The car: 1990 Volvo 240 DL with the AW70 auto Trans and the B230F engine. Car has over 200K miles on her.

These are separate questions, and the transmission problem is more involved, so I'll start with that. When we first got the car, the transmission would slip badly in low gear, and lug in the rest until the engine got into about the middle of the power-band. I changed the ATF with fairly decent Dextron III type ATF (Dex II no longer available) and the transmission is much happier, but not all the way better. Note: when I changed the ATF it was so bad it looked like old engine oil. . . Yecch. What is happening now is that the engine/transmission sounds like it is lugging until I get above 40MPH or more. It just seems like it is not going into the lowest gear, and perhaps shifting too early into the next highest gear (or not downshifting at the right time). By lugging I mean that the engine sounds like it is struggling, and the RPM's sound like they are in the low end. Additionally, when I'm on the highway, I get no change in engine speed when I turn the overdrive on and off. not at 50MPH, not at 60PMH, and not at 70MPH. The car eats too much gas to take it over 70MPH. . .

What I have done so far on this transmission: I have changed the ATF, and I have installed new bushings in the shift linkage, so the shifter no longer has the slop that it did have.

Next is the SRS problem: it started with a bad horn , which I eventually traced to the contacts in the steering wheel. I had the horn pad (which contains the airbag) off and was cleaning the horn contacts, when the airbag came loose from the cable. I plugged it back in (or thought I did), and when I got everything back together, I had a working horn, but now the SRS light is on and will not go off. . .

Does anyone have any insights or clues into either of these problems? Do not worry, I am one girl that does know one end of a wrench from the other. . .

 

The problem with the transmission sounds like it could be the overdrive relay. The solder joints in the relay crack over time and they have a poor connection. To gain access to this relay, you need to pull the glove compartment out. Just open the glove compartment door and remove the screws around the edge. The glove compartment should just slide out. You should then find the OD relay just to the left of the opening. It is a gray/white rectangular box. You can either pull it apart and re-solder the joints or pick up a new one from one of the online vendors.

Good luck

 

Did you drain the transmission pan or did you flush it using the cooler line (how many quarts)?

 

Unhook the battery and see if it resets the system. Was there corrosion that broke loose and got in the harness when u plugged it back in?

 

act1292: i will check that out with regards to the overdrive, thanks!

bubba240: from the pan, and it only took 4 quarts. You thinking that it needs to be done again (or even twice again)?

bigdaddyrdpjr: no corrosion loose. Already tried the battery dance to reset the system. No go.

I'll be checking these things out when I get back over there perhaps this weekend. . .

 

Here is the method I used to flush my transmission:
http://volvo2.homestead.com/aw70.html

I used around 8 quarts of Dextron 3 before the fluid started to come out red.