Every time I drive at high altitude (I drive back and forth from Oakland to Tahoe regularly) my Transmission Service Required (TSR) warning comes on. If I don't go to Tahoe and stay in the Bay Area, it is never an issue. I've reset the light twice, only to have it come on when I approach Donner Summit again. I tried removing the Transmission Control Module and spraying the contacts with DeOxit contact cleaner, but that did not solve the problem. Engine code comes up as communication failure with TCM (or something like that).

Has anyone else had this issue at high altitude, or the communication failure with TCM?

Also, since I have no poor transmission symptoms otherwise, I would love to know how to reset the TSR warning without having to go to the Volvo shop. Could anyone advise me how to do this? My mechanic did it quickly with the engine code computer plugged in, though I'm not sure if I need a computer to do so.

On a tight budget at the moment. Would be great if I could just reset the light for now.

Your feedback is appreciated and greatly encouraged. Thanks!

 

you need an OBD2 code reader to reset the warning light and research the codes. TCM faults can be due to an ABS module or possibly the PNP (park neutral position sensor) switch. The car does have an altimeter (aka the MAP sensor) but I'm not sure if that feeds the transmission. I'd be more inclined to think that something is heating up enough when climbing over a 7000 ft mountain pass which either set off a code or exposes a weak connection point (ABS modules commonly have solder joint issues). have you inspected the color of your transmission fluid? May be time to consider a drain/fill.

 

So I can reset the "Transmission Service Required" warning with an OBD-II?

unfortunately, the fluid is dark and my volvo shop says it is too late for this high-mileage transmission (250k) to get a fluid change... we suspect the tranny will slip (a lot) with new fluid.

I suspect this is THE contributing factor to the "Transmission Service Required" warning light. If that is the case, I would still like to be able to reset it. It is good that the light comes on and tells me the trans needs a break.

Generally I'll need to take it easier on the transmission.

 

not all OBD-II readers can read and reset all OBD code sets so best to research which model of scanner can do Volvo transmission codes.

 

yep. I did a little research and I believe the one I ordered will suffice. Also, I've decided to go ahead and drain the ATF and refill what comes out. Toyota type-4 fluid, I know. Wish me luck, hopefully changing the fluid doesn't end the tranny's life!

 

Saw a good write up that suggested drain and fills on trans with dark oil - doing it one drain and fill at a time (which does about 40% of the fluid). Do some driving after the first fill to see how it behaves. And yes, research and find an exact match to what the owners manual says for your model and year ( ie JWS3309 ).

 

You can carry out a complete fluid change yourself. It's fairly easy, instructions follow, courtesy of someone else whom I'd credit if I knew who it was!

I bought an oil suction pump to make things easier, and fitted a short length of smaller diameter tube to fit inside the filler tube on the box. I also bought I a piece of tube that fitted neatly over the oil line from the gearbox, and didn't need to bother with teflon tape. Also, there is no need to pull the top cooler line from the radiator, just the bottom one. Once you start the second stage, you can achieve it on your own, simply by making sure you can see the clear tube you attach fairly easily. (I used a 1 metre length into a drain pan); as soon as you see bubbles (you'll probably hear them as well) shut the engine off, and follow the instructions.

The fluid I used was Mobil 3309 ATF, but any fluid that meets spec JW3309 will suffice. You will need about 10 litres.

There are two schools of thought on what to do, easy and hard. Easy is to dump what is in the bottom of the transmission, and replace it. That will leave over half of the old ATF remaining, but diluted with new ATF (better than doing nothing). The hard way is to fork out $300+ to have the dealer "power flush" it to remove all the old. I read in Volvo documentation a way to flush it without the machine, but it looked like a plumbing monster involving magic proprietary wrenches to fit in impossibly tight areas. So I came up with this trick using a $4 vinyl tube, which does essentially the same thing.

1. This is the outlet fitting at the top of the transmission cooler. The line off to the side with the o-rings is no-pressure return line back to the transmission. I pulled the line out, and put in a piece of 9/16" vinyl tube with teflon tape wrapped around the end (for a great seal) in the hole. It fits comfortably tight when pushed in, and didn't leak a drop. I put the other end of the tube in a container.

2. Pull the plug in the bottom of the transmission. about 3.1 liters of ATF will come out. Put the plug back in, and put in 3.1 liters of new ATF (through the dipstick hole) to replace what just drained out.

