Hi Folk,
I have a 2001 S60, T5 Geartronic. I am having problems with the shoddy work the dealership is doing.
Recently I sent the vehicle in for a transmission fluid change (100000Kms). They so called flushed the system, but when I read the Job card, only 4 Litres of fluid was used. I questioned them and they told me that 3L will stay in the torque convertor. I was very dissappointed as the car used to jerk when shifting from 2 to 1, after the change in tranny fluid. I took it back to them and their diagnostic now reports that my transmission is locking up. A week after they changed the fluid, I noticed a film of oil in the expansion bottle. The car looses coolant very often after they changed my turbo about 3 years back. I complained and they changed the radiator twice since then. Today,the coolant ran out and as I filled, I notice a thick chocolate colour oil oozing out, and it does not want to stop no matter how many times I fill the expansion bottle.
Any help please!!!!!

Thanks in advance

 

You need to go to a different dealer or independant shop. I wouldn't go back there!

 

sounds like you may need a new tranny soon, as well as a cooling system flush

AFAIK, the tranny cooler lines run thru the lower rad, as well as the engine coolant. Once the rad goes bad, it'll mix the 2 fluids, thereby destroying the trans and gunking up your motor with sludgy crap.

this is just my experience

 

Check and see what has WAY to much fluid in it. AND do not add anymore fluid.

If the tranny is way to full then the cooler in the RAD broke. If the oil is way to full then the headgasket is blown.

 

tech,
I totally forgot about that possibility. I assumed that these cars are too new to have faulty head-gaskets, but I guess with a turbo engine, it's possible (the higher pressures creating stresson the head-gaskets etc.)

 

Thanks guys for your input. I pulled the grille out. What I noticed is that on the inlet to the tranny cooling RAD, where the tranny fluid comes in, the fluid is still clean. I forgot to mention that the oil coming into the expansion bottle came from the small pipe on top of the expansion bottle. Now I noticed that this pipe is connected to this RAD on top. Is there a partition between this pipe and the oil? This is confusing me as I cannot understand the mechanics of this Radiator.

Thanking you in Advance

 

The sides of the Radiator are coolers for the tranny's and on the older turbo cars for the oil as well. Alot of times the cooler splits and pumps the fluid into the coolant.

 

wait a sec here tech, are you saying that onsome volvo's with auto tranny, some have engine oil coolers, tranny coolers AND engine coolant all flowing thru them?

 

On the older cars 98 and older the Radiator has 2 coolers inside it. The passenger side is where the oil cooler is the drivers side is the tranny cooler.
The coolant and the cooler tanks are all seperate. But sometimes they crack or break internally and mix the fluids.

On the 99 and up cars the oil cooler bolt to the oil pan and oil flows through the cooler and coolant flows through the other side.

 

Tech, thanks for your input. You were right. I pulled out the tranny cooling radiator. Stripped the tank by opening the seal. I found that the transmission comes in on the top end and passes through a series of fins and returns back at the bottom end. The water comes in at the bottom and passes through a smallpipe on top to the expansion bottle. There was corrosion around the inlet of the tranny pipe fitting on the inside leading to the fins. This leaked into the water and caused all the headache. I wish I could have changed the radiator pan, but unforturnately this is not a serviceable part. I had to buy the whole RAD which set me back (R4200), approx $420.00.

Thanks guys for your comment.

 

The really bad part is it might have trashed the transmission as well.

You need to flush it really good. There is a way to flush with the hose and do it with 12 to 15 quarts of fluid. That is what you need to do pretty quickly before it totally wipes the tranny out.

I would also try to make them pay for the radiator you just bought since they already replaced it twice. It should have been under warranty.