Instead of asking questions about this or that, with the condition of your fluid, I would immediately change it out. Then report back as to how it is shifting. The trans mount bushing is probably bad causing a clunk (if that's what you were trying to explain) when moving from P to R. Fluid doesn't have much to do with that.

 

You do not have to do a software update when flushing. Amsoil would work fine in these transmissions.

 

I'll be changing out my friends 04 s60 transmission oil this friday.
12 quarts of mobil 3309 it is~!
Thank God for this thread...

 

Wish me luck (or at least my S60) as I take the plunge to get my transmission fluid changed at my local repair shop.
They gave me an estimate of $125 for labor, which I felt was reasonable.

They had no intention of using JWS 3309 until I prompted them to look into it. They use BG fluid I believe.

I am curious how much they will charge me for the fluid.

Thanks for all the good discussion on the matter.

 

I have changed ATF and put SHELL Red Synthetic Dexron III (no JWS 3309 available in the city)

But there is still Knock while changing from P to D and backwards. There is also knock when braking car and when it downshifts. This knock gets greater if I stop the car and put several times in R and then in D and back.

as you advised I will check trans mount bushing.

 

Listen I don't know how else to put this, but if your car requires JWS 3309 and you put common Dexron in intentionally, then you deserve a faulty transmission.

You can order the stuff from IPD online find a Toyota dealership who sells it, they all do.

Your trans will self destruct shortly with that fluid in there.

Replace the front top mount and the trans mount underneath as well, like I said before.

 

I went to the service in Shell and they recommended Shell Dexron III as an alternative ATF for this trans. so I put this one.

I also showed my car for mounts but they told me that voice comes from Trans and mounts are ok.

I have also visited Volvo Service and I paid aprox 40$ for nothing. They reset my transmission computer saying that could be the reason for knock and I have to reset it every time i Change ATF.

the others they have to put off transmission and then diagnose it.

 

If this is a 99 or newer Volvo, then you have the WRONG trans fluid in there. That's obvious. Resetting the trans is NOT necessary. It's your car, but it's the wrong fluid period.

Good luck

 

I read through the entire discussion and I only have one question.. If I have the 4 speed GM tranny, it has been said that Dex 3 is the reccomended for this, but I don't mind paying more for better quality ATF assuming there will be benefits attached.

So now I have to ask, if I was to put full synthetic (amsoil, or royal purple, or redline etc) into this transmission, what would be the risks/benefits?

Also, just a question, but the actual synthetic Mobil ATF (not 3309 obviously) is sold in many places around here.. can that also be an option?

Thanks

 

I've read on another Volvo forum to always use the Volvo brand transmission fuid for the newer Volvos........helps to prevent transmission problems that could be caused by using non-Volvo fluid. My 1989 Volvo 740GL wagon used just the regular type transmission fluid and had 135,000 miles on the original auto trans and four banger engine.........they don't make them that tough any more!

 

Just use whatever is recommended. If it is Dex3, use Dex3. If it's JWS 3309, use that. It's common sense.

Volvo is not the only people that "supply" 3309 and GM is not the only people that supply Dex3. YOu can use any Dex3 in any Dex3 Car. Why not buy that Amsoil or whatever you like? It is approved to use if it says it meets whatever spec you are trying to meet.

Brand doesn't matter, you get what you pay for though. Unless you buy Volvo JWS 3309, which is a waste of money.

And that's common sense.

 

On Feb 28, 2009 I purchased a 2004 Volvo S60 2.4L (Non-Turbo) with MANUAL transmission.........52,700 miles. When does Volvo recommend changing the manual transmission fluid and is there a procedure posted someplace? FredMc provided the fluid specs in one of his postings (quoted below) but is there an equivalent that is greatly cheaper than Volvo's OEM fluid (like the Mobil 3309 is for the Volvo PN 1161640 - 1 Liter)?

