Is something worn in my AW55?

[Krons]

If it was mine I’d do a trans cooler flush until the fluid is red and clear. Strange it isn’t cleaning up after drain and fills.

[dikidera]

The only explanation is, that the oil is being newly contaminated by the time I do each drain.

I'd imagine if the quantity of the gearbox is 7.1l, then a 10l flush should have gotten out at least 80% of the fluid.

[ignatz]

My 01 and 02 V70's had 138K and 122K when I got them. They never had trans oil changes and took way more than 3 drain and fills to get the fluid looking red.
I bought my 02 knowing that the tranny shifted strange and did many drain and fills to try to help the shifting. I have this wagon over 6 years now, and it shifts better than the day I bought it, but it can still act up.
My 02 doesn't like stopping at speed on a steep hill and go thru starting and stopping on a steep hill. (we have horse and buggies out our way). Once my 02 goes thru a weird cycle like this, the shifting gets abrupt and won't go away until I start it up the next driving cycle.
I never had luck with Lube Guard, but my 02 has a can of Seafoam trans fix in it now. I would not put this stuff in your trans until the fluid starts looking redder.
I'm leaving this morning for a 160 mile round trip in this 02 V70 and everything should be OK.
But, now that I'm a senior citizen, I don't ( stomp, floor, jab and redline) anymore. This helps my 02 shift better.
My 01 V70 t2.4 has 219K and still has the original neutral cut out when I pull up to a traffic light. I'd never put the Seafoam stuff in my 01, but it did help my 02.
I'd never say the Seafoam stuff fixed my 02, but it did help it.

[Krons]

The only explanation is, that the oil is being newly contaminated by the time I do each drain.

I'd imagine if the quantity of the gearbox is 7.1l, then a 10l flush should have gotten out at least 80% of the fluid.

I’ve done a cooler return twice (start with drain and fill then using transmission to pump out 2 qts at a time), each time took 3 gallons for the fluid to run clear.

Not my video but a good overview of the process:

[dikidera]

That's a lot of fluid. To answer the previous comment, I don't like to have to serve the gearbox, I don't want to get used to hard shifts, I want the shifts the gearbox had brand new.

[xHeart]

That's a lot of fluid. To answer the previous comment, I don't like to have to serve the gearbox, I don't want to get used to hard shifts, I want the shifts the gearbox had brand new.

Perhaps the issue is somewhere else.
Is your's a 2005 S60 - 2.4L AW55- FWD, if so, does the cruise control work?

[dikidera]

Yup never had issues with it before, and I'll be testing it on the highway once more today or tomorrow. In fact this will be the first highway trip of the car since 6 months now, so I will see what issues might come up.

My gibbons method drain got over 2 liters the first time, however the car was not level at the time.

Addendum: I wish to mention that the reason I had performance issues was likely because I made some modifications to the maps of the ECU, turns out the map for unlocking 140hp->170hp they were multipliers and not scalar values, so the throttle was opening 99% for 38% accelerator. I have since then fixed this issue and the car accelerates better and the performance has come back somewhat, but the gearbox is as dodgy as ever.

I have not noticed RPM flare between shifts, but I did notice the garage shifts are better cold vs hot for sure. And my gearbox same as everyone has a coast function where it goes neutral, I've asked multiple people and they confirmed it is a feature and not a bug, the drop from gear to neutral does cause a slight kick or jolt of the car, similar to Park->Drive when hot.

I can also say that as of now, Lubeguard did pretty much nothing.

[Krons]

The condition of the fluid then and now was always brown and muddy and not even a hint of reddish or transparent.

I would not put a single new part on the car until this is resolved.

[dikidera]

The condition of the fluid then and now was always brown and muddy and not even a hint of reddish or transparent.

I would not put a single new part on the car until this is resolved.

I think at this point a new gearbox(well used but better than this one) is a more proper solution. The amount of money I've spent on fluid and additives has pretty much creeped up near the price of a new valve body at the very least.

[Blacklab467]

The symptoms you are referring to were similar to mine, with the slamming from park or neutral in to gear, also delayed shifting on the 3-4 shift. I wrongfully misdiagnosed the slamming as worn out engine mounts and replaced them all ( probably was due anyways). I might suggest overhauling the valve body with a Transgo kit ( $130.00) as at least a couple of your complaints about the transmission sound like your linear solenoids seem like they're giving trouble. Sonnax website has a really good troubleshooting chart and description of what each linear solenoid controls and the symptoms that one might experience if they're not working properly. Maybe check that out and see if it sounds like whats happening with your car. I had excellent results with the Transgo kit and it was inexpensive, labor wise it took about 6 hours to complete the job. Hope this helps.