Hi all,

looking for a transmission expert to help me with a problem.

Bought a used BEAUTIFUL gun metal grey 2005 V50 with many miles (kms - I'm Canadian), zero rust (looks almost new - amazing for a salt belt car) and LOVE the car. Perfect size, great handling, amazing looks blah blah blah BUT have noticed a problem with the shifting.

Automatic. It pulls really strong and engages all the gears 1-5 with zero skipping, lurching or slipping. Downshift very smoothly. It's when the car goes from Park to either Drive or Reverse that it takes a second before engaging. If I don't think ahead and keep my foot on the brake it lurches into gear with a thud. Not huge, but enough to notice it's a problem. Particularly annoying if doing a 3-point turn or in a parking lot, as I have to account for that shift with a brake hold, waiting for the resistance before taking foot of brake to move.

Again - PERFECT when moving and going through gears, but delayed lurch into first or reverse from Park or Neutral. Never a problem once rolling, stopping at lights etc. after engaging.

Any experience with this?

THANKS SO MUCH in advance. When I take it into the dealership I'd love to go in with some ammo in case I get sold on something I may not need, or with an option they may not have considered I like looking like the smart guy ;-)

Cheers
John

 

I know this may sound dumb, but when did you changed the transmission fluid and filter?

 

Thanks Carlnoki,

I had to take the car in for a software update, and it turns out the valve body needs to be replaced. Cost for that is close to a full replacement tranny :-( $6K CDN - so that's not happening ;-) I'm going to swap in a tranny with 60K on it for under 1/4 that cost all in, and hope it gets me another 100,000 kms :-) I'm at 249,000 right now. Thanks so much for getting back to me, and cheers!

 

Valve body. The linear solenoids will be worn, resulting in pressure loss. There's a seller in Phoenix who sells the Rostri replacements for about US$180 ob ebay. Avoid the guy in California who sells 'new, other'; they are second hand and untested. You can do it yourself if you have a mind to, just make sure you have the right torx bit for the bolts on the valve body cover, and make sure that it is properly seated before attempting to undo them. Use a long bar and be careful. I replaced mine with hex head bolts at reassembly. The factory torx heads have had silicone sealant applied, and they are bloody tight. If the bit slips, you have to use a small cold chisel & a hammer to get the bolt out. The boxes themselves are generally quite strong: the valve body failure seems to occur up around the 240,000 kms mark. Fluid change around every 60 to 70 thousand is very good insurance; very easy to do a full flush from the cooling hoses to the radiator.