3. Start the engine. The ATF hiding in the rest of the transmission, cooler lines, and cooler will start to pump out though the vinyl tube into the container, while sucking the fresh fluid into those components. About 2.2 liters will come out before bubbles start coming out, stop the engine then. Measure it with a graduated vessel (pyrex cooking thingy I thugged from my wife), and put that much new ATF back in the trasmission. You need a helper to start and stop the engine, while you carefully monitor the flow. It takes about 1 minute.

4. Repeat the engine start/stop cycle again, pumping out another 2.2 liters.

5. At this point, the bad stuff will be gone and new ATF will be running clear and clean. Measure what you just pumped out, and replace that amount with new. You will be darn close to what you had in before you started, minus maybe a few CC that was left in the tube and on the container side walls. Remove tube and put real line back in cooler.

6. Run engine until hot, and check the fluid level. Adjust to marks on the dip stick. That's it!

Some general notes on this procedure:
- If you can change your own oil, you can do this.
- The ATF I pumped out at 15K miles was a dark mahogany color. In a pint canning jar, it was completely opaque, even holding it up to look at the sun through it. It is supposed to be translucent

 

AN UPDATE: I drained the transmission fluid at the drain plug, which released about 3 quarts of some of the dirtiest, darkest fluid I've ever seen. Needless to say, this change was long overdue. I topped back off with Toyota Type-4 and my Volvo is driving well (for the time being).

Is it possible that any symptoms might show up down the road, not immediately after the drain and refill? I was wary of changing the fluid at all, since it was long overdue and the tranny has 250k miles on it. At the same time, I felt that to maximize the trans' life, it had to be done.

Tomorrow I drive over Donner Pass from SF to Tahoe. We'll see if the Transmission Service Required light comes back on like it usually does when climbing high altitude...

 

Because it was so old and dirty, I'd would strongly suggest that you do a full flush, rather than relying on a partial as you have done. It is very easy, as there are no plugs to undo. The lines clip into the cooler (radiator) with finger squeeze clips, and you can buy clear plastic hose of exactly the right diameter to simply push over the unclipped line. There is no pressure involved, so you don't need to use hose clamps. And you don't actually need a helper if you use about a metre of plastic tube. As soon as you see the air bubbles just reach in the opened window of the car and switch off the ignition.
You only have to do this twice ordinarily, but if it takes a third time to get clean fluid coming out, you will not hurt the transmission in the time it takes you to switch off. But your transmission will be better for the flush.

 

Forgot something else. You do not need a scanner to reset the transmission service indicator. There is a procedure as follows for that.

XC SRI (Service Reminder Indicator) Reset Procedures

Resetting the service reminder indicator (SRI)
Hint: The indicator can also be reset using VADIS vehicle communication.

Resetting the Service reminder indicator (SRI), model years -2001
The service reminder indicator (SRI) informs the driver that it is time for the car to be serviced. The lamp remains lit for 120 seconds when the ignition is switched on. Note! If the lamp flashes, it may be because one of the service parameters has not been programmed.

Proceed as follows to reset the service reminder indicator (SRI):

* Ignition position I
* Press and hold in the reset button for the trip odometer
* Ignition position II
* The service reminder indicator (SRI) starts flashing when the reset button for the trip odometer has been pressed for 10 seconds
* Release the reset button for the trip odometer within 5 seconds. The instrument gives an audible signal when resetting has succeeded. Note! If the trip meter reset button is not released within 5 seconds the indicator is not reset. However the indicator will stop flashing.

Resetting the service reminder indicator (SRI), model years 2002-
The service reminder indicator (SRI) informs the driver that it is time for the car to be serviced. The text message is displayed for 120 seconds each time the ignition is switched on. Proceed as follows to reset the service reminder indicator (SRI):

* Ignition position I
* Press and hold in the reset button for the trip odometer
* Ignition position II. Note! Turn the key to position II within 2 seconds.
* Hold the reset button for the trip meter pressed in until the original value has been reset. Note! For all vehicles from the 2003 model year a general yellow lamp will light when the reset button must be released.
* Release the reset button for the trip odometer within 4 seconds. The instrument gives an audible signal when resetting has succeeded
* If the trip meter is already reset the reset button should be held in for a minimum of 10 seconds and a maximum of 14 seconds. Note! If the reset button for the trip odometer is not released within 4 seconds, the service reminder indicator (SRI) is not reset.