Hey guys,

I've been looking to get into a Volvo wagon for awhile now, it will be my first Volvo. There is one locally for sale for $3500, it's an '02 V70 XC awd wagon with 150,xxx miles on it. He says the transmission usually works fine when cold but when it warms up it doesn't shift right. I've always been told tranny problems are rarely an easy fix, what do you guys think. Is there some kind of control module that could be the problem or do you think it's ready for a new trans? Any advice would be appreciated.

 

Any reason he is asking $3500 for a 2002 with transmission issues and such high miles? That's worth less than $1500. At least he is honest about the transmission. The 2001-2002 transmissions were flawed and really not easy to find a used replacement one. There is a chance it only needs solenoids replacement ($300 in parts, 2h labor but not at Volvo dealer, they don't want to do this repair) and a B4 servo cover (about another $100).

 

I agree about the price, I think he's ready to get rid of it so I think I could get the price down a lot. It's a super clean car and was just thinking if I could get it for the right price and fix it it might be worth it. Is there any way to tell if those parts will fix the problem before actually installing them?

 

Check it out with a fault code reader to narrow down the likely transmission issues.
Also look at the ATF. It may be very dirty,smell burnt and way overdue for a drain and fill or even have the incorrect fluid in it currently.
The 5 speeds must have a synthetic JWS3309 specifications fluid.
After a drain and fill many transmissions become smooth as new with some miles to gradually adapt.

 

At 150k miles, there's a good chance that a trans rebuild is not too far off, even if it doesn't turn out to be the culprit to the current shifting problem. if you buy, the first thing I'd do is change the trans fluid with Mobil 3309 (same spec as the far more expensive Volvo fluid). That MAY fix some shifting issues. Many worry about trans replacement when fluid hasn't been changed for over 100k miles. To me, the alternative is what, never change the fluid and wait for the transmission to fail? I'd rather replace the fluid (have a CHANCE at improving the situation) and the let the trans fail if it's going to. That assumes you don't plan to ditch the vehicle when the trans fails...

Dirty solenoids are also a possible culprit. You can buy new or rebuild the existing ones:
Note: The video is for an AW55-51SN, but the information is also applicable to the AW55-50SN used on our Volvos

 

You guys are awesome, thanks for all the good info! I just got off the phone with him and I guess the problem is it won't shift into 5th. He claims he hasn't changed the fluid or had a mechanic look at it since it developed the problem. I'm going to go check it out this afternoon.

 

This is all great and everything, but nowhere does it say where you can buy the solenoid rebuild kits ???

 

I would not bother trying to rebuild the solenoids. Replace them with the upgraded design.