98 v70 transmission problems

wiscokid · Post by **wiscokid** » 04 May 2015, 16:33

Back around the holidays my son and one of his college buddies were on there way back to school when his buddies 98 v70 started shifting weird and loosing power. They turned around and barley made it back to my house with the car. Well the car has been sitting here ever since and the owner no longer wants it. So today I figured I would try and figure out what is wrong with it. I have the vehicle running well but when I put it into any gear it barley moves. In drive it will slowly move forward but it feels like it is slipping. Reverse and other gears do not work at all. I did notice that the three lights on the three separate buttons just below the shifter are flashing. I did check the transmission fluid and it is extremely low. There is barley any fluid on the dipstick at all. Check engine light is on. I do not have a manual for this car and really don't want to throw much money at it. It has 180,000 on it but engine seems to run well. I am thinking of trying to fill up the transmission fluid and see what happens. What type of fluid should I put in?

huzzsaba · Post by **huzzsaba** » 04 May 2015, 18:27

Drain the transmission fluid fromt he drainplug, and then fill it with ( I believe its dexron fluid) around 3.5 litres. that's the cheapest option you have right now and it may just work. Please report back!

Post by **erikv11** » 04 May 2015, 19:49

Good advice from huzzsaba. Use cheapo Dex III like from Walmart is fine. Row the shifter back and forth quickly like 25 times to clean up the contacts on the PNP.

mika · Post by **mika** » 05 May 2015, 07:54

as they said ^ get a long thin funnel, purchase a gallon of ATF fluid (any dextron), just not Type FA, pour that bad boy in. You should be OK once you refill it, assuming it holds the fluid. I would not worry about draining any left over fluid for now.

Check that the transmission cooling line (both of them) are plugged into the radiator on the drivers side and fastened OK. (Did this car have a new radiator put before this fiasco? A while back, I changed my radiator, and the cooling lines for the transmission that plug into the radiation (drivers side), came loose and leaked all ATF out over 50 miles or so. Car had same sounding issues as you mentioned, would not drive, slipping, ect.)

Post by **bmdubya1198** » 05 May 2015, 15:00

I'm going to agree with everyone else here and say drain/refill your transmission fluid. Use Dexron ATF. That's probably the cheapest and easiest thing to do.

wiscokid · Post by **wiscokid** » 14 May 2015, 16:59

So I drained and refilled and the vehicle drives and shifts good except for reverse. I have no reverse. And when the vehicle is in neutral the car drives forward as if it were in 1st gear but does not shift into any other gears while in the neutral position. The car does shift through all gears when in drive and seems to have a little transmission fluid leak. I can not quite tell where it's comming from but I assume it was run low till the car arrived at my place and most likely was run low for quite sometime. Is there a sensor or a neutral safty switch that might be dirty or faulty where it would cause this vehicle to drive forward while in neutral and make reverse feel like park?

Post by **erikv11** » 14 May 2015, 17:19

The PNP (Park-Neutral-Position) switch mentioned above, mounted on top of the trans, could possibly mess up the gearing but not likely the way you describe. Did you row the shifter back and forth as suggested? Carr off, push in the shifter button, go back and forth through all the gear positions rapidly but smoothly, like 25 times, then return it to park.

I don't think dirty PNP contacts is going to be a solution here. With these transmissions, "no reverse" is the usual first sign of a failure. If you have refilled the trans fluid up to the proper mark (check the dipstick with the trans warmed up if possible but for sure with the car running and in park) then this sounds like bad news.

All that said, I don;t know that much about transmissions, just what I read on the interwebs, hopefully someone more experienced will chime in.

Post by **erikv11** » 15 May 2015, 23:04

Also, look into shift solenoid problems, I would do some searching on that.

wiscokid · Post by **wiscokid** » 25 May 2015, 13:35

Thanks for your help. I was hoping to get reverse working so I could keep the car for my daughter who will soon be driving but without reverse its not gonna happen. Trans fluid is full, drove car around a little, working shifter through all gears but still no reverse. I got the car basically for free so no true loss except my time and a little $. I think I'm gonna throw it on Craigslist with the known problem and let her go to the highest bidder. Someone will hopefully want it for parts and scrap the rest out.

Post by **erikv11** » 25 May 2015, 14:33

Turbo or non-turbo?

I have an extra transmission for a non-turbo if somebody wants to swing through central Iowa on their way to Wisconsin. Or their way back.