Hi guys,

I’ll try to be concise with the issues I’ve been experiencing with my V50:

I have an 09 V50 with 100k miles that had been running well since I bought it at 94k.

One morning my car did not start and I took it to a local Volvo mechanic where they diagnosed a TCM problem. They replaced the TCM, however after this I began experiencing gear slippage and a delay when engaging the car into drive - I never had this issue before. The problems eventually became worse and were noticeable mostly after starting the car - it performed better once it warmed up.

I took it to a second mechanic and he found the TCM had not been aligned properly when the first shop installed it. He also fixed the gear shifter blind that was broken and undoubtedly added to the shifting and drive engagement problems. Lastly, he found that the TCM was not programmed.

I then took it to a Volvo dealership to program the TCM. After they programmed the module, the car still showed issues early on and they told me that it could take a while for the car to “synchronize”. I took the car for a drive (over 100 miles total), and towards the end of the drive the car became sluggish and would not shift properly when accelerating and eventually the check engine light appeared and a message on the dash said a transmission check was required.

I’m starting to lose patience and I’ve run out of ideas. I hope that this software update did not cause mechanical problems or damage my transmission. Has anyone experienced anything like this? Thanks in advance for any help.

 

Forgot to mention that the issues are exclusively when driving in automatic, the car shifts perfectly in manual mode.

 

The good news is that the car does shift OK in manual mode - that means that the fatal flaw - bad clutches - isn't a problem with your tranny. Your problem is a "control issue".

I'd guess that the original issue with your transmission was mis-diagnosed by the mechanic, followed by a bad repair (if they didn't program the TCM for your car).

You really need to get the codes read on your car - that would give you a LOT of info that would be helpful in diagnosing what is wrong with the transmission.

My SWAG (Scientific Wild *** Guess) is that the transmission probably had a problem with a shift solenoid or valve body component, and that the replacement of the TCM just added another variable (which might or might not have been remedied by Volvo reprogramming the TCM). Do you know if the transmission fluid has ever been changed?

When I have a car with funky shifting, I'll normally change the fluid once to see if that improves it (didn't help my 2006 V50). If not, I'll swap out the shift solenoids, since they're VERY prone to misbehaving after 100,000 miles, due to build-up of very fine metallic particles jamming their bores (they're essentially electromagnets, and attract metal particles). The good news is that swapping out the solenoids isn't really a terribly complicated or expensive job, and has a good chance of fixing your problems. I bought my V50 for chump change because the previous owner had a quote of $6000 to replace the "bad transmission". I spent less than $100 on the solenoids. I made a YouTube video showing how to swap the solenoids (I couldn't find one online).

Oh, and the shift gate repair seems like it's entirely cosmetic, but it holds a little magnet that is used to sense the shift lever position - without the shift gate, you can't use the manual shifting mode (another thing that was wrong with my V50 when I bought it).

 

Hi Habbyguy,

Thanks so much for the response, bad shift solenoids do make sense and the symptoms are similar to what I’ve been experiencing.

Here are the codes that the second mechanic wrote down:

•Remove+replace blind magnet on shifter - 0192 code repaired.
•Found arrows were not lined up on TCM + transmission, made adjustment. Code OA12 still resets.
•TCM not programmed - recommend Volvo dealer.
•Checked and refilled fluids.

My first problem was that the car did not start, could bad shift solenoids cause that?

I have to wait a couple of days until the dealership opens so that they can take a second look. Beyond this, I’m supposed to drive from PA to Florida next week so I’m little nervous about getting back on the road.

I really appreciate the help!

 

The shift solenoids won't keep the car from starting... sounds like you're dealing with multiple problems.

On the long drive - it all depends on how the car acts when you get it up to speed. If you can successfully get it to drive normally in 5th gear, then even if the shifts getting to 5th are a little clunky, once it's in 5th, it should be good to go, and cruising interstate-style won't be inducing any shifting (particularly if you use the manual mode).

