Hey all,
Just bought a mint 740GL with the AW70 automatic transmission, and right after driving it home, it started not shifting out of first and second, resulting in a top speed of around 45mph if I push it. According to the previous owner, the engine and trans were rebuilt 55k miles ago. I've looked on here and seen that the OD Solenoid can sometimes cause this, and I've looked at the fuse (#11 if I'm not mistaken) and that's fine, and with Key on Engine off when I click the button on the shifter, I hear a faint click at the fusebox but nothing more. Could this be the OD solenoid failure?

 

No, that solenoid is for 4th gear. FYI The over drive relay is mounted to the left of the glovebox. Accessed by removing the glovebox.

Is the kickdown cable working normally (check it at the throttle body) - They get rusty and do not retract. If so the trans will not upshift -

 

The kickdown cable is retracting and I can feel the cam notch when I floor the gas. I've seen posts by people in AW70 240's that say when they replaced/bypassed the solenoid, it fixed their shifting out of 2nd problems.

 

no, the solenoid ONLY affects 4th (OD) gear. solenoid 'off' and you're stuck in max 3rd gear (and the dash light is ON). solenoid ON and it will shift into 4th(OD) as needed (and the dash light is OFF). yes, the dash light is the opposite of the solenoid power.

flush the ATF properly, refilling it with decent quality Dexron (I use Castrol ATF Import Multi-vehicle, which is designed for older Toyotas etc.... the AW7x automatic transmissions are made by Aisin Warner which is Toyota... these are essentially the same transmissions used in 20 years of Toyota 2x4 pickup trucks (pre-Tacoma) as well as various 1980's Supras and such.

https://www.volvoclub.org.uk/faq/Tra...missionService has the procedures for doing a full fluid flush.

drive it some more, see if that helps. if it doesn't, then you likely need a new transmission, or your transmission overhauled, it probably has something clogged in one of the complex labyrinth of hydraulics that operate it internally.

 

Yes first check fluid level.
relay you said is clicking
Next check wiring underneath car
Then if all looks ok it points to od solenoid!!

Hit the yard or get bypass kit.

Goldenblock

 

he's stuck in 2nd, not 3rd. with 3rd gear, you should be able to go as fast as 80 or 100 MPH albeit at rather high RPMs. stuck in 2nd, yeah, 45 MPH or so is near redline.

 

Once again the solenoid is for 4th gear only, if you're not comfortable over 45 mph then it could be stuck in 2nd gear, and no matter what you do to the solenoid - it won't help. If the kickdown cable is working normally then you have an internal transmission problem. Just for fun you could try disconnecting the kickdown cable completely. Make sure it's pushed back completely. The trans will work it will just shift early.

 

Update:
Ended up taking it to a Volvo shop since my troubleshooting was getting nowhere. They diagnosed it as transmission failure and have ordered a new (to me) transmission to replace it.

 

sorry for your loss. just for the record how many total miles on the car?

 

306,000 miles are on the clock.