This is the Manual trans fluid data sheet
NEW DEALER STOCK, VOLVO TRANSMISSION FLUID - SYNTHETIC. A MULTIGRADE SYNTHETIC OIL INTENDED FOR MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS IN PASSENGER CARS. THE OIL HAS VERY GOOD LOW TEMPERATURE PROPERTIES AND ENABLES SMOOTH GEAR CHANGES DOWN TO -40F.THE LOW FRICTION CONTRIBUTES TO LOW FUEL CONSUMPTION. RECOMMENDED FOR ENGINES SUCH AS M56, M58, M90 AND M5M52. THE FLUID HAS BEEN SPECIALLY DEVELOPED FOR THESE TRANSMISSIONS AND HAS NO EQUAL ON THE MARKET. IT OFFERS VERY GOOD GEAR CHANGING AND LOW TEMPERATURE PERFORMANCE.
IMPORTANT: THE OIL IS NOT TESTED OR SPECIFIED UNDER STANDARDS OTHER THAN THOSE INDICATED IN THIS LISTING. IN ORDER TO SPECIFY THE CORRECT OIL FOR THE CAR, ALWAYS CHECK THE OWNER'S MANUAL FOR THE CAR
TECHNICAL DATA:
QUALITY: API GL-4, VOLVO STD. 97308, 10; SAE 5W - 30, (SAE 75W)
DENSITY: 890 Kg/ cu M
BASE: SYNTHETIC
LOWEST FLOW POINT: -54.4F
FLASH POINT: 453F
VISCOSITY @ 104F: NE
VISCOSITY @ 212F: 10.5 sq mm/sec
VOLVO PART NUMBER 1161645.

 

I read through the whole discussion and have one question:

How do I tell if I have the Aisin Warner transmission? I have a '01 S60 T5 with the geartronic.

I have a Toyota dealership right down the road so if the T-IV is the way to go for mine, I'll go grab a case of 12 qts and drain/fill this weekend.

Also, I had a Saab prior to this and for Saabs a flush was not recommended as there was no trans. filter to catch any loosened grime. Are flushes alright for my car?

 

Someone else can confirm this, but I've read that all the S60 auto transmissions are the Aisin-Warner manufacture and those require the JWS 3309 spec'd fluid, either the Volvo brand stuff (very expensive) or the Mobil 3309 (not the Mobil Synthetic). Below is a copy of a 2005 Volvo Technet Note 40-04 about fluids for transmissions which I copied from a posting on the SwedeSpeed Volvo Forum about these Volvo trannys. Also mentioned on that thread on SwedeSpeed is that the Castrol Transmax J is spec'd JWS3309 for the Aisin-Warner trans but I haven't confirmed that claim. I had my 2001 V70 trans, which is the same Aisin-Warner, recently and I bought the Volvo stuff before I found out about the Mobil 3309 product. I wouldn't have anyone do a "flush" with special equipment like at the Dealer or Trans Shop if the vehicle has lots of miles on it like mine (115,000) and you haven't done frequent drains/flushes in the past.......safest approach without overstressing the internal trans system is to just drain and refill 2-3 times as others have outlined on this Forum. Bottomline: You must only use a trans fluid that meets the JSW 3309 Spec for the Aisin-Warner tranny.
NO: 40-04
DATE: 10-13-2005
MODEL/YEAR: All Models
SUBJECT: Transmission and AWD Lubricants
REFERENCE: Owners Manual and VIDA
Application Note Part Number
• 5 and 6 Speed Automatic Transmissions
-AW55
-TF80-SC
This fluid is also recommended to address two
complaints on the AW 50-42:
•Harsh Lock-Up engagement/disengagement
(SB 43-0029)
•Squeaking noise during low speed turns
(TNN 43-11)
JWS 3309
The only oil approved for the 5 and 6
speed automatic transmissions is JWS
3309. None of the other fluids available
on the market have been evaluated by
Volvo to meet the requirements of
these specific transmissions regarding:
• Shift quality
• Slipping lock-up functionality
• Transmission durability
1161540 (1 liter)
1161640 (4 liter)

 

By the way, here's a good discount source to buy the Mobil JWS 3309 trans fluid: http://www.avlube.com/mobilatf3309.html

 

This thread has really been helpful. I own a 2004 S60 2.5T AWD automatic with almost 160k. Bought it just about a month ago and not sure if the previous owner ever flushed his ATF at all. Anyway, did check the dipstick, level is still pretty good but color is little bit on the dark side.

With the info on this thread I can definitely do a fill & drain myself. Got the info on the available kits from IPD and the available ATFs to use from this thread also.

