AW55/50 Dipstick Oil Level

[cn90]

@vtl...

Do your own experiment and you will see. With your car in the same spot (flat ground) after a trip, check ATF with engine Hot/Running. Take a photo of the ATF level

Next morning, with engine Cold/Off, check the ATF. Take another photo.

I challenge everyone in this forum to do this and post your results.

[scot850]

The Volvo dealer wanted me to check the ATF level on my 00 V70R after they did a trans flush. The 00R and the 00 NA were the first to get the 5-speed auto trans. It is hard to find the dipstick as it is hidden below the cold intake pipe and again lower down it is sandwiched between the engine and hot radiator pipes. I declined, and took it back and told them to check it!

Neil.

[dikidera]

If your car is level, then yeah slightly overfilled we talking about 50 grams at best

I would think so as well but apparently the difference between just the HOT Max and Min is 0.2 Liters (about a Cup) of fluid according to VIDA. Using that reference, there is a decent amount of fluid up that stick. I have kind of realized recently though that my front coil springs are sagging causing the nose of the car to sit slightly lower than the rear even on a level surface. I might jack the front up ever so slightly when checking the level one more time and see if there is a difference.

Yes I extrapolated based on the min max distance that we are talking about around 50 grams, if the car is level.

[cham]

Little update here, lifted the front ever so slightly and checked oil level again because of my sagging suspension with negligible change. So I decided to drain some yesterday night and ended up removing about 1.5 cups of oil. Photos below are the resulting level after removing the fluid. Still a little high as you can see but much better. Now there is a clear decisive line too so no question where the cutoff is.

The only problem I'm having now is the level on the dipstick is different depending on the side you look at. More than likely this is due to the dipstick being submerged into the fluid at an angle. Therefor I believe the actual level is somewhere in between the levels on each side of the dipstick. Likely only half a cup more needs to be removed but I'll just wait until I do a full drain and fill to get the perfect level.

[firstv70volvo]

Little update here, lifted the front ever so slightly and checked oil level again because of my sagging suspension with negligible change. So I decided to drain some yesterday night and ended up removing about 1.5 cups of oil. Photos below are the resulting level after removing the fluid. Still a little high as you can see but much better. Now there is a clear decisive line too so no question where the cutoff is.

The only problem I'm having now is the level on the dipstick is different depending on the side you look at. More than likely this is due to the dipstick being submerged into the fluid at an angle. Therefor I believe the actual level is somewhere in between the levels on each side of the dipstick. Likely only half a cup more needs to be removed but I'll just wait until I do a full drain and fill to get the perfect level.

Checking both sides of the dipstick is important and I consider the lowest reading on the one side the more accurate read level because there's usually one side of the dipstick rubbing against the dipstick tube and smearing the fluid on that side. Looks like you're very close to a correct level now.

[cham]

No doubt, I believe the side with the graduations/measurements is the side that rubs, so that makes sense. Looks like in VIDA you can reset fluid age counter when you do a drain/fill. Those who use VIDA, when you do a drain and fill do you guys reset it after just one? You are only changing 50% or less of the fluid, I was planning on resetting it after two drain and fills; is this the wrong line of thought?

[vtl]

@vtl...

Do your own experiment and you will see. With your car in the same spot (flat ground) after a trip, check ATF with engine Hot/Running. Take a photo of the ATF level

Next morning, with engine Cold/Off, check the ATF. Take another photo.

I challenge everyone in this forum to do this and post your results.

No, I meant the color is bad, too much friction material suspended, which usually indicates failing torque converter lock.

[vtl]

No doubt, I believe the side with the graduations/measurements is the side that rubs, so that makes sense. Looks like in VIDA you can reset fluid age counter when you do a drain/fill. Those who use VIDA, when you do a drain and fill do you guys reset it after just one? You are only changing 50% or less of the fluid, I was planning on resetting it after two drain and fills; is this the wrong line of thought?

Never did a fluid degradation counter reset on any vehicle. If that counter tripped the threshold, the transmission is done and no fresh ATF is going to fix it.

[cham]

Not sure what you mean by threshold being tripped but this is an age counter normal to the TCM. As the fluid ages the computer has certain variables that indicate its aging which it "counts" and will adjust parameters to keep shifting as optimal as possible over time. This is normal for working Volvo transmissions. I was just curious what others have done, resetting it after one drain/fill or two to three.

[vtl]

Not sure what you mean by threshold being tripped but this is an age counter normal to the TCM. As the fluid ages the computer has certain variables that indicate its aging which it "counts" and will adjust parameters to keep shifting as optimal as possible over time. This is normal for working Volvo transmissions. I was just curious what others have done, resetting it after one drain/fill or two to three.

No, if you read the definition of age counter threshold, it is just dropping abruptly to a survival mode, basically. Age counter increment is itself mean conditions so terrible that it means physical damage to the transmission. I.e. in a good working transmission this counter never increments. And when it increments, the transmission is cooked and to be replaced.