Hi im kind of new to Volvos but i am a huge fan. I am going soon to buy my own and ive got my eye on an 850 turbo that i can probably get a sweet deal on. But in the meantime my mother has an 850 GLEautomatic and it has what i think to be a transmission problem. heres what happens in detail.

The car will accelerate and rev up. but it will stay at higher rpms (+500) and not shift on time into the next gear.. most frequent with 2nd gear. and also when it revs up through the first gear and 2nd gear it usually kind of kicks and feels like start trek when they do a time warp and all the sudden the car moves out as it should...

the service light comes on occasionaly and i would assume due to the transmission....

At idle when i put the car into gear it rumbles like crazy and the whole car shakes and rpms sit at about -150 what it normally is.. and ovecourse when i put it into neutral the rpms stabalize and go back to normal.. the transmission fluid was changed about 8 months ago and about 50,000 km.

This issue seems to act up more when cold... and when warm seems to leave my mom alone... Thats why i believe its the fluids.. but i wasnt the one who changed the fluids last... Are there specific types of fluids for this volvo's transmission??

and why would the service light come on only periodicly?


Another quick question.....

somone hit the side of her car and dented in both the drivers door and the drivers side passenger door...

the windows roll down on both except hesitate while going down....

is it possible to just take off the mouldings on the inside of the door and push them back out as a temporary fix....??

And is it common for channels to blow out on the double din cassette deck?? because i seem to be having that problem.. ill look into that further myself.. but i just want to know if its common....

 

Greetings,

As for the gearbox problem, the transmission solenoid is to be suspected. Have it checked at a Volvo dealer or a shop that specialises in Swedish/European makes. I know they charge more than a typical garage, but the end result is worth it. I would definitely avoid franchise-based transmission shops.

As for the correct type of transmission fluid, 850s take Dexron-III (Dexron-IIE is specified in the owner's manual, but IIE was superseded by III: http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/jk/040128.htm) or Ford Mercon. If you go to an auto parts store, they usually have bottles that say "Dexron-III/Mercon Compatible", which means thefluid is good for 850. Make sure to choose a name brand's fluid. Note, that other Volvos take different types of fluids and they are not compatible.

If the fluid was changed recently, see if it's at correct level. Either too little or too much fluid can cause trouble. Also, checking for correct transmission fluid is much different from other fluids/oils, so let me know if you need an instruction on it. The CEL can come on/off intermittently sometimes, it's called Volvo Technology[8D](Or I should say it's the beauty of electrical/electronic problems; no one can figure out the problem, including the person who designed the system).

For the window problem, the damage may have affected the window track; remove the interior panel and see if you can find a spot where it's interfering the window, or if you can find a scratch.

>And is it common for channels to blow out on the double din cassette deck??
I'm sorry but I cannot seem to understand what this problem is.

I would have the transmission taken care of asap, as it is not safe to drive the car with such condition.

I hope this helps.


JPN

 

thanks for the reply. i am pretty sure that the transmission fluid in now is not the correct fluid for this volvo.. the moron who owned the car previously hadnt even put an airfilter back in it.... and when i did some maintanence on the car and went to CHANGE the filter i ended up ADDING a filter......

and what i meant by channels blowing out on the double-din cassette deck is speakers not playing anything but the speakers are still good.. only 1 speaker plays anything...

i also need some help on the best way to change the transmission fluid.. should i just use a pump [&o].. i dont even know.. i know exactly where everything is and thanks to you i know what fluid to use.... if you could help me out on the best way to change the fluid that would be great... is it possible that it is a sensor issue not a solenoid problem... because that is alot more costly and my every side of my family is very tight for money right now...

anyways thanks in advance !

 

Hello again,

I'm sorry to hear that the previous owner did not take good care of the car, but in my opinion, 70-80% (these numbers change slightly IAW my feeling of the day) of all drivers don't take good care of their cars. But rest assured, many frequent posters in this forum are the rest of the 20-30%.

Many people seem to have used self-flushing kit, which seems affordable but you may need approx 10 qts of transmission fluid.

http://www.ipdusa.com/productscat.as...amp;RootID=629
http://volvospeed.com/Repair/Transflush.php
http://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/cha...pic.php?t=8767

I believe IPD's kit is popular, and is affordable. The page also has an instruction (PDF).

As for inoperative speakers, pull out the radio unit and see the back of it to check for good connections. If the connectors seem fine, the problem is probably at each speaker (loose wires, etc...).

I would highly recommend that you buy a Haynes manual (approx US $15-$20); this + the owner's manual would solve 60-70% of the problems (depending on the person's knowledge & experience level).

I am unable to tell you exactly what the problem is in your gearbox. Other members may be able togive you more specific solutions.

