Hey everyone, sorry to be blowing up the threads lately but I am in the process of taking care of a few things on this 1992 Volvo 240, N/A automatic transmission. My shifter has gotten looser over time now to the point that the little metal shaft keeps coming out of my neutral safety switch allowing no starts. To avoid the issue I just unscrewed the gearbox cover leaving it unscrewed and whenever the car wont start I just put the metal shaft in place against the neutral safety switch and it starts. Now I have done some research and people are saying that they had the same issue and all they did was replace the shifter linkage bushings which are two white hard rubber nylon bushings. Everyone kept saying it was best to go from under the car. Well, i spent 12 dollars (including shipping at IPD) on these bushings and now I am not seeing anything close to these bushings anywhere. I have identified the linkage beside the transmission and the bolt looks tight against the outside of the gearbox. I am seeing no white bushings. I can freely move the linkage around. I then went inside the gearbox and am still seeing no white bushings. It definitely looks loose from inside the gearbox because the linkage itself was intact and seemed all together beside the transmission. I cant seem to find my Bentley right now but maybe the linkage is different for the 92 models. Help please!!!!

 

May be they disintegrated to the point where they fell off without a trace? They do belong there: just look where the play is in the linkage and put the bushings around the shafts. I don't have a diagram, but I am sure you can Google it...

 

I have researched a lot and haven't been able to get an exact area of where they are. It could be that they fell off. Could you describe the area of where they may be?

 

were those parts 381710 ?

see here, Shift control BW55, AW70, AW71. Fits: Volvo | VolvoPartsWebstore.com and zoom the diagram, they are part #4 in that picture, at the base of the shift lever, they go around part #5, the shaft the shifter pivots on. I think to get to those, you need to unclip #44 from #41 so you can lift he whole box with the arm 36 still attached out the top...


the other bushings that wear out are #42 and 47 on the linkage arm

 

Yea that is the diagram I have seen and there seems to be more than two bushings. Most people said it was an easy fix. Nothing has to be dropped or taken apart so I am unsure what they did exactly. All they said was that they went from under the car. The way you are describing it seems like I will need to life the gearbox out. I dont know what I will do with all the wires and what not but I can try that. I see the location of #4 you are talking about. I saw it earlier when I was checking underneath. #4 is inside the gearbox but the bolt connecting to #36 sits outside the gearbox under the car on the drivers side. #43 as well as #35 look like the same bushings I bought as well. Also, there are several numbers on my package from IPD. The largest ones above the bar code are 106486. I did not find any numbers matching the ones you gave above.

 

106486 is IPD's SKU. if you visit Shifter Linkage Bushing, it says its equiv to 666143 and 381704... 666143 is PN 42 on that diagram, the other is part 47, those are the bushings for the linkage rod, that yes, you install from under the car, between the gearbox and tunnel, snap rings #44 and 48 respectively ...

the park/neutral safety switch is PN 14 in that picture, and pin 12 pushes it back and forth

 

Well I know I bought the right bushings because IPD sold them to me as 1992 volvo 240 N/A automatic transmission shifter linkage bushings. They are white rubber nylon bushings that everyone keeps mentioning. But the question now is where do these bushings go exactly? The gear box or somewhere else down the line?

 

So it would be 42 and 47? Those are the white bushings that need replacing?

 

I don't think 42 and 47 are the bushings that need replacing if your neutral park switch isn't working. they are the bushings to replace if you're having trouble getting into the right gear.


I believe I would remove the snap ring 48 and unbolt the whole shifter tray and lift it out, then R&R the mechanism inside including the switch. odds are piece #8 (the gear selector gate that the button works against) is loose or something.

go ahead and replace #42 and 47 bushings with the ones you got while you're under the car reassembling the linkage.

 

Replace 47 and 43. 42 is not a bushing but a retaining clip.

 

in this drawing (same as linked above), the numbers are different than the ones I have on my own computer... but the same parts are used mid 80s to end of the 240...



48 and 44 are the clips for the linkage. there's bushings 42 and washer 43 at one end, and bushing 47 at the other end of the shift linkage rod. bushings 4 are for the shifter pivot arm.

 

Ok guys I am unsure if everyone understands my issue. It is simply that the shift lever has a lot of play and I was to tighten it up. So to do this, which bushings exactly, need to be replaced?

 

OK, so based upon what you guys are saying, bushings 42 and 47 are the two white bushings I bought and will tighten up my shifter properly?

 

shift lever play in what directions? does it wobble from side to side, or up and down, or just front-to-rear?

that piece #8 in the picture with slider pin #12 is what ratchets the shift lever in particular positions, such that you have to push the button to get out of park, or get from D to N or R, etc.. if that piece 8 is loose, things could go south pretty fast. its held in place with screw 9 into bracket 3, deep in the shifter box.

here's a pictorial of repairing just the neutral/park safety switch...
Neutral starter / Reversing light switch repair

 

My neutral safety switch is fine. I have side to side play probably close to an inch from the shifter. I was told replacing the linkage bushings would fix this issue. My car shifts fine and properly. My neutral safety switch is in perfect working order.

 

then my guess is, either bushings #4 are badly worn, or the hinge bracket #3 is loose, or maybe the bushing/gromet 35.

which brings us back to my original suggestion. from under the car, remove clip #44, pull #41 out of the arm 36, saving bushing 42 and washer 43. now, from on top, remove the trim panel from around the shifter, remove the screws 20, and pull the whole box 17 with lever intact up out of the top. now you can take it further apart and figure out what needs fixing.

 

So basically I am just going to be checking and guessing? I guess I will just need to take some time under there to establish where exactly its loose.

 

you said you have the plastic bezel off already, right? can you look down in the mechanism and wiggle the handle, and see if the metal bracket piece 3 and the 'guide' piece 8 stays put or moves with the arm? a bright small flashlight would probably help in this.

one thing I can't quite tell from the parts drawing is, what holds #3 in place... is it just the pin #5 thats pivoting on the gromet #35 or what? maybe its bolt #18 from below the can...

 

Yes you are correct. #5 connects to #37 holding the mechanism in place. Also, the whole linkage arm moves. When I move it from the shifter it moves. Then while under the car I can still wiggle the entire linkage arm. So I know my issue has to be outside of the gearbox.

 

It could be the bushing that is either inside the gearbox #4 or outside the gearbox #35 or #37, whichever is the bushing.