I know almost nothing about Volvos. So forgive my ignorance. I searched the forums and found many helpful threads, but none exactly like mine. Or at least none that appeared to be marked as "solved"
Anyhow. I recently purchased a 2000 S70 GLT. I purchased it simply because of its condition... and it was dirt cheap. So I have the flashing arrow problem and a Check Engine light.
I had the codes read by a friend. We got P1618, P0455, and P0734. I'll get back to that in a moment.

So here is what's happening with the car. If I start the car (never an issue starting) The car will drive and shift normally until it cycles to its highest gears. However. If I come to stop or even a slowdown the car seams
to remain in its highest gears. This gives me no power to the accelerator and a Tac that will rev to almost 3000 before it will move. (The car isn't slipping and reverse is always normal and powerful) Here is the kicker. If I put the car in park or neutral then restart the engine, everything returns to normal until it cycles through its gears again. Then the problem repeats. I can, however, drive the car manually but it seems that only second and third are recognized. Note worth mentioning. Winter mode does not seem to function at all. I can press the button but the little snowflake does not illuminate, nor does anything change. As for the codes that I said I would get back to. I erased every code today and the car had far more power, shifted perfectly, Tac was back to normal. and all trouble lights were gone. But that only lasted about 15 minutes. Now the trouble lights are back on and it's doing the same ol' thing.

 

1618 is "engine control module internal fault"

0455 is an evaporative (sp) system code

0734 is "4th gear incorrect ratio"

The 0734 code is what is causing the trans to shift funny. Usually every case of "incorrect ratio" code I've seen is caused by slipping clutches, and required a replacement trans to solve the problem. Sure fluid or solenoids or whatever might fix it also. ( the trans is 20 something years old)

Commonly the TCM will default to winter mode if there is a serious fault code stored - That's where the trans will start in 3rd gear (hence your 3000 rpm/s when starting off) and shift really funny.

0455 evap leak could be as simple as a missing gas cap, and will not have any effect on the performance of the car. Not sure about the ECM code.

 

Agree 100%. My personal suggestion: Read the codes again to see if the same ones came back. They probably did but I would check to be sure. I would also drain and change out the transmission fluid. Like Hoonk said, it may or may not fix the issue, but it is a fairly cheap thing to try. Also pull out and reseat the Engine control module and the transmission control module to make sure the are seated properly and making good contact. They are silver colored modules located in the square black box on the left side of the engine compartment as you are looking at the engine. IF none of those help, you are probably looking at transmission repairs or replacement.

 

Thanks so much for the replies. I should clarify. When I said "I don't know anything about Volvos" I should have said, "I don't know anything about cars in general."
Anyhow. What's puzzling to me is that when I start the car the arrow is flashing but drives completely normal until I reach a speed that engages fourth gear. (automatic transmission)
So when coming to a stop I have no power. But if I restart the engine at a red light or stop sign, everything returns to normal driving and shifting. (Even with the arrow still flashing)
But once I reach the highest gear, the problem starts again? Why would an engine restart "seemingly" correct the problem? Also. If I am in heavy traffic and the car does not reach the highest gear, there is never
a problem even though the arrow continues to flash.
So with your advice, I had the codes cleared and waited for the trouble lights to come back. Which they obviously did. I had the codes read again today. 1618 remains. As does 0455. 0734 appears to be gone for now.
Also, I have been searching the forum. A few people have said that this could be caused by something called a "pnp switch" Your Thoughts on that?
Truth be told..I bought this car because my wife just left me and took my daily with her. I simply do not have the funds to have a transmission put in it. I realize that the car is 20+ years old. I also realize that the car is probably worth it. I'm just desperate guys. I'm adding some pics of the car but I don't really know how to. Here goes nothing. As you can see, She is in beautiful condition. I need two front seats as the original owner did not know how to condition leather. Every available option for the 2000 s70 glt is on this car and still works perfectly. Even The AC. I bought this car from an 86 years old man for $200. In my area of the world, you cant find a ten-year-old car in this condition.

 

 

Beautiful car......Well if you can live with it as it is, drive it until you can afford to get it looked at by someone....a PnP switch could cause the issue........

 

I know this is an old thread, but wanted to mention how good this car is.

I picked up one of these (exact same car) in 2019 from an elderly gentleman, it had 368,000 miles on it at the time. It had the following issues:

• PCV system clogged (requiring a ton of work, including dropping the oil pan to clean it out)
• Both lower control arms shot (bushings totally gone)
• Seized passenger-side front caliper
• Exhaust leak requiring complete replacement
• Timing belt + water pump
• Radiator leaking
• Cam seals blown (from the PCV failure)
• ABS unit needed to be replaced

I watched Robert DIY's videos (easy to find on YouTube) and learned a ton of valuable stuff as I went along. I had a lot of fun with it, to be honest. Four months later, I had a wonderful vehicle, the little details on this thing are amazing and it remains my favorite vehicle to drive (sitting next to an '04 Mercedes, I prefer the '00 S70.)

I think if you replace the trans, it may be a big hit $$$$ up front, but in the long run you will love this car. I don't know why they are so underrated, but these are great vehicles, in my opinion.

I'm looking forward to your experience with the car, and hope it turns out as great for you as it did for me.

FWIW,
-Jim

 

the flashing arrow is an upshift indicator - it may be reporting the transmission computer fault to you (what you scanned) or it may be telling you your shifter is not in D. Given you have a gear ratio fault code, that is what's triggering the upshift indicator. You can clear the code with a reader and see if it returns. You can also pull the transmission dip stick to check the level (there's two lines one for cold and one for hot - check it cold then again after a 10-15 minute moderate driving cycle to see the warm level. Also wipe the dipstick on a clean white paper towel and check the color and smell. Red is good, black and burnt is bad...Usually older cars are brownish color but shouldn't smell burnt.