hello my name is Jameson and i have a 2003 volvo s40 1.9t. i was driving home and as i pulled into my driveway my orange arrow light came on but it was flashing. so i put in to park as i was doing so my shifter was sticking then i move it to revers and a loud drop noise as it when it to gear the put it back to drive and the same drop, to the point that i could feel it threw the. I put it it back it to revers same noise and backed it up. I felt a slight loss of power and got out of my driveway then put in to drive and there is NO power i made it 1/8 of a mile with my foot on the floor and didn't go of 20 at best... Am i boned or what could it be? i have no money so a poor mans fix is in order.

Please help!

 

Shounds like your car has triggered the "limp home mode". It could be a number of reasons this has happened, my knee jerk reaction would be to check the fluid level in the transmission. If low, top it off and watch the level.

How many miles do you have on the car? When was the last time the transmission was serviced?

You will need to get the codes checked with a scanner and have them cleared if they will do it for you. A lot of places will do it for free at AutoZone or some place like that. If they say they can't reset it for you tell them that the transmission fluid was low and you had to add a lot of fluid to it (hate to tell you to lie to them but they may not reset it if you have not done any work on the car to fix the problem). Do write the codes down and post them back here to see if anyone can help you with them.

Have you seen any problems with the transmission slipping lately?

BTW, There is no poor man's fix in this situation. Volvo's only go in "limp home" mode when things are serious.

 

Sounds as though the car is in "Limp mode" and will only stay in third gear. You can scan the codes at Advance auto or Auto zone and clear them but if the fluid is really dirty or low you may have to get another transmission. Owning a Volvo is not a good way to save on car repairs. My 2003 S40 has cost me $2200 in the last four years and that's with my doing all the labor. Let us know the mileage and location maybe someone can help you out. Check with erie.vovo.com in NY they have plenty of used parts.

 

What did you find out on it ?