This is how I do it with minimal damage.Push down on the top of the door and look in the middle.You should be able to see where the metal latch comes out of the dash.You need to get in there with a screwdriver and start breaking small peices out of the glove box insert in the dash.Start from the metal latch and work out.You will expose the 2 screws that hold the latch in.When you have enough plastic broke you can use a philips screwdriver to remove the screws.Then the door will open.Then you will have to take the door apart to finish opening the latch.The only damage left when you are done is a little plastic broke behind the glovebox door.You don't even have to replace the insert for the glove box.You will just have to buy the door latch kit.

I have also inserted some pics to help.The part outlined in the blue are what needs to be removed.
Hope this helps.

[IMG]local://upfiles/853/74A7883C07CE410A87BF524AF4B028F5.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]local://upfiles/853/E51078F2A8524229934C3B27E7743200.jpg[/IMG]

 

There is a way to prevent this from being neccessary:

Ty a thin black wire (just a really thin one) around the metal pin inside the lock (in the middle of the glovebox, this pin falls into the latch as mentioned above) and let this stick out of the top of the glove compartment.
Close the compartment and cut the wire at a point that you can just reach the end with a small piece of equipment.

Open the compartment again and tape the end of the wire on the top of the glovebox, make sure it is just in reach when the glovebox is closed. It needs to be still pulled loose!

Whenever you're glovebox locks-up you can pull out the thin black wire and the glovebox opens up without any damage!

10% of all 850/x70 classics encounter this problem once in 10 year... so it is no unneeded thing to do!



(I'm Dutch and try to write in best possible English btw)

 

I recently had the glove box locking issue on my 93 850. The approach I took in getting it open was to do the following:

On the top center area of the glove door and dash (as shown by tech above), place a piece of duct tape on the dash and edge of the glove box to protect the plastic while working to get it open.
- Next wedge two screws drivers, one one each side of the latch, between glove door and dash. You should have a clear view of the latch after doing this. Rather than breaking small pieces of the dash away, cut the latch off using a hacksaw blade with blade holder. Use a fine toothed blade.
- Cut through both sides of the latch, open the door, and vacuum up the debris.
- At this point you can replace the latch and fix the locking mechanism in the gloove door.

The option I took for repair was a cheap one. First I slipped a plastic cap plug over the cut latch to avoid getting cut while reaching into the glove box. I then installed a magentic door catch like you would find on wood cabnetry. Install magnet on ceiling of the glove box and the flat metal plate on the glove door. This keeps the glove box closed and allows to open easy. Of course you can not lock it anymore, but then again who actually ever locks their glove box.

 

Cannot believe I had this problem. I recently followed your advice on the half shims for the rear brakes - NO GROWLING!

Followed your directions on getting the glove box open and it worked.


Thanks again,

SD

 

dayum wish i would have seen this a couple of months ago! I was stopped by the local constabulary and could not open the glove box. He was adamant that i produce the papers that were inconveniently located inside the gove box with the now broken door, I was somewhat irked at the prospect of yet ANOTHER ticket so i ended up manglingthe door and latchto open it. Its now held shut with some velcro strips.

 

I am guessing that everyone is having the same failure with the latch. That is the pin that rotates the clasp breaks off. Well that was the case with mine...

There is a simple cheap fix! The piece you need to repaircomes out of the latch assembly after some minor dissasembly. After removing the latch assembly you should be able to see themissing pin.Take the piece that broke and drill a small hole where the old pin broke off. Then find a small screw and put this in the hole. With some minor filing/grinding to fit this fixes the latch and gets you rolling again without the $45 latch replacement cost! Hope this helps someone else who has a tight budget like myself!

 

thanks mine was broken and the light was on for months and killed the battery. I however couldn't get into the latch with anything like a wire, so i had to cut the metal pin with a hacksaw blade. I can get a replacement at the dealership later, but i taped the light switch down.

 

followed tech info and opened my glovebox and a small pin had broken off all i did was to drill a hole where the pin was and put a screw in and cut the head off works a treatand it wont brake again total cost nill not a £$ .lucky i remembered seeing the how to open a broken glovebox was about to get heavy handed

 

Glad it was helpful!!

 

Seems like this is a recurrent Volvo problem. Go to www.stepbystepvolvo.com for one way to open it and to install a new glove box lock.

 

I'm just on the right track. Just yesterday, my globe box latch just snapped off. And obviously, some dealer told me they didn't sell a stand-alone latch that I assume needed. When I use the key, it doesn't help though. I had even pointed out using a hacksaw to cut through it.

 

Sometimes you can even repair you broken latch once you get it opened.

 

On mine the hinge is completely missing.

But thats okay because they used 3M heavy duty velcro to fix that one!

 

i can't see the pictures that tech inserted and i am desperate to open the compartment with minium damage

 

Sorry, but I cannot see these pics, is there some other way you can put those pictures here for me to see. I am literally working in the dark with trying to get my glove door open, and although I have followed the directions, I am finding things rather difficult. At this rate I shall probably just literally smash my way into this glove box and work out any repairs afterwards ! But I really don't want to damage things more than I need. The job is not as easy as folks make out, and there is no time given for how long it takes to saw the latch etc. It's a hot day, the sun is too bright, I've been trying to get this sorted for ages (my hair has gone grey with the time ! and I've got a lot more wrinkles as well !). I have had to wait till the sun moves round a bit so I can see inside the glove box ! Sounds strange, but it is quite true !

 

wish I had joined earlier as well. had the same problem with a 97 850 that we've had since 1998. couldn't figure out how to open so I pried the door back enough to see the metal locking loop and used a pair of wire cutters to cut them. Took way too much out including the inserts so now it's time to put it back together again. I think I'll go with the magnet to lock it as well, easy and no fumbling with replacing the lock !

 

This is the best I can do right now. These are mine from another site.

 

Thanks for the pics ! Although they don't actually help very much, they do show me that in your car, the catch is central in the glove box door. My glove box door handle with the key insert in it that can be seen on the outside of the door when it is closed, is to the right of this door, not in the middle as yours appears to be. Does this mean that the 'catch' will be to the right also? Or is it that the 'catch' is still centrally placed but with possibly a bar from the door opener to the 'catch' ?

 

The catch should still be in the middle.

 

Thankyou for the confirmation tech.