I called the local dealer this morning asking about a fluid drain along with a filter replacement. I would prefer a drain over a flush on a high mileage transmission. The 19 year Volvo veteran highly recommended against this even on a vehicle with 135,x miles. He also said most people don't do this because the fluid is about $35 a quart and if any other fluid is used, it will damage your transmission.

I understand Volvos are supposed to have fluid that will last the life of the car, but I don't like the sound of that. The clutch wears and the material gets in the filter, the fluid gets burned/ worn with time etc. I also call BS on the Honda originated "Use Volvo fluid only" thing.. I can get a case of 12 Mobil 3309 ATF on Amazon for about $60 shipped to my door. This seems to be the fluid of choice here as well.


I just want other folks opinions about fluid drains, cooler line flushes, OEM fluid etc.


Thanks.

 

Mobile 3309 is not just "fluid of choice," it's the same stuff. Put it in a Volvo bottle and charge 5 times more. I've been doing drain and fill every oil change (5-7.5k miles), started when it was 55k. Everything seems to work fine so far (90k, knock on wood). I think flush is unnecessary if you just do a drain and fill every 1 or 2 oil changes. First time though, do it several times with some driving in between. I think I did it 2 times, drove it a couple days, did it again until I liked the color of the fluid coming out.

 

LOL, what did you expect them to say?

I have a '95 850 and do drain and fill x3 every 50,000 miles. My car started to shift hard about 3,000 miles ago, started my drain and fill cycle and things have smoothed out.

 

Excellent point. Lol.


Thanks for the replies guys. Appreciate it.

 

FWIW, Valvoline MaxLife is also 3309 compatible and full synthetic. Available at most Walmarts ~$5 a quart, quite a bargain.

 

While it isn't the same stuff necessarily, it is JWS-3309 compatible and will be no problem.

 

Now this is something to consider. Definitely much easier to find too.

 

I used Toyota TIV (T4) ATF for mine about 8 thousand miles back and haven't had any issues. It was also much cheaper at the Toyota dealership and is essentially the same thing as the 3309 stuff.

 

You can use Mobile 3309 and should not use over the counter Dextron. Destron is a big no-no!

For $78 I bought a case of 3309 and that price included any tax & delivery.

Fluid that lasts the life of the car? Hm? When the trans goes out a lot of people declare the car isn't worth the price to fix....so the car is dead. The fluid lasted but was the old fluid the proximate cause of the death.

I did my trans flush last fall and all went well, all is well and I could tell a bit of a difference.

 

I called OC Volvo for tranny fluid for a v70 I just bought. Came the reply $104 a jug(1 gallon) and I would need 3 to do the intended flush. Needless to say I passed on the offer. I used Valvoline MaxLife. Fully synthetic. $17 a jug or $5 a quart from Walmarts.

 

Did you do a cooler line flush? I was just thinking about doing a pan drop myself.

 

The reason I went with the Mobil 3309 is because (from what I read) the fluid that VOlvo gets, re-badges with Volvo name and sells it. I've been shopping for a Volvo for myself and I see many, many Volvo's with trans issues and I am guessing it is because a mechanic along the way used the incorrect fluid. Therefore I didn't want to take the chance.

On the forum I think I've read that Maxlife is compatible with 3309. My case purchase wasn't much more than the Maxlife and I didn't want to do anything to my wife's baby (Volvo S60).

The one cost that was throwing me off a bit was the coolant but I found it at Pep Boys for a reasonable price.

 

Most people here say to drain and fill x3 but to me I don't want to mix new with old fluid...IMHO its best to drain the pan and fill, then pull the return line from rad and drain about 2 liters/fill same amount.Do this a few times..until new fluid is seen. Get a 3/4'' od clear tube this will fit into the port of the rad. Takes about 11liters.

 

Personally I wouldn't use Mobile 1 on my Volvo. Mobile provides different juice to WM due to pricing. They will deny it, but its a fact.

You can go to the dealership, and pay top dollar. Or go to NAPA and get Eneos Eco-ATF. its about $9 a quart and is, they said factory fill for T-IV and 3309 spec. I used it and works great! I did some research and it is OE fill on Toyota.

 

what year/model do you have? Many of the FWD Volvos us the Aisin transmission, thus the references to Toyotas (which used the same transmission but doesn't mark up the oil as much in the dealership). You can read up on some posts on bobtheoilguy.com but essentially it boils down to the transmission has a set of oil specs and you should use a product that matches those specs. Obviously Volvo and Toyota OEM will do just that but you can also find other brands. Online parts sites like FCPEURO and EEUROPARTS sell kits and compatible fluids so check prices there. Regarding the change, if you drop the pan you get about 1/3 of the oil out thus it will take 3-4 iterations to get a clean fill. There are vids on youtube where you can remove the lines from the transmission cooler and let the transmission pump out the oil and pump in the new for a complete refresh. Only risk there is to be ready in case the hoses or cooler connections are corroded or messed up. I did the transmission on my 850 at 100K and the improvement in shifting was pronounced.

 

I searched online and bought a case of 3309 for @ $78.

Went to my file and I bought it from avlube.com

It is a Mobile label but it is still 3309.

Mobil ATF 3309 Case of 12 quarts
Item#: 112610
Regular price: $68.34
Sale price: $62.73



Shipping adds about $17

The Volvo dealer should be called stealer not dealer. They wanted $325 to replace a serpentine belt. I wonder if you also get a kiss after that one! I said no to that half hour job.