Transmission problems....what have I done now?

[wheelsup]

I hope it fixes it, love the easy fixes. I had to swap transmissions last year and it was a chore. 2 BIG days of work if you know what you are doing.

[pikngrn]

One glitch & I can't believe that no one caught it, and I am just lucky that I was driving it when it happened, but remember I put water in it at first to make sure my heater hose wasn't gonna blow out again? Well, I forgot to drain it & put coolant in before I gave the car back to my daughter full time. So when I parked it last night, although the temp gauge was only half way, that expansion tank was boiling like it was 1000 degrees! Geez had I not heard/seen that, no telling how long I would have let it go like that. I can multi task with the best of them, but Volvo has eaten my lunch this year. Ah but when a big job is done, you feel like a champ. (For about 2 minutes until you remember you have to replace the expansion tank now.) Hmmmm I wonder if Matthew does wake up/reminder calls?

[JRL]

How can this car still be in one piece? AMAZING
Anyhow, do a series of drain and fills, do NOT powerflush the tranny at these miles.
Drain and fills is the safe way to do a transmission fluid exchange

[pikngrn]

Thanks JRL, that's what it takes... Take nothing for granted , but I did start that series and beginning the 2nd of 4 today. This car has 9 lives at least!

[pikngrn]

Well I have gotten nowhere but deeper in debt on this Issue. I have read every post on this problem TWICE and am amazed how many posts are never completed after a solution was found. I have handed it over to a transmission shop & told they couldn't find anything wrong...because they didn't drive it long enough. Yesterday I handed it over to an independent shop that has fixed a mutual customers Volvo but all he did was install the PNP switch that I bought & didn't align it or even drive it enough to see first hand. It now has 2 codes of 734 & 740
I am now left to taking it to either the Dealer (NO) or an import shop that looks to be my last hope. I guess it's best to just let them diagnose it or should I just go back to surrendering to a full transmission replacement ? I have to get this car running for my daughter to start back to work full time.

[erikv11]

Your posts are long with info scattered about (which makes them easy to read, no offense!), let's try to summarize:

1 your daughter said it "lost acceleration"
2 you described it as "like driving in neutral"
3 the problem is intermittent, worse when hot, first gave a p0733, now a p0734 and p0740.
4 the car has a new, aftermarket PNP, didn't help
5 you have started a trans fluid drain and fill cycle, isn't helping
6 one transmission shop didn't drive it long enough to see the problem, another shop didn't see the problem for whatever reason.

Is that it, in a nutshell?

[erikv11]

Here's a good thread from a car with similar problems, the transmission was ruined:
http://forums.swedespeed.com/showthread ... -Limp-mode

Here's another one that also ended in a trans replacement:
https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... =1&t=18174

Here's what I think at this point:
(a) if you are really lucky, the problem is just the TPS.
(b) if you are only "lucky," the problem is the torque converter solenoid (https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... =1&t=34890)
(c) if you are unlucky, the problem requires a transmission replacement.
(d) I am not an expert on transmissions, try to get jblackburn to reply to the thread he knows more.

You are going to want to try replacing the TPS, it is a lot cheaper than replacing the transmission or opening the trans to get at the solenoids. But after reading everything a bit more carefully and with the new codes, I am not so optimistic that TPS alone will do it. Definitely worth trying, I would get one from a junkyard.

[pikngrn]

Thanks for the help. At this point, I am no longer looking for the cheapest way out. I can't repair this myself and I am at the mercy of whatever shop I decide on. Do I go with a tranny shop with no Volvo experience or an import shop? I want to just replace it instead of another shop wasting my time & money . There's no telling the damaged caused to it now after driving it shop to shop. Only to find out its not fixed. Safety is now the main issue , but there is still the question of how different is the Volvo tranny because I lean towards taking it to the transmission shop.
Thanks again

[pikngrn]

And Erikv11, you have picked on me before so it's expected. But the only change I would make is the switch was VOLVO and the guy who put it on didn't know that it was supposed to be aligned & he only drove it out of the garage and into the driveway. I had someone help me align it last night without the tool made no difference
I am in too deep now, this baby's a keeper.

[erikv11]

If its a Volvo PNP switch that's a key point to know, helps.

I'm not meaning to pick on you, I just try to cut to the chase. Apologies.

I understand you don't want to repair a transmission problem yourself. I don't blame you. Completely understand. The TPS (Throttle Position Sensor) is very easy to change though, two 10 mm bolts and it is accessible by just opening the hood. Give it a thought but I concede it's a longshot.

Definitely do not get the trans rebuilt, waste of money unless you know exactly what is wrong from a shop with Volvo experience. You'll have to sort ut the cost/benefit of that decision. For replacement, your best bet would be a used transmission through LKQ or Erievovo, in that case a non-Volvo shop has a pretty good chance of getting it right but I'd still opt for one with Volvo experience.

The Volvo trans itself is not so different, but install/remove has it's quirks that is why the shop with experience is a better bet. The major chain trans rebuilders are in general a waste of money.