Help! My 90 740 won't go into reverse! When you put it into Neutral it still creeps forward. In Park, it feels like it's still wanting to go forward if you give it a little gas. I've heard the bushings can go, or the rear crossmember mount. Can anyone point me to any more info? the tranny fluid was a little dirty also, would that have anything to do with it? I'd appreciate anything asap since I live in the city and reverse is kinda important!

 

is the shift linkage intact? it sounds like its not shifting at all.

if the linkage is intact, then its gonna be inside the transmission, and that gets expensive fast.

 

does the tranny fluid was a little dirty' mean you flushed it and put in fresh ATF ?

there's a whole bunch of good transmission info here,
https://www.volvoclub.org.uk/faq/TransmissionAuto.html

 

I'm not sure If the shift linkage is intact. I can drive the car fine in forward gears. And no, I haven't flushed the fluid just yet.

I'm going to look into it more this weekend. Try replacing the rear mount. On tht, how can you tell if the rear mount is bad?

I'm also going to check out the bushings, linkage etc. What am I looking for with worn linkage or bushings?

 

I replaced shifter linkage bushings on my 95 940. But my shifter was loose and sloppy and had a lot of play in it before it stopped going into park. That was the tell tale sign. Hopefully it is just that.

 

i tried to find a picture but only came up with parts diagrams, which aren't very clear.

the shift lever extends down under its pivot, at the end there's a hole, and in that hole is a nylon bushing. on the side of the transmission, the shift control lever goes up a few inches and has a similar hole and bushing, between these two bushings is the shift rod or linkage, so when you move the shifter back, it pushes the transmission shift lever forward a notch.

so, get the back of the car up on sturdy jack stands, crawl under it, locate this linkage, and have a friend shift through the gears (with everything shut off) while you visually examine it.

ok, this is the parts diagram from a 240, a 7/9 is almost identical...



the linkage rod is 38-39, the bushings are 42 and 47. lever 45 is secured to the transmission shifting shaft via nut 49 on the side of the transission. I *think* all this is on the left side of teh gearbox. note in that parts diagram, the car is aligned like the little icon up top, eg, the console shifter is behind the actual transmission, the linkage rod goes forward.

 

Thanks for the awesome info! I put a new rear transmission mount in it this morning. Still no change. I'll get the bushings ordered. I'm doing this by myself outside so I don't have anyone to help me run it through teh gears. Is it really as simple sometimes as these bushings wearing out and stopping it from going into reverse?

If I put these bushings in, and nothing changes what's my next course of action? No reverse stinks! And the longer this takes to fix, the more my fiance thinks it was a bad purchase! We can't have her thinking that!!!

 

if its not the linkage, then its the transmission itself. easiest to replace with one from a junkyard, rebuilding a tranny can cost more than the whole car is worth.

 

Thanks for your information, but I don't like the sound of the reply!
I replaced the bushings. Replaced the tranny mount now and nothing has changed. I'm facing the reality that the tranny probably needs to be replaced.

I called a junkyard about 2 hours away from me who said they'd put one in for $600. I called another old volvo specialist locally here and he gave me a sad story saying they car isn't worth it. Saying that the tranny will be junk that's put into it.

I thought these cars were supposed to be bullet proof, will a tranny really be shot at 158k on it?

And lastly, is it even worth me giving a try to put new tranny fluid in and cleaning the filter? I don't want to spend more time and money on this if I'm just going to end up putting a different tranny in anyways...