It seems that the car also needs a regular tune-up, but you can defer it till later as long as the engine is running fine for now. If you plan to keep the car for less thana yearor so, you can use generic parts, but if you plan to keep it longer, I would always go with OEM parts. Here's the vendor I use often:

FCP Groton:
http://www.fcpgroton.com/volvo.htm#850

Routine Maintenance Tips:
https://volvoforums.com/m_48928/tm.htm


Cheers,


JPN

P.S: What year isyour 850?

 

thank you SO much for your help VERy detailed also.

this 850 GLE happens to be a '95 [&:]. anyways. thanks again and ill update later after getting some work done.. now i just need to get the car from her before she runs it into the ground !!!!

 

You're welcome. You are one of the few people who appreciate others' taking time & knowledge. You will notice, that many of my replies have never been answered.

Be sure to tell your mom to hit the shifter into "N", as well as braking of course, in case if the transmission goes out of control.

One good news is that you can manually access on-board computer for diagnosis purpose; you can get codes without a special equipment ('96 & '97 require scanner). For each code & procedure, I'll tell you as you need them.

Good day,


JPN


[IMG]local://upfiles/6892/107AF40F7009495DA021A8562FE13DBB.jpg[/IMG]

 

i will definately tell her to do that. i know that when i drive it i do so. but as you are saying it can be a saftey issue as well. so i will tell her for sure. and is it possible for you to elaborate on what you mean by manually accessing the onboard computer for diagnostics. i will definately use this method to attempt to detect any issues.

thanks once more,

Rob

 

Hi Rob,

Your 850 has adevice where you can access the on-board computer toobserve fault codes for engine, transmission, ABS, climate control, etc...

Refer to the following URLs:

Transmission: http://volvospeed.com/Repair/a1.html
Engine: http://volvospeed.com/Repair/a2.html
ABS: http://volvospeed.com/Repair/a3.html

By accessing the diagnostic terminal, which I'll show you in the attached pic, you can "talk to" the car's computer to see if it has fault codes in its memory. The diagnostic terminal has a red LED (Light Emitting Diode, a small lamp) that will tell you the 3-digit codesin successive sequence. This may take some getting used to some people, but once you know how to read the code, it's easy enough for anyone to do. I'll also attach 2 sample pages on how to accessing the computer.

Another good news is that '94 & '95 models come with OBD-II (On-Board Diagnostic, second generation) receptacle, where you can attach a scanner to access the computer. This is located in front of the shifter, under the coin holder. Auto parts shops, such as AutoZone (U.S) provide free diagnostic service; they will attach a scanner and tell you what the problems are in the electronic control systems (usually engine & transmission only).

I'll be more specific as problems arise, and other members could also give you different/better instructions.


JPN

Attachment has been removed. Request again in case if you need them.

 

This is a pic given by another member, and I added some info on it.


JPN

[IMG]local://upfiles/6892/EF1A522620C243F585E778F0B92D5570.jpg[/IMG]

 

Don't worry about the "Service" light. It's comes on for about two minutes when you first start the car and tells you to take it to a dealer and have it turned off. After they turn it off, it will come back on after 5,000 miles. I never have mine turned off.

I agree with what JPN said about the transmission. If you have the wrong fluid you need to replace it soon. I just use the drain and fill procedure. Drain it, put in the amount you took out, start it up and run it through all the gears (make sure the front wheels are off the ground), drain it again and refill. I do this about three times. But since you may have the wrong fluid, I would take it to somebody and have it completely drained and refilled.

 

thank you so much, everybody for your help .. i have saved the pictures for future referencing and i will be needing them im sure... i will probably just take the volvo to my local dealership to get the transmission flushed and filled. hopefully that will help!! This car needs some TLC to be considered perfect again. Then again ive seen this car go through SO much and it still runs and it still drives. Never any real problems.. after 8 months of neglect.

Thanks again guys and ill update soon to let you guys know what happens with the transmission or if i have any more questions.

 

Hi Rob,

I read Jim's reply and then re-read your first post. I thought you meant CEL (Check Engine Light), but if it's Service Reminder Indicator (SRI) light, see attached pics. I will again delete them within 3 days, so save them quick.

As Jim has told you, it is just a routine service reminder (mostly oil & oil filter reminder) and will not harm anything. If it bothers you or your mom, however, turning it off is not difficult (follow the instructions). I believe your mom's 850 has VDO instrument, which requires accessing of the ECU. In case if it has Yazaki instrument, however, there seems to be a button hidden under a grommet and you simply press on the button to reset SRI.


JPN

P.S: When you decide to work on your car, make sure to read instructions & service manuals thoroughly and understand the procedure. Modern cars have become very complex, especially in electronics and they cannot be properly maintained without reading the instructions.

Attachment deleted.