Properly Reading/Adding ATF to V70 T5 2001

[Noie]

Thanks for all of the advice. Finally able to post pictures. This was my fluid level doing the hot check. When I checked in the summer it was at the hot mark. No evidence of any leakage. Just wondering if it is advisable to add some fluid?

[abscate]

Just a bit , like 250 ml. You don’t want to over fill

Do you have the neutral stop feature in your car? Does the transmission slip into neutral when you stop the car at a light?

That’s a special 2001 year only software that the dealer can remove , it was problematic in about 10% of cars

[vtl]

Given the color, a few drain&fills is recommended

[Noie]

Just a bit , like 250 ml. You don’t want to over fill

Do you have the neutral stop feature in your car? Does the transmission slip into neutral when you stop the car at a light?

That’s a special 2001 year only software that the dealer can remove , it was problematic in about 10% of cars

Thanks, I will put a little in then when I get the fluid.

Based off of what I've read online, there being a hesitation on acceleration coming out of stops, I think it already has the software as there is no hesitation. It was serviced at the dealership up until the 2013-2014 time frame.

[Noie]

Given the color, a few drain&fills is recommended

I did actually drain and fill it 4 times this past summer. It took about a week to do it all properly. The fluid still came out largely black but had a more red tint to it and was slightly less opaque on the corners of the container I used. Frankly not sure if it was ever done prior to that and it is at 266k miles, so I might perform the same thing again this summer or take it into a local volvo mechanic for a powered flush. I heard flushing can be harmful to the old transmissions though.

[erikv11]

I'd skip the power flush.

If you're going to do some drain and fills soon (good idea) then consider waiting until then to get the level more exact as it's probably fine how it is. Also fine to add 250 nL now as suggested.

[cn90]

Also,

I have done many simple drain/refill ATF in P80 and P2 cars...

The magic is during the last fill (after you reinstall the drain plug), about 3.3 ---> 3.5 qts of ATF will be fine.

Another trick is the long funnel (detail in forum) that fits inside the fill tube.

[volvolugnut]

I like to use a funnel with clear fill tank on top, a shut off valve, and a dust cap cover. I close the valve, measure the amount of refill ATF and then open the valve to fill. This seems easiest way to measure the partial ATF bottles when adding back.
volvolugnut

[Noie]

I did another hot check today after the drive home. (Both checks shown in here are hot checks after the drive home). Today's read a little higher on the stick, still below the hot-mark hashes. Peculiar how inconsistent it is.

To reiterate, in July I performed 4 drain and fills over the course of a week. So the fluid is not 266k miles old, but it never was clear red either. However I purchased 24 more quarts of Toyota Type-IV ATF fluid to not only perform more drain and fills on this car, but also drain and fill my Dad's '04 V70R.

Thanks for all the recommendations and insight.

[abscate]

That’s fine. It’s inconsistent because fluid is pumped into the torque converter in liter(s) volume so the drain back amount is not always the same, unlike engine oil. That’s why the procedure calls for equilibrating the fluid locations with a drive cycle. If you are OCD you can get a consistent cold measurement but it’s easier to screw up