09 s40 t5, 90k, should I flush transm fluid? Topic is solved

[cleve33]

had it done once at 50k, now has 90k. reputable non-dealer volvo mechanic recommends flushing at every 30k, charges $295. seems too often, too much, and is it really even necessary?

[MadeInJapan]

I assume your S40 is automatic? Yes, you should flush the fluid...but personally, I have been doing "drain and fills" with all of my Volvo's one time, once a year (when I do one of my oil changes) and liking the results...but this is after I have gotten on a schedule of doing this. You are at 40K miles now since it was done last. So, instead of 1, I would recommend you do 2 drain and fills back to back and you will be fine and this will prolong your transmission, more than you suspect. Do one drain and fill and drive the car for a bit...even do the second one the same day if you want. At your miles, this should be plenty. If it hadn't been done in like 90-100K miles, I would recommend putting several hundred miles on your car before doing the second drain and fill and possibly even doing a third. This is so you don't disrupt to much of the sediment, etc. in your transmission. What you don't want to do at these miles is an aggressive flush that might dislodge stuff that will gunk up the small passages inside the tranny. Of course, if you're anal about it, you could do a full flush at your miles, but seriously the drain and fills are easy and you can do them fairly quickly and you don't need to pay a mechanic to do it for you...and a full flush seems like over-kill to me. But, in my opinion, yes, some exchange of that fluid really is necessary if you want to keep and enjoy your car. You will be surprised at how black the fluid has become even at 40K miles since your last flush and how much gunk is on the magnetic drain plug.

Just undo the transmission drain plug, let whatever comes out come out, (some people even start their engine for 10 seconds or so without changing gears after the pan stops dripping to get a wee little bit more out) measure out exactly what you drained out, pull the transmission dip stick and fill with the exact amount that came out... I have two 1 gallon empty washer fluid jugs I use for this purpose and a clear rectangular tupperware container I use to catch the fluid... Once it's all caught, I tighten the plug with a new aluminum washer (same one that is used on the oil drain plug) and torque it down, and then with a funnel, pour the fluid into the big jug, then set the other empty jug right next to it and fill it with new tranny fluid to the exact same level. To finish things, I use the jug with the new fluid to fill (with a long funnel) through the transmission dip stick tube...go slow and it will flow right without spilling any.

Last things- make sure and use the correct fluid, either Volvo ATF, Toyota Type -IV or Mobil 3309 - they are all the same fluid specification. I would however avoid any other ATF no matter what you read on different websites. The fluids I mention are all tried and true, but with the Volvo fluid costing an arm and a leg so most people avoid buying their ATF from the dealer. Look around and you can find great deals on the Mobil 3309 including from Amazon (if you buy from them, use the link on MVS so we get some credit here on this forum!) Your Volvo will empty about 4 qts for each drain so have 5 on hand in case it drains a little more. Because we have several Volvo's in my family I buy a case of the Mobil 3309 at a time.

I digress, but I haven't had to do my S40 yet because it has a manual transmission and I only have 70K miles on her right now. Manuals are a bit different that automatics in the intervals that the fluid needs changing. Eventually, when I do this, I'll buy the correct fluid for my S40 from FCPEuro as my comparison shopping shows that they seem to be the least expensive on the web.

Good luck and let us know what you decide to do and how it went!

[cleve33]

to made in japan, thanks for complete and thoughtful reply, will plan to do this at next oil change.
David

[MadeInJapan]

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

[kcodyjr]

MIJ, what's your opinion on the "cooler line removal" method on P1 cars?

Readers, I mean where you pull the return line off the radiator, stick it into a bucket of new fluid, and then plumb the open connection into an empty bucket to catch the old stuff. The idea is to replace all the fluid at once using the transmission itself as the pump, so the deposits don't get dislodged like a power flush would.

I've got 34K on a C70 and I've got to assume it's never been drained. The time to weigh options is now, before the transmission fluid stinks like a truck full of hot fresh asphalt.

[MadeInJapan]

I think that's fine, especially at 34K miles...if it was like 90K, I'd still recommend a drain and fill. I do not think however that you are waiting long enough. I think as long as you do it by 40K miles, you should be fine. I even have a theory about doing a drain and fill after this with every other oil change...I change oil every 5K miles with synthetic on all of our cars. I have never had to change my tranny fluid in my car but it's a manual... I will change even that fluid in the next year or so...I'm at about 70K miles on my S40 now.

I read what you wrote again and am adding this- I'm not sure if you can actually suck up the fluid into the line going to the radiator...you might have to use a plastic hose to deposit the fluid as well and then use the 2 qt out, 2 qt in, filling through the dip stick tube. On the P1's I have no idea which direction the fluid flows either so if you do this, please do a write-up so we can help other P1 owners. It might be a good idea for you to review the P2 method that I posted a few years ago- it's in the write-up section.

[Cliffd]

Hi
Can you provide detail on drain and fill method for transmission fluid reply. 2008 c30. Not even sure if it has dipstick or drainplug?
Thanks
Cliff