I just bought this 93' 850 non turbo automatic, with 245k miles.When I bought it, the upshift indicator was flashing and it would intermittantly stutter on accelleration like as if it were running out of fuel! The previous owner said all the fuel system was cleaned and checked ok.On the way home it stuttered and lost powerduring acceleration, but when I let off the gas pedal, it would clear up and power restored for a few seconds and them the power loss again! This would happen for a couple of times, then drive fine till the next incident. During all this the upshift indicator is flashing! I flushed the tranny fluid (it really needed it) with approx 10 to 11 quarts Dextron III, and drove it for approx 60 miles with no upshift light or power loss! I thought I solved problem till the last time I drove it at nightand I noticed the indicator light glowing just a little bit, not flashing though! It would get a little brighter while accelerating hard then go out on decelleration. No stutter or loss of power. What is up with that?? I tried pulling codes before and after the flashing lights but A1 just gives me a steady LED on! A2 is clear, A3 211,214,213... A7 is clear. A6 214, 314. I am not driving the car now cause of unrealated oil leak that I am taking care of. Any help greatly appreciated, this is my first 850, I have extensive experiance with 240's and 700 series Volvo's. By the way, where can I get a list of the codes for the 850's. The dealer is no help!

 

Download this http://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/dow.../Volvo_850.zip

It has all the codes you'll need.

 

Thanks for the info and quick reply, but the info you gave me is for OBDII cars, mine is OBDI. To retreive the codes for my car, I count the number of times the LED flashes when I press the button on the diagnostic module in the engine bay. But thanks again.

 

A1 is the transmission
A3 is ABS 211=L/F wheel sensor 214=R/R wheel sensor 213=L/R wheel sensor
A6 is ignition module 214=Rpm signal missing or faulty 314= Cam position sensor signal missing. (Most like a bad sensor)

I have a cheater book but don't have a scanner to scan them. Sorry

 

Hello Mr.westfp,

When the arrow is flashing, the transmission's electronic control reverts to "limp" mode, enough to get you home but the original performance is lost.

Sometimes shutting the engine off and restarting solves the problem temporarily. Anyway, if it happens, try shifting manually (L→3→D). This should get you theacceleration close to original condition.

If you live in the U.S. and there's an AutoZone, have a visit and have them pull the code(s) via OBD-II and clear them. Also, double check the transmission fluid level, it must not be under-filled or over-filled. My problem seemed to have been under-filled fluid, as little as a half quart.

When was the last time the alternator was replaced? Volvo's electrical systems are very sensitive to power requirements, and a failing alternator begins to play strange tricks with dash warnings.

Good luck,


JPN

 

AFAIK, the codes are the same, what differs is the way you read them. Look at "Auto Trans Diagnosis.pdf".

 

Sorry axelm, I must be missing something that I downloaded. I got several pages of service info and about 17 pgs of OBDII codes that relate to the powertrain. P with 4 digits refering to type of fault. My codes are read off the diagnostic unit in the engine compartment with a series of blinks from ared LED, giving three digit codes.Was there other pages that I did not get? Thanks

 

No, you have not missed anything. The codes you are looking at from your diagnostic unit are peculiar to Volvo. The codes you have been been advised to download are general codes which can be read by a code reader.

A list of Volvo specific codes can be found here: http://www.troublecodes.net/Volvo/

 

Auto trans diagnosis.pdf, which iscontained in theVolvo_850.ziphas the Volvo codes for the transmission computer, with detailed technical info. The link I gave you is correct.

Regards

 

Here is an update. After dealing somewhat, with unrelated oil leak, I drove the car another 30 to35 miles with no problems. Maybe all the transmission needed was a good flush of fresh fluid! I did ck all the codes on A1-A7 and they are clear. I will ck codes again in a week or so, whether or not I get the flashing arrow, but hopefully I will not!Thanks for all the input.

 

Good evening,

You may be correct, all it needed was a good flushing of the fluid. I once had a flashing arrow due to low fluid. It was low only by a halfquart!

Seems like a good head start for the new year. Best wishes.


JPN

 

Ok, seems like the problem is solved. No transmission codes, and no more flashing arrow! It has been over 400 miles. It seems to shift fine in both sport and economy modes! We had some snow this week and I even tried the winter mode with traction control.Works great! Anyway, thanks for everyones help!

 

Glad the problem is gone, well done!

Sincerely,


JPN