Having said that, I have a couple of questions :

a) Do i really need to do an ATF change. I still feel the car shifts good and Volvo did recommend to change "only when needed". I do feel a very subtle vibration (floor and seat) when accelarating to 55-60 MPH - wonder if this is transmission related.

b) Should I do a full fluid change (fill and drain until fluid is 82% new) or do it gradually - perhaps 2 quarts per oil change. Asking this because of a post that stated that a full fluid change might have a negative effect specially on high milage vehicles that have not undergone periodic flushing.

c) How can you tell if after changing ATF that a software upgrade is also necessary ? Does this depend on the behavior of the car - what behavior should I be looking out for ?

 

Most Volvo enthusiasts on this forum seem to recommend changing the fluid on these A-W trannys with some regularity as a preventative maintenance technique to prolong their operating life, e.g., every 30k miles or so. I wish I had started doing that when I bought my 2001 V70 2.4 used from a private party with 60k miles on it in 2004 but I wasn't up to speed about this topic then (2001 V70 has same engine/trans as S60 2.4). So finally, after joining this and other Volvo Forums, I've gotten smarter and had the fluid "drained" not flushed three months ago at around 115k miles. When I asked my Volvo Dealer about doing a tranny service, the service rep asked me whether the tranny's been done periodically or not and if not, he said don't touch it since a "flush" might cause a problem.......cost at the Dealer would have been over $300 too. So, after readying this Volvo forum, I instead took my vehicle to an independent Volvo shop and told them to just "drain" the trans fluid, not flush it and I furnished the Volvo fluid from the Volvo Parts Dept (prior to knowing about the Mobil JWS 3309). I plan to do the drains myself using the Mobil 3309 product after 30,000.......good insurance rather than possible tranny failure down the pike. The tranny fluid should be a nice clean redish color and not have much dark colored dirt in it.......pull out your tranny dip stick and put the oil on a paper towel to test it......if dirty, change it. A year ago I noticed my V70 not always shifting smoothly and at least once it wouldn't move in reverse initally. I took it to my Volvo Dealer and they checked it out and recommended re-installing the trans software which probably had some update in it from 2001 timeframe. Unless your 2004 vehicle has some noticable shifting problem, it probably doesn't need a software update.......you can check with a Volvo Dealer Service Dept to see if there are any Volvo Tech Bulletins for your year/model about it or not. When I do my tranny drain next 30k mile point, I plan to use the technique posted on this forum by someone where you drain and refill a couple times or so after running the engine so it completely circulates all the old fluid out from the torque converter, etc.........you can find the details yourself on this forum. Hope this helps with your questions........but it's your car and you need to decide for yourself how much preventive maintenance to do on it and whether it's worth the extra cost, how long you plan to keep it, etc.

 

If you all don't mind me asking, I am willing to spend the extra to get the best ATF I can find (much cheaper than replacing a tranny).. I know that I am on the wrong place on the forum because I have a 2002 S80, but this thread seems to be the only real place for conclusive discussion on the topic.

Anyway, as I have a S80, it means I have the GM tranny which is a big worry for me (110,000 miles).. I wanted to do a transmission drain and refill but was wondering what was the best ATF I could get.
I was looking into Amsoil, Red Line and Royal Purple.. I know that I can use the Mobil Dex VI but this is not synthetic.. I also took a look at regular brands such as Valvoline and Castrol ..

Anyway, I plan on doing the drain and replace myself using one of the kits from IPD, but how many qt's of ATF should I be looking to purchase?

thanks

 

I'm not familar with the S80s.......you can check your owner's manual for the trans fluid capacity and specifications requirements or call a Volvo Dealer Parts Dept or independent repair shop and ask them to look it up for you. Someone else may have a recommendation on the type of trans fluid to buy but Mobil also makes a synthetic (not the Mobil JWs 3309) I've seen at AdvanceAutoParts stores that may be suitable for your vehicle........you can check the bottle to see if it meets your vehicle's specs.

 

yea, the manual will tell me how much I need, but I will still have to come back to you to ask about what you think is the best.

Of the "fancy" synthetic brands, it looks like my best deal will be on Amsoil. Do any of you know much about their ATF to encourage or discourage me from getting it? How will it compare to say royal purple and redline (and mobil 1 synthetic for that matter)
Thanks