noticing I didn't get a trunk key with the '90. Did get an owner's manual though, and among the detailed instructions for the child safety locks and the option-stuffed trunk lock, there's just one little vague sentence in a box "NOTE: The driver's door can only be locked using the key."

Here is some of the history of my experience with keyless: http://cleanflametrap.com/keyless3.html