2004 xc70 fluid change via simple drain and fill method.

IMSITTINGINYOURCHAIR · Post by **IMSITTINGINYOURCHAIR** » 05 Oct 2013, 21:28

Changed trans oil. drained almost 2 gallons, refilled with same amount of new fluid. drove between drains. drove about 45 miles after I was done and the shifting is different but the trans service message still came back. whole story below

I was due for an oil change this week, so, I decided to go ahead and do the trans oil too while I had the front lifted up. I drained out about 3.7 qts on the first drain and added the same back in. then I lowered the car. drove 20 miles, raised then re drained and got about 3 qts back out and added that back in. I drove another 30 miles ( errand on the way that time) and noted that the hard shift from 1-2 is pretty much gone. but it has a different flare than before going from 2-3 and sometimes from 3-4.. when I got home I checked the fluid level and it was exactly where it needed to be on hot so I drove it more to see if the other problem would appear. the one where the display goes from D to -- . it took me 45 miles of random driving for it to happen. i climbed a few light hills at 45-65 mph varied on each hill as the speed limit was different on the roads. then i got on a back road and simulated some red light style stops. then I drove one last road. it's 3.5 miles long with four sharp turns and it's all downhill. one way or uphill the other. When I climbed the first stretch the car shifted faintly funny then the display changed to -- and the check engine light came on and the trans service message appeared. then I stopped at the top, turned the car off, then restarted for the 8 miles back home. less than a mile the car didn't even get to 5th before the display changed to "4" and was in 4th gear.

that's pretty much the same problem I had last time I drove too long and was the reason I changed the fluid. the codes for the cel are the same too
P0700 - Transmission control system malfunction indicator lamp request (confirmed)

P0740 - Torque converter clutch solenoid circuit open (confirmed)

P0700 - Transmission control system malfunction indicator lamp request (pending)

the fluid was grossly blackend and if I looked at it without knowing what it was I would guess oil as it had no red hue at all. Here is the old fluid.

what do you think, ride it till tax for another down payment then get another car and let this go back?

IMSITTINGINYOURCHAIR · Post by **IMSITTINGINYOURCHAIR** » 06 Oct 2013, 19:55

day two with the new fluid. So far the 1-2 shift has settled you can't fell it anymore. the 2-3 upshift still has a flare to it but it seems to have softened as time goes on.

jda2000 · Post by **jda2000** » 07 Oct 2013, 13:45

you didn't remove the big bolt on top of tranny to refill fluid, or did you?

IMSITTINGINYOURCHAIR · Post by **IMSITTINGINYOURCHAIR** » 07 Oct 2013, 22:16

nope. I knew to fill by the dipstick hole. I read the thread where that guy did it and had to pull a band back into place. It was also mentioned in the gibbons method post on xcfourms.

IMSITTINGINYOURCHAIR · Post by **IMSITTINGINYOURCHAIR** » 09 Oct 2013, 00:35

So far it seems to be settled in with 250 miles on the fluid..I still get the occasional "bump" into 2nd and the weird 2-3 shift is still there. But it still seems to need some work. I may need to pull the servo cover and check them. particularly the tcc one. I was advised that the OBD codes I got point to a bad servo and to verify via a resistance test. (anyone know if the wires for the servos go outside of the trans via a harness? if so where is this harness and what is the pin out so that I can possibly make this a little easier.)

jda2000 · Post by **jda2000** » 09 Oct 2013, 07:09

servo cover? you mean solenoids cover, don't you.

As far as I know, the only servo cover is the B4 servo cover and has no wiring attached to it, just a metal cover to access the B4 servo valve

IMSITTINGINYOURCHAIR · Post by **IMSITTINGINYOURCHAIR** » 09 Oct 2013, 10:53

yeah, solenoid cover. what is the b4 servo?

jda2000 · Post by **jda2000** » 10 Oct 2013, 07:13

IMSITTINGINYOURCHAIR wrote:yeah, solenoid cover. what is the b4 servo?

B4 servo is a pressure release type of mechanism that the auto tranny uses to upshift 3 to 4 or downshift 4 to 3.

The early 2001 auto trannies came with a weld type of washer attached to the inner cover. With time the weld points break off and the washer is released and won't allow smooth shifting from 3 to 4.

Common failures in the early 2001 models only. Late 2001 and later came with a different cover setup with no welding. Do a search on auto tranny B4 servo cover and you'll learn more, but I don't think it applies to your case.

IMSITTINGINYOURCHAIR · Post by **IMSITTINGINYOURCHAIR** » 10 Oct 2013, 11:16

Unless the 2004 models have the same cover. But mine has zero problems shifting from 3-4 or 4-3. it's just going from 2-3 that has a flare to it. It did have a really harsh ( I'm talking rip your head off harsh) 1-2 shift when warm, but, when I changed the fluid out it just stopped. the 1-2 shift is not noticed under low throttle and is only lightly felt under heavier throttle.