740 not accelerating - hesitating/surging out of a stop

dani · Post by **dani** » 29 Mar 2010, 22:10

Hi there. I have a '91 740 automatic with 215K.

Just today the car started up with a very new problem, and this is really worrying me.

From a complete stop, when I press on the gas, the car does not accelerate - it hesitates, just crawling ahead slowly, sometimes shuddering as it does this. I'll press the gas further and nothing changes. After a few seconds, it sort of snaps out of it - it surges ahead, the RPMs will spike up (to about 3) for a moment, and then it returns to driving normally. Accelerating from different speeds is fine. This has only been happening taking off from a complete stop, but it's very unnerving to be accelerating out of a stop with cars behind me, and I can only take off at 5mph for a good 5 seconds until the car decides to surge ahead.

I'm worried that this could be a transmission problem, but I don't know enough about it to be sure. The car has always had hard shifts - especially from 1st to 2nd. When I first got the car, I had to get the solenoid replaced, and the transmission tech told me the tranny was "old and tired." It's been 5 years, and I haven't experienced anything out of the ordinary regarding this....until now.....when it's certainly older and probably more tired....

So I came to the forum to ask you Volvo guys - what can cause this issue!?

Any insight on this would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

Post by **billofdurham** » 30 Mar 2010, 11:51

Welcome to Matthew's Volvo Site.

When you are at a complete stop with the car in 'N' or 'P' and you rev the engine does it rev freely or does it hesitate?

Have you checked for fault codes using the On-Board Diagnostic (OBD) unit in the engine compartment?

Check the transmission fluid for quantity and colour/smell. Obviously it should be at the right point on the dipstick but if it smells burnt and/or is a brownish colour the fluid is in need of changing. How long is it since it was changed both in time and mileage? On the 740 it should be changed every 20,000 miles.

Bill.

dani · Post by **dani** » 30 Mar 2010, 13:12

Hi Bill,

Just took the car around the block, making full stops and accelerating, and the problem didn't occur once. While parked, I had the car in P and N and revved the engine - it revved freely without hesitation or shuddering.

I also just checked the transmission fluid - it was below the minimum mark on the dipstick! I've had the car since 188K (at 215K now). I have had the car 5 years. I don't think it's been changed.

Every 3 months I bring it into a service center for an oil change and they always check/top off all fluids - just looked at my latest report from December and the transmission fluid was marked as "OK." However, a previous time I went there, one of the guys told me the fluid was burned, and I think he said something about not changing it because that would actually be worse for the car. I don't quite remember though....

When I checked it today, it came out a dull pink/brownish color.

So I don't know! Clearly the fluid is below the minimum mark now, which I wasn't aware of, so should I put new fluid in? Will that screw something up if the old fluid has been in there so long?

And I don't know how to check for fault codes! I'm a 23 year old female that knows nothing about cars.

I should also mention that recently the car has been a bit iffy about starting up. It always does, but sometimes I have to start over and turn the key twice, because it doesn't quite....get there...while I'm holding it in the start position. Like it's churning but not going all the way, and occasionally right after it starts it kind of sputters for a moment like it's about to stall, but then it's okay.

Post by **billofdurham** » 30 Mar 2010, 15:38

I'm a 23 year old female that knows nothing about cars.

We've had a few of these on the forum and now some of them are helping others, so don't despair.

When you checked the fluid did you do it this way:
Gearbox at working temperature, usually after about a 30 minute drive.
Parked on a level surface with the engine idling.
Starting at 'P' move gearshift through each gear position pausing for a few seconds in each position. Then move gearshift back to 'P' again pausing in each position.
With the engine still idling remove dipstick and clean with a non-fluffy cloth.
Replace dipstick and remove immediately to find the level.

You can certainly top up the fluid without causing any problems. Don't add too much as that can cause as many problems as not enough.

If the fluid is burnt it should be changed. Your mechanic was probably talking about not flushing the system and I agree with that for an older gearbox. If it is drained, without a flush, not all of the fluid will come out but it is better to have some fluid with the correct properties in the gearbox. As I said in my first reply the change interval for your car is 20,000 miles. After that the fluid degrades and soon becomes useless.

Checking for codes - see the article in the Announcements at the top of the forum on how to use the OBD. It is really simple to do and is a first step in diagnosing the engines in these cars.

For your starting problem as a first step check the battery leads for good, clean connections. The best way to do this is to remove them from the battery terminals but make sure you have your radio code if you do this. Another thing to check with the battery leads is where the negative lead (black) is attached to the body. This should be removed and the area to which it is attached cleaned of any rust.

There's a start for you. Don't hesitate to ask if you need more help. Keep us informed as to how it goes.

Bill.

Volvofix1 · Post by **Volvofix1** » 01 Apr 2010, 11:19

Dani....I read your post and in my opinion if you are in the New York Metro area find a good independant Volvo shop outside of the city. Noboby is going to give an honest answer because they are mostly ripoffs. Look for a good shop in Long Island or Conn. my old shop was in Westport Ct. and I know there are good shops in L.I. I have seen so many Volvos come from the city that were hacked up by bad mechanics. I know that I will get some flack about this ,but it is true

Dick K. from FLA

Post by **billofdurham** » 01 Apr 2010, 12:05

I know that I will get some flack about this

Not from us.

Bill.

apatternlanguage · Post by **apatternlanguage** » 30 Dec 2016, 01:02

Did you find the solution to your problem?

My new 1992 960 automatic wagon (199k) is having a similar issue (which of course disappears when I take it to the mechanic), and I'm worried it is something serious.

My new terrific Volvo mechanic cleaned the throttle body for me and that seemed to solve the problem, but now it's a few weeks later and it has started acting up. When sitting at a complete stop I take my foot off the brake and it doesn't coast, and when I slowly apply the pedal the engine revs but nothing happens. After between 2-5 seconds it snaps out of the hesitation and lurches into gear. If it is in such a mood, while accelerating at different speeds in the city, it will surge and lurch like I am pumping the gas. It revs normally in park or neutral. If I turn it off and sit for a few minutes it will act like nothing happened when I start up again, but I don't trust it enough to take any risks that require quick acceleration.

I also wonder if it has anything to do with the S, E, or W setting on the gearbox, because I always keep it in E but it was driving so beautifully after the cleaned throttle body that today I decided to put it in S for sport mode and have some fun. That's when the trouble began again.

Could it also be the flame trap? But wouldn't a mechanic clean that too if he was already after the throttle body?

Something else that troubles me is that the person I bought it from told me it "likes to be driven in 3rd," which I do now if I'm stopped at a green light with a person honking behind me. He also says he changed the transmission fluid, which I will check myself during the day tomorrow. Already checked the oil and it is topped off but looks a little dark. There are no leaks underneath (at least not big enough to be visible).

Also, I'm of the same general demographic as the OP and have never worked on a car. Learning about Volvos has been very interesting and informative! My goal is to narrow down the symptoms so I can be more useful to my mechanic.

-Kate