I disassembled the covering around the shift **** and dropped a screw in there. It fell through an area beneath the shifter box where I can't see it. I want to recover the screw if possible- I assume I may need to remove the box beneath the shifter stick.

Is it safe to drive in the meantime?

Can you point me to some instructions for this?

Thank you!

Volvo s40 2005

 

You can take the shifter surround off fairly easily. I had to take mine apart to replace the plastic part that moves when you move the shifter.

I'm not sure how much room you have to maneuver currently, but you may have some luck with a telescoping magnet pickup tool. You can find them at Harbor Freight, auto parts stores, maybe even hardware stores. It's a small magnet on the end of a skinny telescoping metal rod. Simply extend the rod as need and fish around until it grabs the screw. The drawback is that it tries to attach itself to any ferrous metal so you have to be careful and move it around gently.