Hi All,

I am thinking of buying a cheap 1993 940 GLE (non turbo) 2.3 LITRE 4 CYLINDER and the seller has posted some comments of concern. He also has 2 Youtube vids that some of you might like to see for reference as this is a right hand drive model. I dont know the Transmisson model either, sorry.

Posted By Seller:
HAS ALWAYS HAD NOT THE BEST GEARBOX BUT NOW HAS MORE OR LESS GIVEN UP COMPLETELY. WILL NOT DRIVE ONCE WARMED UP. ONLY WHEN COLD IT WILL DRIVE AND GEAR CHANGES ARE SMOOTH. IT HAS ALWAYS HAD A BURNING SMELL TO THE TRANSMISSION FLUID
Youtube Links:

If this is a common problem please point me in the right direction,
1.Will I need to replace the entire box
2.Is it a fixable problem ie; parts or flush etc..

Thanks in advance
Denno

 

Seems like the trans is done... I'd replace it with a decent used one. Everything is fixable, but in the US at least, I'd look for a used one as they are still plentiful.

 

Thanks Lev.

I was kinda hoping that someone is/has experienced this issue and found a solution.

The transmission works cold but not when hot.

 

Common problem if the volvo transmission isnt serviced well with regular oil change and stuff. You could try to take out fault codes from the diagostic box and see. Maybe buy and try some automatic transmission treatment or sealant or leakfix. Barsnleaks are known to have some good stuff. If you want and can repair the transmission instead,it can be done easily and will cost a couple of 100 dollars insted of buying a replacement for several 100

 

Thanks for the advice Sicnarf, I will try this.

 

the AW70/71/72 transmissions are not electronically controlled, and there's no transmission fault codes. they are purely hydraulic/mechanical.

if draining and thoroughly flushing the fluid (using dex/merc III/IV ATF, not any snake-oil transmission flush) doesn't improve things, the next step is to drop the pan and thoroughly clean and inspect it, looking for things like badly worn ***** (there's a bunch of ball bearing sized spheres in the grooves of the pan that act as control valves, they can wear down to bb sized and stop working. also a mess of springs and valve cylinders and stuff. this whole process has to be done under rather clean conditions, like totally clean the area around the pan before removing it, and work on a clean table. I've never done this, just read about it. the final stage of a transmission rebuild is to replace the clutches and bands and bearings and anything else thats worn in the main part of the transmission. aroudn here, that can cost upwards of US$1500 for a full rebuild, hardly worth it on an old car, easier to find another tranny in a junkyard. AW70 can be replaced with AW71 (from a turbo, the heavy duty version), but the AW72L of a 16V DOHC car has different ratios and shouldn't be interchanged with the others, and I wouldn't put a non-turbo AW70 in a turbo car.