So it is a pretty simple situation and I just need some insight. Have had the car for 6 months and haven't added any tranny fluid. I was told the car had sat for some time but unsure of how long. I have been doing maintenance and was going to do a tranny flush but chose not to after reading up that sometimes a flush can further damage the tranny after it has been sitting and not maintained regularly. It has been shifting OK. Well I decided to just add fluid and when I checked the dipstick of course it was on min. I added 2 quarts of fluid and almost immediately now the tranny takes forever to shift into 2nd gear especially when I first drive the car after it has sat for a little while and it has been shifting late and hard. Sometimes it acts right. Anyway, so should I just add more fluid and see what happens or should I take it to a shop and get it serviced. Flush, filter, etc. Have someone take off the pan and see what it is looking like in there. Thanks!

 

Forgot to mention it's an automatic. Sorry! Only 170,000 miles.

 

you realize, you're supposed to fully heat up the transmission by driving like 20 minutes or more at speed, THEN check the transmission fluid with the engine running?


anyone who wrote or told you not to change the fluid was an idiot. if changing the fluid exposes a transmission problem, it was already bad you just didn't know it. NOT changing the fluid will hugely shorten the life of the transmission.

there is no filter on these transmissions, just a 'screen', which shoudl be cleaned, and inspected periodically. if the screen is clogged up with debris, then plan on a rebuilt transmission sooner rather than later. with proper maintenance, these transmissions last 300,000 or more miles if you don't drive abusively.

 

I actually got the information on the Volvo forums. They didn't say not changing the fluid. They said doing a flush on a transmission that hasn't been maintained properly could loosen up gunk in areas that actually help the transmission run and the tranny could fail. You know for you guys to be super moderators on here it seems like you never actually answer the original forum question. Its just other ideas that leads to other things and the original question never gets answered. I can't tell you how many forums I have opened and the original question never got answered. Regardless of checking the tranny fluid adding 2 quarts to a transmission that holds 12 isn't that big of a deal and for it to start acting up there is an issue. Is there just not enough fluid or should I just get it serviced at a shop or is that risky of the tranny failing. I know these transmission are rock solid, I have a 92 in the yard that has 290,000 on it. And these issues on my curent 240 didnt begin until after I put in the 2 quarts of fluid. I need some serious advice about my QUESTION.

 

did you check the level with the transmission fully heated up to operating temperature, and the engine idling ? is it too high or to low or what? if its too high, suction excess ATF out. if its too low, add more. its that simple.

 

OK so I guess I didn't let the engine heat up enough the first time. I drove it around a bit and then let it sit idling and checked the fluid again and it is way past the max! I am glad I caught this now and only have been driving on this for 3 days. It could probably cause some serious damage to the tranny. Anyway, I bought a siphon with one long hose end and a short end with a bubble suction in the middle. I put the long end of the siphon all the way into the dipstick and suctioned both with the car idling and off and nothing is siphoning out. Am I doing something wrong or is the siphon I bought from a local parts store junk?

 

My 1989 740 has a drain plug on the tranny pan. If yours is the same just drain some from the pan.

Then check the fluid again and do what's needed.

 

I don't believe the 240's have a drain plug. I will attempt the siphon one last time but if not then I guess I will have to drain from the transmission line on the radiator. I have to get this excess fluid out or I am going to tear up my transmission which I cannot afford.

 

You could get one of those clear flexible hoses from most good hardware stores and slide it down the filler tube and then the siphon fun begins.

 

I use my oil suction pump ('topsider') to remove excess transmission oil.

 

Alright boys so it might be too late for my tranny. Removed the two quarts this morning and it is still doing the same thing. Slipping like crazy and then engine just revs high rpms in 1st or 2nd gear, can't tell. I cant go faster than 20mph. Then after about 2 min or so it kicks into gear and does fine downshifting and up shifting until I cut the car off and it sits. When draining the fluid from the tranny line this morning the fluid was very dark and thick. Almost slightly sludgy. What are you guys thoughts on taking it in to get it serviced. Will that change anything? Seems overdue.

