Feels like clutch slipping, but I have an automatic. What?

[jblackburn]

I didn't even know they'd let you rent the double-axle trailer with an 850 as a tow vehicle.

Overheating the fluid could still happen super easily just taking off with that thing. IIRC, the single-axle alone weighs about 900 lbs.

Most heat is created when the torque converter slips (at low speeds). The Volvo transmissions rely on this a LOT more than 6-speed autos these days...and this is fine when there's not a huge load on the car.

Still, it's possible a fluid change may help it out if it's just dirty/burnt fluid causing it to slip more than it's designed to.

[xHeart]

Love the photo, the night shot is masterful, iconic.

[hanseich]

I checked with U-Haul on the weights and everything. The box was actually lighter than an open trailer.

I'll keep you updated on what happens when switching the fluid. I'm hopeful it will still make a change.

[rmmagow]

Ok, I feel like a stump saying this but my V70 is now at 195000 miles. I bought it at 152000 and have done 4 dump and fills with PEAK DEXIII rated transmission fluid. My tranny has not skipped a beat and I do drive my car pretty hard. I am considering changing to Mobil ATF this summer via pump and dump method but actually I may just leave well enough alone. The PEAK runs me about $3.00 US a qt.

[jblackburn]

Ok, I feel like a stump saying this but my V70 is now at 195000 miles. I bought it at 152000 and have done 4 dump and fills with PEAK DEXIII rated transmission fluid. My tranny has not skipped a beat and I do drive my car pretty hard. I am considering changing to Mobil ATF this summer via pump and dump method but actually I may just leave well enough alone. The PEAK runs me about $3.00 US a qt.

Unless it regularly looks brown, you're fine.

I switched to M1 ATF for two things:
1) My car used to drop out of gear on hot days when going downhill. This later turned out to be a bad solenoid for those of you that remember that huge thread.
2) I drove it like a hooligan in the mountains. Twisty roads, lots of gear changing, and lots of miles were put on that car. The fluid always began to get dark around 20-30,000 miles. An auxiliary transmission cooler would probably have let standard Dex-III fluid perform just fine as well. ecbsykes had one (and an external trans. filter) and it looked like a nifty piece of equipment.

[hanseich]

Gentlemen, you were right. The fluid was very dirty.

Here my tips for doing the job (most of you will know this, but in case someone that has never done it reads this).
Cleanliness: an oil change pan really works wonders. Make sure you aim it well, the oil shoots out pretty good. The quicker you can pull the plug out, the better. Gloves are a must.
Refilling the fluid: Be very patient. Use a slim funnel and pull it out very slightly, so the out coming air can move freely. Be patient throughout the pour. Place the oil change pan under the filler, in case you do choke the inlet and some oil runs down the side.
Fluid Quantity Someone here posted a good trick. If your new oil can is 4l, and you took out 3,5l, simply remove 500ml from the large can. Now you don't have to concentrate on how much to fill into the transmission. Just on doing it the least messy that you can.


I just did a quick first fluid change. I guess the color of the fluid on the rag is deceiving:

IMG_4033.jpg (49.6 KiB) Viewed 977 times

You can see the difference between new and old on the rag.

This is what it looked like pouring out of the transmission:

IMG_4031.jpg (51.41 KiB) Viewed 977 times

Here just another comparison (the water bottle, if which the label is now removed, BIG NO NO) has clean fluid in it. I got exactly 3,5l out of the transmission.

IMG_4030.jpg (58.05 KiB) Viewed 977 times

Result: It feels quite a bit better. I suppose I still have 50% of the old fluid in it. I will do another change tomorrow after a bit of a drive. Next week, I'm going to take it on a 200mile drive, after that I'll do my final change. I'm pretty confident, that I'll be able to keep the transmission going for quite some time.

Thanx everyone for your tips.