Stiff Auto-Trans Shifter (S40, 2008, 24I, Auto). Currently need to really pull hard/fast to force Shifter from Park into Drive. I've confirmed Shifter Blind and Brake Position switch/solenoid are OK and the shifter operates smoothly when shifter-to-trans cable (part 30759142, now 30783150) is disconnected at Shifter.
Question - To further diagnose should I disconnect cable at transmission to see if it moves freely? Is there a possibility that some other trans sensor is stopping cable from moving? Also, What a pain to replace cable (yes?no? some guidance?)

Update... The Shifter, the shifter blind, brake position solenoid/switch, and the cable (moves freely disconnected) are all OK. As a reminder, the carl rides/the transmission itself shifts OK when I force the hand shifter into Drive and go. Now with the cable disconnected, I notice that the small (about 2-3 inch long) metal bar with ball-end on the Transmission Control Module (or TCM, PCM, ECM, ECU, etc... part # 30735596), that the shifter cable attaches to, is tough to move.

SO how do I diagnose the TCM, or ...???????

 

On other cars I've owned (never had to fiddle with the shifter / cable on my Volvos) the cable or linkage are the mechanical parts that are most prone to problems. For example, the 1st generation Acura MDX I owned had a tendency for the pivot at the end of the shift cable to "freeze" to the cable eyelet. It sounds just like your symptoms. The fix was to remove, clean and lube interface at the end of the cable. IIRC, it's not all that hard to get to the transmission end of the shift cable, so that would be a great place to start. If you can get the cable off, you can check to see if there is any drag in the cable itself, and presumably can cycle the transmission through its positions (I don't think you'll be up against the P-N lockout at the transmission end).

 

Thanks Habbyguy.. Update (sorry for the delay, but I am a weekend mechanic). The Shifter, the shifter blind, brake position solenoid/switch, and the cable (which moves freely disconnected) are all OK. As a reminder, the car rides/the transmission itself shifts OK when I force the hand shifter into Drive and go... so I feel transmission is OK. Now with the cable disconnected, I notice that the small (about 2-3 inch long) metal bar with ball-end that the shifter cable attaches, right at the Transmission Control Module (or TCM, PCM, ECM, ECU, etc... part # 30735596) is tough to move.

So how do I diagnose the TCM and/or is there another sensor...???????

 

Your test (checking to see if the disconnected cable is binding or not) seems to have ruled out anything north of the transmission.

That "metal bar" sounds like the intermediate lever, basically the thing that your shift lever moves. It's not going to be REALLY easy to move it by itself, since the lever-arm (length of the arm) is a LOT shorter than your gearshift lever. So say you have a 5/1 mechanical advantage when using the shift lever to move the intermediate lever - that means you'd need to pull / push on the intermediate lever about 5x harder than you would the gearshift to move it.

Now this is important - if it was almost impossible to pull the transmission into drive with the gearshift lever, you're NOT going to be able to move the intermediate lever without some SERIOUS effort. OTOH, if you can - even with difficulty - move that intermediate lever from position to position, you can rule that out as the problem. If you CAN move the intermediate lever, then put it back together and see if something's changed - like the shift release (which can get sticky, making it hard to pull the lever out of park, but then it should shift easily from gear to gear).

 

Tight, but I can move the intermediate lever (using a 4"ish long closed-end wrench) what feels like 2, maybe 3, positions, and back into Park (so that I could remove the ignition key). How many positions should there be/feel at the TCM? My wrench was almost hitting the engine and couldn't go much further. I don't know what's inside the TCM and don't know how hard it should be to move that lever (I'm guessing you do..). I thought it was too tight and was wondering if I should remove and test(see if stuff easily moves????). But it sounds like if I can move it that you feel it's probably OK (??)

I'll re-install the shifter, shifter blind and console electronics, connect cable to see where we're at tomorrow (unless it rains... no garage).

My 1963 283 Chev and 1957 Hemi Chrysler Imperial were just so much easier to work on... Sighhh

It's cocktail time in CT... Thanks for your help!!!! I hope you and family are/stay safe..

 

There should be an intermediate lever position for every position of the shift lever, and those should read out on the console (when everything is properly aligned, of course). If you can "easily" (get it to move pushing on that short wrench without it gouging your hand, probably done at an awkward angle) move the lever with that short wrench, I don't think your binding is coming from the transmission (which would be good news, since you really don't want to have to drop that out to work on it).

Your other cars bring back some memories... My mom had a '67 Chevelle with a 283... a real "lump" of a motor... and it's been decades since I've seen one of those old Hemis (IIRC it was a 292ci V8?).

I'm betting when you clean, grease and reinstall everything that your shifting will be back to "good", since it sounds like all the individual components that make up the "system" are working correctly.

 

I readjusted the cable length (trial/error - too short and you couldn't get into Park... too long and it wouldn't get to Drive). If there is a specific method to adjusting cable length please let me know. I feel the clamp/clip at the TCM end of the cable, which allows for some length adjustment, is awkward to do fine-tuuing (so I'm assuming that I am doing something wrong). I still feel the shifter, etc is overly tight but it gets into Drive now and it isn't as hard to move as before. I find this odd because I don't feel other than replacing the blind, pushing the TCM intermediate lever a few times and adjusting the cable length would have provided for a smoother moving shifter. I'd love to know more details of what's in the TCM (electro-mechanical, etc...).

Anyhow.. it seems that I am OK now.(?) Again, thanks for your comments/help.

I mistyped.. I had a "58" Chrysler Imperial (392 Hemi) that I bought for $150 around 1973 while in college (needed a valve-job...massive heads, replaced one piston-rod-bearings). Cool car with Push-button shifter, pink and purple rocket ship gauges, etc. A heavy/solid cruiser - "Sorry Officer, gosh I didn't know I was doing 90MPH. Really" Sadly, I sold it a few years later.

 

I'm betting there was corrosion somewhere in the "system" that got displaced by all your working on it. I'd shoot some lube into the cable (from both ends, if you can work out how to do it). I wish I could tell you how to fine-tune the cable length, but since I've never really had a Volvo service manual (other than what is buried in the nearly impossible to use VIDA app) I can only suggest a 'net search. I'm sure there is someone out there who's dealt with this and documented it...