 

complete and thorough flush of that sludgy stuff, drive a couple weeks and FLUSH IT AGAIN.

yes, this will likely use nearly $200 worth of ATF. first pass, I'd probably use a relatively cheap dex/merc, 2nd pass I'd use some good stuff like castrol multivehicle import.

 

you can't overfill these auto trannys. It will just come out the overfill vent hole in the top.

Your tranny is borked, or you could have a bunk kickdown cable.

If it were my tranny, I would soak the dipstick tube in penetrant for days (can be a ****! to remove) and then drain the fluid (if drain plug isn't fugged up already) and then drop the pan, do a NEW $40 kickdown cable, adjust it properly, and then cross my fingers and hope for the best.

 

I mean this tranny has got to be ok. All I did was add 2 quarts and then it immediately started this behavior. I dont know if mixing the new with old caused some gunk or something to loosen up in there or what. When I start the car it wont cold shift into 2nd but as soon as the car warms up it runs fine up and downshifting. Its a pretty consistent problem and if it was a major issue the tranny would have **** out but probably will eventually. A power flush and seeing what that pan and screen is looking like is the only thing I can do and hope for the best. If not, I guess I will be having to drop a tranny in.

 

Taking long to shift cold is a bad sign. Sorry.

When a customer comes in and asks for a transmission flush, the first thing that is always asked is, "Why?" Most of the time, they will reply saying something about poor performance and they are just crossing their fingers it will help. It won't.

 

Ok so what is your take on it? A local said that since the car sat for some time and I mixed the new fluid, which is very high detergent, with the old fluid it caused some issues somewhere. He said it could be the valves, etc. He is taking a look at it later. I guess in the end if it means I have to drop a tranny, which is last resort, then I guess I will.

 

Can't say I have enough experience to have ever seen somebody claim to add fluid and then have issues. It could, or could not, have been complete coincidence. Don't over-analyze it.

I need to learn what it means when it takes long to shift cold. Something to do with pressure I believe.

Again, I would replace the kickdown cable with a NEW one. It will come with a new clip also. The little metal clamp/clip gets installed in the properly adjusted position. Gotta drop the pan to install. From what I understand, the kickdown cable controls fluid pressure too. It's not just for kicking down a gear.

Technology!....ha

 

So it's still a toss up in the air then. It could be anything. And why in the hell is there not anything good online for removing an AW-70 transmission. I have been searching all over the place and still have found nothing. There is plenty on the rear main seal but that is somewhat of a different process and removing the tranny fully is not completely covered. If I have to do this I am going to just pull and engine and tranny together at the junkyard. A fresh 92 240 just rolled in and I need a new block for my 92 240 sitting in the yard and possibly a tranny for this 85 now. FU**!!!!!

 

Before you drop the tranny, I would flush it. This is something you can do yourself with the help of a buddy. First, drain the transmission from the drain plug on the bottom. All AW70 transmissions should have a drain plug. Add fluid to top it off. Now disconnect the top trans cooling line at the radiator and connect a plastic tube to it and run it to a gallon jug. Get a transmission funnel and set it in the filler tube. Now with your buddy in the car, start the car and the fluid should start coming out the cooling line into the plastic jug. While it comes out, you need to add fluid to the filler. You continue this process until you get nice clean fluid coming out the cooling line. Also, have your buddy run it through each gear while doing this (and keeping his foot firmly on the brakes with the tires chocked). This will take 10-12 quarts of trans fluid to complete the flush this way.

This may or may not help but it may be worth a try rather than replacing the transmission.

 

Thanks Act. Well the shop told me something in the valve body could be sticking and then when warmed up something occurs and allows for proper working. They wanted to spend more time with it but he told me to just do the fluid change since its cheaper and I have the know how on doing it. I am going to go ahead and run the cooling line into a bucket while adding fluid and see if flushing the old fluid out will help. Either two things will happen my tranny will be fixed or fail so now it really comes down to the wire. Dropping a tranny in is 50/50 right now anyway so this fluid change will finalize it. I can feel my tranny slowly getting weaker on performance and it is whining here and there. I will do the fluid change tomorrow and see what happens.