WSE switch, affecting tranny? 1992 wagon

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Dec 4, 2007 | 12:17 AM

gratefulvolvo

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Joined: Dec 2007

Posts: 11

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WSE switch, affecting tranny? 1992 wagon

Hey, I can't remember if the car I looked at was a 960 or 940, but anyway, it is a 1992 wagon, looks great on the outside and inside. everything started up and sounded great. 140 thousand miles on it, for 1500 dollars. Question is. when we looked at the car today, there was a blinking arrow facing towards the ceiling/sky. The guy selling the car said this is due to the Winter/Sport/Economy mode and that the censor is just broken. He said it could be fixed for about 60 dollars. However, he told us because of this we need to start the car and begin driving in the 3rd position(right under drive)(I guess this means it shifts three times throughout driving as opposed to 4 times?). This was because he said it would manually get the car into gear, and then we would just place it into drive once on the move. Does this make any sense? Is it legit? Could a sensor really make a car shift incorrectly like that? Please help me out here, id appeciate all the info possible! THANKS

Dec 5, 2007 | 12:46 PM

billofdurham

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Joined: Jan 2006

Posts: 980

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From: Durham, England

RE: WSE switch, affecting tranny? 1992 wagon

This extract from the 960 owner's manual explains how the ESW works and what the flashing arrow means.

Quote:

Mode selector
The push-buttons to the left of the gear lever are for selection of modes E, S and W. Any mode can be selected while the car is on the move.

Economy Mode
This mode is used normally. The gearbox changes gears at a lower engine speed to achieve the best possible fuel consumption.

Sport Mode
This mode is adapted to "sporty" driving characteristics. The gearbox changes up and down at higher engine speeds to as to offer maximum performance.

Winter Mode
This mode may be selected for starting/moving off on slippery roads or to lower downshift speeds if the transmission is in "L".
Mode W
* In position D, the gearbox starts in third gear and changes up to fourth gear.
* In position 3, second gear is locked and there is no change up to third gear.
In position L, first gear is locked.
* These positions always offer the kick-down facility.

CAUTION: Driveability and fuel economy will be adversely affected by prolonged driving in mode W . Volvo recommends using this mode only when starting in extremely slippery conditions.

The indicator lamp in the instrument

panel lights up when mode W is selected. Press button W in order to disengage the Winter mode.
When mode W is disengaged, the gearbox automatically reverts to the previously selected S or E mode. If the indicator lamp

begins to flash, this is an indication of a fault in the automatic gearbox. Please contact your Volvo retailer if this occurs.

When I had my 960 the arrow started flashing. I cleared the fault codes and it did not come back. However, that does not mean it will work every time. The decision is yours.