So I was driving back from Atlanta today when my transmission began having difficulty moving from 2nd-to-3rd and 3rd-to-4th. It kind of sputtered then eventually got in gear. I became extremely worried when the check engine light came up, however, no blinking "up-arrow light" yet.

Here are some specs on my car 1997 Volvo 850, 112k. Its in great mechanical condition. Bought it used in 2005 and has been perfect since.

I'm worried the transmission is going, but its too young. Could it just be the ATF? It is kind of brown(its the color of a semi-reddish jack daniels).

I'm such a poor college student, a new tranny would break me. Not even PBR would be within reach

 

transmission fluid is red, not brown. That makes me think you should change out the fluid... I'll defer to anyone else around here regarding the simple drain and fill versus a flush because this point of filling versus flushing is such a large source of debate amongst us 850 owners. I'll leave you with this link... http://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/cha...pic.php?t=8767... which I think gives so much detail that anyone can do the job. It's the cost of your time and the fluid which relatively speaking isn't all that much. Doing nothing might be a lot more costly.

Some people choose to do a partial drain every time (or every second time) they change engine oil as a form of preventative maintenance. They pull the transmission plug each time which drains off approximately 3.5 quarts, and then they top it off through the filler tube. It's a nice way to ensure regularly fresh fluid and relatively simple.

 

And if you take this↑ route, be sure to use Dexron-III/Mercon. Make sure not to overfill.

Visit a local AutoZone near you if there is one, and have them read the fault code stored in the ECU via OBD-II port (in front of the shifter, right under the coin holder). If there is no AutoZone near you, check to see if there's a parts shop that can retrieve fault codes for free. Or, see attached. If you're handy make one of these and retrieve codes in the OBD-I style (the 2 documents seem to be conflicting as to which port is used).


JPN

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I agree, definitely get the codes read and that will give you a starting point. A good fluid change might make a world of difference as well. Is the fluid at the correct level?

 

Thanks for the info, I'm going to get the error codes read. The fluid is at the correct level. The transmission only behaves poorly when its hot, leading me to believe its the fluid. But, would that cause the check engine light to come on? I'm going to attempt to build a code reader! ha.

 

Took it to Autozone. Got codes P1310 and P0302, Both seem to indicate some sort of pistion misfire.

It turns out its probably not the transmission, but rather it just needed a tune up. This makes sense b/c the tranny light never blinked (the "up arrow") and it was loosing a bit of power which I think accounted for the trouble shifting.

The obvious solution is a tune up at the Volvo mechanic, I dont have much money right now so I cant really get the full service, just a short-term fix. Moreover, I need to drive about 150 miles soon, would it be bad to do it with this problem?

Thanks everyone!

 

Unfortunately, it probably will be bad to drive that far with a misfire going. It can damage your catalytic converter if the misfire is bad. How are your plugs, plug wires, and rotor and cap? Visually check the condition of the cap and rotor. Also, open the hood and night and with the engine running look for arcs and such from the wires. If you can narrow it down to one item then it will be cheaper to replace the one item till you can do it all. The 302 indicates it is on the number 3 cylinder so look there.
Rob

 

Don't drive. Park it. Get it fixed. That's how to save a few bucks. Better to ride the Dawg (Greyhound bus)than mess the car up.