I still wonder if there's a problem / issue with the new TCM - alignment or programming. Hopefully the stealership will be able to help you get that sorted.

And finally - it's always possible that the shop didn't fill the fluid to the right level (or possibly, used the wrong fluid - the Volvo doesn't use the same transmission fluid that every other car they service does). Volvo - in their infinite wisdom - put the transmission dipstick where it's essentially impossible to reach - though MAYBE your shop was able to do it right, if they had the engine / tranny fully warmed up, and the car sitting level on a lift. Otherwise, the right way to do it is to drain the tranny until the fluid is coming out at a slow drip, then add four quarts.

BTW, here's the video I did on replacing the solenoids.

 

Thanks again for the detailed response, I relayed your points to the dealership and it’s helping us to figure out what’s going on with the car.

I picked up the V50 from dealership the other day after they ran a diagnostic, checked codes, and took it for a brief test drive. They adjusted the gear shift cables, calibrated the GSM and tightened the B+ cable. They found active fault codes present for transmission control module - a faulty signal and gear shift position sensor calibration fault. They adjusted the transmission linkage cables and calibrated GSM, cleared the codes and retested - all okay. They say there are no signs of cause of shift flare at this time but it could be evidence of intermittent valve body fault (at 104k miles?).

I picked the car up and there were still problems with shift flare, however I noticed that the initial problem manifests itself when shifting from park to drive; it’s as though the car doesn’t engage properly in drive from the beginning. BUT, if I go from park to drive, and then from neutral back into drive the problem seems to go away and shifting is smooth. I’ve tried this numerous times and it always works. So, to summarize: I can feel when the car is not properly in drive after shifting out of park because it stutters and hesitates to drive, however once I engage neutral and back into drive the car engages first gear and glides smoothly, then gear shifting is smooth and no issues with shift flare.

This has to be the strangest problem I have ever experienced with a car, the dealership is equally puzzled - no surprise. They said next step will be a valve body rebuild for about 2k.. no thanks.

I’ll take your advice and look for a shop that can do a solenoid replacement once I’m back in Miami to see if that helps.

 

Sounds like you have a good work-around... having to shift into neutral on the way to drive is a pretty small inconvenience, and you should be good to go for your road trip.

I do feel like new solenoids will probably take care of your problem. FWIW, I've had great luck with LubeGard Platinum on trannies with symptoms like yours. I'm normally pretty skeptical about "snake oil" but there have been so many people who've used it successfully that I do recommend it for "control issues". That said, it really didn't help my 2006 V50's tranny, but of course it was a cheap and easy attempt, so no points off. ;-) Of course, if you do have the solenoids done, they'll be doing another drain-and-fill of the tranny, and that can only help, too. In the end, I'd be really surprised if solenoids won't fix your problem.

 

Dear Habbyguy,

Thanks for your explanation and youtube video.

I was wondering if you can help us with a similar TCM issue.

We own a 2011 V50 with 60,000 miles. We have had an auto transmission sticking issue. Gears holding in 2nd and third and randomly changing at different revs.

We have taken the car in for a service and had them do a diagnostic.

They had drained, flushed and replaced all of the transmission fluid and still the same gear shifting and sticking issue.

Here is what the Fault report stated;

TCM (Transmission Control Module) TCM-04A2 Communication between Control Units, Invalid data received for Engine Control Module (ECM) Signal Lost.

TCM (Transmission Control Module) TCM-0A31 Communication , Engine Control Module (ECM) Signal Lost.

TCM (Transmission Control Module) TCM-047E Transmission input speed, Plausible Signal

The workshop suggested we talk to a Transmission Specialist, which we did and they suggested to bring it in and have them 'look around'.

We are worried they will end up just 'looking around' our wallets.

Is it possible that it is the 'transmission control module' needs replacing or should we look at the solenoid replacement?

We thank you for any assistance you can give us in advance.

Regards

B & I