Just bought a 92 240 for $450. Transmission (automatic) was slipping taking off from a start and wouldn't shift to 2nd until warmed up. Took it to my Volvo mechanic and he said that the transmission fluid was leaking into the coolant. He replaced the radiator and transmission fluid.

I got the car back today and it's A LOT better. Still won't shift into second until the transmission is warm but once it's warmed up it shifts great.

After driving it around for a while I decided to give it a little more gas than I had before. Nothing outrageous, just a quicker start than normal. When I did this the drivetrain shuddered almost like clutch chatter.

What would this be indicative of? The mechanic (a Volvo guy) said that since it had been so low on fluid for so long that it probably needs to be driven for a while to get everything working normally. He didn't promise this would work.

Any further steps to make this transmission work perfectly or is this just how they are? My 960 shudders on a hard take off but it feels a little more dampened, not as harsh.

Thoughts? Thanks, y'all.

 

Trans fluid leaking into the coolant is OK for a bit BUT that also means that coolant got into the transmission which is BAD for the transmission--it depends on how much and how long... The shudder is a bad sign for the condition of the transmission...

 

a shudder under hard acceleration also could be the center driveshaft bearing. these wear out with age, cease up and cause the driveshaft to make all kinda nasty noises.