 

these transmissions usually go 250K+ miles with benign neglect and hard driving, and 350k-500K with a few well times fluid flush-n-changes. When they go, its usually worn bands slipping excessively under high acceleration.

question... you said it shifts normally in forward gears... does the OD solenoid allow you to drop into 3rd, and the shifter downshift it to 2nd and 1st at suitable speeds? or does it act likes its in "D" all the time?

if its acting like its always in "D" and not dropping to 2nd or 1st (even if the OD button is working and putting it in 3rd), then maybe somehow the shift lever thats on the side of the transmission isn't turning the shifter shaft that goes into the transmission.


my guess is there's a bit of flug stuck in one of the passageways in the labyrynth band assembly thats keeping the reverse clutch from engaging. its quite possible a good thorough fluid flush and refill followed by some more driving and exercising of the gears would clear it, but its also possible that the pan needs to be dropped and the labrynth cleaned out and serviced (this is something I'd have done at a good reputable locally owned automatic transmission shop, NOT a chain place, nor at a generic mechanic.). of course, its also possible something more serious broke inside, whereupon the valve clean wouldn't fix it either.

 

The OD works, but not with the button. So maybe it has the blockoff plate on it? Pressing the button makes no difference and the light is not on in teh dash.
I can however downshift into 2nd and it drops just like any other vehicle. Drives just like any other vehicle with an OD tranny in the rest of the gears.

When you put it in R, it's like it's in neutral. When you put in N, it drives forward.

Maybe I'll bite the bullet and flush the tranny...

 

use a good quality Dex/Merc III *not VI* ATF. I like the Castrol "Transmax Multi-Vehicle" ATF, thats speced for 80s/90s Toyota transmissions, as thats what the AW70/71 really is.

but, you might just flush it using about 8 quarts of generic cheap Dex/Merc III, drive it a few 100 miles, then change it again to better stuff.

 

Should I worry about dropping the pan then? If I'm just going to "flush" it, could I get away with draining from the plug and from the pressure hose like you've put in your how to. Or would it be best to drop the pan also and try to inspect / clean the filter also?

 

https://www.brickboard.com/RWD/index.htm?id=1010900 is a pretty good writeup on cleaning the filter (you don't need to replace it, its a metal screen, just clean it).

the labyrinth thing I'm talking about is above that but comes out through the pan, however its not something a shadetree mechanic shoudl be messing with as its very complex and delicate, and you'd DEFINITELY want the Volvo AW7x transmission repair greenbook before tackling it.

 

Perfect, thanks! Hopefully my next post is to say that replacing the fluid fixed it!

 

the transmission including torque converter and cooler holds 4-5 quarts, but only 2-3 quarts will drain out the plug even when the transmission is warmed up...

so, the flushing process, you drain that 2-3 quarts out of the drain plug, then pull the pan, clean it, reassemble it wth new gaskets, and pour as much fresh ATF via a funnel into the transmission dipstick tube, then disconnect the transmission cooling return hose at the radiator[1], and hook up a clear hose to the output of the cooler into a clean marked container, and start the engine, and as each quart comes out, add a fresh quart, til its coming out clear red from the hose... kill the engine if you get behind, then resume when you catch up. button the cooler hose back up, warm up the transmission and verify its at the right amount on the dipstick, top off as needed to put it in the middle of the range... if you measure everything that cames out and everything you put in, it should be the same, assuming the ATF fluid level was correct when you started.




[1] when disconnecting the transmission fluid return fitting at the radiator, make SURE to hold the brass base of the fitting with the right size metric wrench so it can't turn even a little when you loosen the flare fitting or you'll end up needing a new radiator.

 

Because I have a lift I usually disconnect the return line at the transmission and let the fluid run into my oil drain container. I'll be doing a 350K service in a few weeks which includes a 50K ATF flush.

 

Quick reply,
I haven't had a chance to change my tranny fluid yet. Just finished front brakes and drove her today to "work out the bugs". About 1/2 way to work, after stop and go traffic the tranny started to wine and slip heavily. I pulled over for a bit to let it cool down and it got better but it's definitely slipping and whining progressively as I drive the car.

All signs are leading to replacing the tranny. Should I even bother replacing the fluid? My thoughts are that it could be slipping and overheating because of the old fluid and maybe reverse is problematic because of junk in the fluid. But I'll leave it to you experts

 

sounds like a seriously toasted transmission, but the only people who could definitively answer the specific cause would be a tranny repair shop after they tore it down.

 

At this point it does seem like a waste to do the fluid...