2001 Volvo transmission is famous for all the wrong reasons.
Thanks but no thanks
I got home from work last Friday and there was a 2001 v70 t5 fwd with automatic transmission wagon in my garage. Its got 120 k miles on it, and looks fine, except it needs a new passenger side mirror assembly. It had been sitting in a garage for 2 years and was dead. I charged it up and it started right up. I called the local dealer who had done some service on the car and found out they had replaced the original motor at 85 k miles with a used one that had 50 k on it, so the motor has about 85 k on it. Then I did research and found the tranny problems inherent with this specific year. The transmission service light is on, and I can feel some issues with shifting…
A friends brother in law owned the car, he didn’t buy the car new, it came from a fleet. It was serviced locally by a dealer after that. So I will have access to any service the dealer has done aside from the replaced motor. I do know that the tranny has not been replaced. I read about software upgrades that are supposed to overcome some of the issues. My initial few short trips in the car lead me to believe that major tranny work will be needed soon. I hear there are computer issues with this year and model as well. The dealer will take my money. I’m sure of that. I want to know…
- Is it worth it to replace or have the tranny rebuilt?
- Would a new tranny going back into that year and model resolve all those issues?
- Will these issues plague the car forever?
- Would the tranny issues fry the motor?
- If I spend 2 or 3 grand and replace the tranny and maybe a little more to replace the computer is this lemon worth saving?
Right now its a freebie and beside the mirror the car is immaculate. So if I invest a few grand in it and solve all the issues it sure seems like a deal. Any and all advice greatly appreciated
Should I buy a new tranny, have the old one rebuilt, or say…
Last Updated on April 1, 2021
5 Comments
I have a 2002 Volvo V70, 2.4 Turbo. When I shift from reverse to drive, the car sometimes hesitates for a second or two, but jerks when shifting. Other times it is fine. Also, it sometimes jerks when shifting from first to second gear, but only when I drive slowly. What could be the cause of this problem? Should I get the transmission fluid changed, or am I doomed to have to repair the whole transmission?
Me too. 232+++ miles on it.
I have a 1996 volvo wagon, ive been having issues with the transmission ( automatic) until it gets up to about 35-40 mph its “putting”, and after about a week of that, the check engine light came on today. it has about 180,000 miles on it and has been pretty well taken care of, should i bring it to get a transmission flush, or is it possible that could do even more damage
Rey, I have a 202 V70XC (owned since new). The first thing that you need to do is completely flush the trans fluid. You can do it yourself. I used the kit that IPD sells ($20 for tubing and connectors). It can be quite messy and it is difficult to pour fluid in as fast as it comes out at the radiator trans cooler hose ends. My car had 60,000 and the fluid looked like red tinted old motor oil. Tremendous shifting improvement!!! I spent around $130 on fluid. I would consider having the dealer do it! After 16 qts and one spilled, I still ended up low on fluid later.
Secondly, this Volvo was designed to shift into a semi-neutral when you come to a stop to save gas. That is the lag that you experience on accelerating from a stop. It will improve with a fluid exchange. The dealer has a software update for around $160.
I don’t know about the electronics. It might be completely separate.
I just bought a V70 XC AWD Cross Country for a steal because it has a transmission problem. I drove it in the interstate for a test drive to work (30 miles each way). All started fine until about 20 miles and the digitals on the dashboard for the D “Drive” disappears and just a dash line show up (also the temperature indicator is not calibrated or just going out already.) Can’t do the manual shift nor the cruise control. From stop to go, it hesitates but when it picks up speed, it is just fine. At around 25 miles to a complete stop, then go at a traffic light, it feels like it is stuck in either 3rd or 4th gear. My question before I dive into transmission replacement, is it possible to have the tranny oil pan dropped so I can replace the following: oil filter (if there is one), oil pan gasket, and ofcourse the oil, and maybe that the filter is clogged or that the oil has not been changed yet since the mileage of the vehicle is over 200k miles already. Will I be able to do the OBD myself to get the message removed once I’ve done the tranmission oil change?