97 850 auto Transmission fluid

dairyqueen814 · Post by **dairyqueen814** » 04 Nov 2014, 08:36

Hey guys
the past few months I've been hearing a slight grinding under load. Not when the car is in N or P. I can rev as high as i want with no issue but as soon as it's under a load the lower ends just sound a little rough. I decided to check the tranny fluid because it makes sense. It's not low but it's a clear brown color. almost like maple syrup. It's supposed to be red right? should i drain and refill?

Thanks
Nick

Post by **combatkarl** » 04 Nov 2014, 14:36

Hello,
Yes, the fluid is supposed to be red. Sounds like your car could use some fresh fluid. Perform a couple/several drain and fills with a few hundred miles between each drain and fill. Each drain and fill takes ~3.5 quarts of fluid. Here's a couple of posts - https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... ll#p345095

https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... =1&t=30055

I'm not sure if the grinding noise is related to your transmission. Does the car make the noise while coasting in neutral? It might be drivetrain noise. How many miles on the car? When was the last time the transmission fluid was serviced?

Post by **Ben850** » 04 Nov 2014, 17:53

Under load, you are also adding a torque to the equation.
Check lower front right engine mount under the crank pulley. It will bounce on the frame with a grinding feeling. One of the first fixes on the '93. It is worth a look.
Drain and fill to at least reddish to understand your transmission is happy while completing some drive cycles, i.e. a couple hundred miles between.
I had done both of those to the '93 N/A with good results.

dairyqueen814 · Post by **dairyqueen814** » 05 Nov 2014, 04:44

combatkarl wrote:Hello,
Yes, the fluid is supposed to be red. Sounds like your car could use some fresh fluid. Perform a couple/several drain and fills with a few hundred miles between each drain and fill. Each drain and fill takes ~3.5 quarts of fluid. Here's a couple of posts - https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... ll#p345095

https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... =1&t=30055

I'm not sure if the grinding noise is related to your transmission. Does the car make the noise while coasting in neutral? It might be drivetrain noise. How many miles on the car? When was the last time the transmission fluid was serviced?

Tranny has never been serviced (to my knowledge) and the car is just about it hit 120,000 miles. the car doesn't make the sound in neutral at all. smooth as silk. I'll check the engine mounts too. I'll still do the drain and fill even though I'll be swapping it out for a manual in the next few months!

Nick

Post by **Ben850** » 05 Nov 2014, 04:57

Well, if you plan on the manual swap, save your money on trans fluid, put the pedal to the floor at every stoplight, and find which engine/trans mount will give up first.
You will have to deal with them anyway.
Be safe, and have fun. Wear a helmet if you might need to.

SUNRG · Post by **SUNRG** » 05 Nov 2014, 19:49

Transmission fluid flush is brilliantly easy on 850s. Go get 3 gallons of dex/mex from Walmart and some clear tubing from your local hardware store (don't waste your $$ on the IPD kit). Drain 2 quarts, then fill 2 quarts, repeat until all 3 gallons have been flushed thru and the fluid coming out looks exactly like the fluid going in.

dairyqueen814 · Post by **dairyqueen814** » 07 Nov 2014, 05:33

SUNRG wrote:Transmission fluid flush is brilliantly easy on 850s. Go get 3 gallons of dex/mex from Walmart and some clear tubing from your local hardware store (don't waste your $$ on the IPD kit). Drain 2 quarts, then fill 2 quarts, repeat until all 3 gallons have been flushed thru and the fluid coming out looks exactly like the fluid going in.

Great!
I''m going to do the flush regardless of the fact I'm swapping the tranny because I'd like to have a back up tranny just in case.
Any specific type of fluid? aparently theres different types? I know I sound like a total N00b right now but it's not an area I've ever had to do work on in my history of owning 5 850's. Are there different weights like motor oil? Learn me some fluid!

Thanks
Nick

Post by **rspi** » 07 Nov 2014, 08:30

You could also have a bad radiator, transferring coolant into the transmission.

Post by **rmmagow** » 07 Nov 2014, 09:41

Any DEXIII fluid is OK. I use Walmart brand DEXIII in my 98 V70 and it works fine.

dairyqueen814 · Post by **dairyqueen814** » 07 Nov 2014, 10:32

Well upon another quick (and i mean QUICK) inspection my upper torque rod bushing is shot. I never would have even checked because I replaced it less than a year ago. do they make ones that dont require a press to install? I'll be checking all my mounts when i get a chance.

Nick