'99 S70 transmission issues

erdonline_1 · Post by **erdonline_1** » 04 Feb 2013, 23:24

I just purchased on Friday a 1999 S70 base model with the 5-cyl. non-turbo and automatic transmission, with 193,000 miles on the car. I drove the car an hour home from the seller, and then back and forth to work over the weekend. Last night, a half mile from home, the up arrow started flashing and the check engine light came on. At this time, the car would only go about 20 mph up my hill. I made it home. I researched the issue a bit, and it seems that a trans solenoid if often to blame, and I was going to try to make it to a garage to have it checked out. I made it about two miles down the road when it seemed that no power was getting to the trans. I pulled over and stopped and shut it off. Starting again made no difference, but I noticed that shifting into any gear including reverse made no difference- no noises when going into any gear. After being off for about 10 minutes, I started again and was able to go about a mile, then no power to the trans again, just high revs when hitting the gas, and I stopped again. One more time of sitting for a few minutes got me back home. There was sufficient (maybe too much) ATF on the dipstick. It's now been towed to an independent mechanic who does a lot of work on Volvos.

The mechanic suspects (a guess based on my description, before looking at it) that the whole trans is shot, and he wants to sell me a rebuilt one he has from an AWD.

I'm not sure if I want to even put any money into this, and maybe just cut my losses. I do see that I can get a used transmission for between $200 and $400, depending on the mileage. I paid $1,750 for the car. I took a chance on the car based on my cursory inspection alone, and was not able to bring it to a trusted mechanic from the private seller. A further inspection might bring up other issues. One other thing I noticed is that the temp gauge only goes up about one quarter of the way, and the heat doesn't get very hot. I wonder if someone removed the thermostat, and if so, was it to cover up another issue.

Any advice is appreciated. I'll see what the mechanic says tomorrow.

Thanks,
Ed in CT

slimflex2 · Post by **slimflex2** » 05 Feb 2013, 05:10

you should pull out the codes, that will help alot. do you experience any slips between gears?

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 05 Feb 2013, 07:22

There is a good chance it is just a bad or mis-aligned PNP switch. Try not to drive it in limp mode as that is very tough on the transmission. Code numbers will tell us much.

As a quick check, do the reverse lights work?

...Lee

Post by **jblackburn** » 05 Feb 2013, 07:24

At the very least, have him change the fluid and see if it will work again. It's worth a shot.

Is this car a 5-speed auto (D-4-3-L on the shifter) or a 4-speed auto (D-3-L)?

binglax09 · Post by **binglax09** » 05 Feb 2013, 07:28

Row the shifter back and forth about 20-40 times. then you will have to wait a few days for the light to go out of you don't have a VAG-Com ($10-$15 on ebay) cable and Vol-FCR (Free on TPB).

Sounds like a PNP switch but really depends on how the fluid looks and if rowing the shifter helps. Once the flashing light is on, your tranny is stuck in 3rd gear! period, light=3rd, no matter if you fix the tranny or not. The computer has to be reset or reset itself in order to get out of limp home mode, which is what the flashing arrow means.

Drive it with the flashing arrow for long and you won't even know if it was the tranny or not as it WILL be shot after starting in 3rd all the time.

erdonline_1 · Post by **erdonline_1** » 05 Feb 2013, 09:02

Here's a follow-up to some of the suggestions:

It did slightly slip out of whatever gear it was in as I drove it, but for the first mile the day after the lights initially came on, it seemed to shift normally through the gears, not stuck in third. Then it slipped out, I think while it was in third, then it would not go into any gear including reverse. Shutting if off for several minutes seemed to "reset" it. I got another mile shifting ok, then no gears. It is a 4-speed auto, I believe.

I can't do any of the other suggestions at the moment- a mechanic has it, and I'm hoping he's pulling the codes.

The up arrow was flashing and the CEL light on, but I could hear it shift through the gears initially with the lights on.

Ed

Post by **xHeart** » 05 Feb 2013, 09:23

Ozark Lee wrote:There is a good chance it is just a bad or mis-aligned PNP switch. Try not to drive it in limp mode as that is very tough on the transmission. Code numbers will tell us much.

As a quick check, do the reverse lights work?

...Lee

Curious, why would PNP become mis-aligned?

binglax09 · Post by **binglax09** » 05 Feb 2013, 09:26

Poor install, but it's almost always due to dirty contacts in the PNP switch.

If your hands on, rebuilding them is not bad and will last another 200K miles. but if you are not, then just replace it.

this does not sound like a PNP switch but it's worth rowing the shift and reseting the light.

ohh, one last thing, what does the fluid look like? nice and red?

erdonline_1 · Post by **erdonline_1** » 05 Feb 2013, 13:52

I know, I should have checked more closely, but when I checked after the failure, the fluid was black.

The mechanic didn't tell me exactly what the code was, but said it was a solenoid, but that the transmission was toast. He said it was a toss-up between putting in a used or rebuilt and cutting my losses and getting rid of the car.

What's the typical labor to r&r the trans? How about additional labor for seals between engine and trans?

The mechanic says that the trans has to be from a 1999 or 2000, that the 1998 is different. True? Junkyards show the same one. Does it make a difference if the trans comes from a turbo or not?

He also says that if he installs a used one, a Volvo dealer may have to program the computer, but he wasn't sure.

Thanks,
Ed

binglax09 · Post by **binglax09** » 05 Feb 2013, 14:05

Get an N/A tranny, although is this a 4spd or 5spd auto? some of the N/As were 5spd auto and those are not good trannys. Not really worth the effort to keep it if the vehicle has a 5spd auto.

Used is better then rebuilt unless it's rebuilt straight from the factory, as most rebuilds are not correctly done. The 4spd auto is a bullet from tranny so anything that has clean fluid and lowish miles should be good to go. 99-00 is correct although I'm not 100% sure if you could switch some of the electronics from the 99-00 to the 98 tranny. Internally they are the same, electronics are the only issue.