V70 Geartronic - new valve body?

[Willber]

Good evening all,

I have a 2002 V70 2.4t Geartronic. The gearbox doesnt flare, but it has always banged into drive when getting back onto the accelerator after slowing down or coasting which makes low speed slow driving quite tricky.

I have done several drain and fills and also added Lubegard Red which improved things for a bit but it is now back to normal.

It clunks into reverse also with foot on the brake.

I have replaced engine mounts (except the hydraulic ones which I still need to do) and driveshafts plus all other suspension bits.

I like the car but the clunk and shunting from the gearbox is getting annoying.

It changes smoothly between gears with an occasional hard shift into 3rd when I left off the gas.

It is really just it not being smooth when coming on and off throttle which spoils the experience.

I also get a jolt and increase in revs/acceleration when the AC compressor kicks in and out. If this happens when pulling out of a junction I can feel the car lurch forward faster than I had originally intended. The Lubegard reduced these symptoms so I was wondering if the transmission might actually be slipping a bit?

Part of me thinks it probably worth replacing the valve body which I can get in the UK for £675 (genuine Volvo)

I also have not done any adaptation or reset of the adaptations.

Im grateful for any advise anyone can offer.

[ignatz]

My 02 V70 tranny sounds similar to yours. I too am prepared to repair the valve body, but your idea of replacing the valve body might be a safer idea.
I've gone thru the trans oil changes to get the fluid looking cleaner and one time added Lubegaurd red. Seemed better, but it always goes back to its old self. About 2 years ago I added Seafoam Trans Tune, that did help it shift better, but its still flaky when I have to stop or accelerate abruptly. Not perfect, but the Seafom Trans Tune put my valve body repair on hold. It might buy you some time.

[Blacklab467]

I had similar issues a couple years ago with the car slamming the transmission into drive and reverse that I thought were for sure engine mount related, I also did a couple flush and fills with marginal results and upgraded the B-5 servo cover. After much research, I elected to rebuild the 3 linear solenoids with the Transgo shift kit which cost $150. It's smooth as glass now, Also cured a shift flare that I had as well.
I think if you can afford it a new valve body is going to cure transmission problems associated with it but you will also have to buy new solenoids or rebuild your original ones. Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think the valve bodies come with new solenoids. As I recall from my research, the slamming into gear (reverse or drive) was caused by a sticking or slow SLU solenoid.
Hope this helps!

[arrrxivvv]

I had very similar symptoms on the transmissions with my 2004 XC70. Replacing the valve body helped quite a bit but did not eliminate those issues for me, still getting a bump between 2-3 shift and reapplying throttle after coasting, and occasional clunk into reverse. Though how big of a clunk can be subjective I suppose, my indie Volvo mechanic thinks it is minimal and nothing to worry about.

I'd be very happy to see how you eventually cure those issues completely.

[Willber]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

I think the Volvo valve body comes with the solenoids fitted.

Arrxivvv, did you replace the solenoids too or just the valve body? Reading your thread and comment makes me wonder whether replacement is worth it. Although, its still cheaper than a new car!

[arrrxivvv]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

I think the Volvo valve body comes with the solenoids fitted.

Arrxivvv, did you replace the solenoids too or just the valve body? Reading your thread and comment makes me wonder whether replacement is worth it. Although, its still cheaper than a new car!

The one I bought did come with the solenoids, and I believe they are pre-calibrated. I'm in the US and bought a brand new valve body for GM cars that have the same transmission.

I tried changing the solenoids first but they seem to require calibration and I just couldn't get it right. In hind sight I think replacing the valve body would've been easier.

I did have some other shifting problems, banging to shifts when the transmission oil temperature is warmed up, and the new valve body solved the problem, so not bad for me. The other symptoms as you describe did get better as well, now shifting from park to drive only get a very small clunk, and if I always shift into drive first before into reverse the clunk is also minimal, better than before. The bang when reapplying throttle after coasting is pretty rare now too, though the scenario doesn't appear a lot where I drive so not completely sure. But I'd admit it's still not perfect or like a brand new car. As others have commented there may be causes other than the transmission for this.

By the way my more severe symptoms, banging in up and down shift when the transmission warms up, appeared a while after the symptoms you described came up. Perhaps you could keep an eye on it for a while.

Or maybe also get a second opinion from a mechanic or a friend, see if they feel the clunk is severe or not.

[Willber]

Thanks. The clunk was definitely reduced by changing driveshafts and engine mounts (although still got two hydraulic to do)

It has done it since ive had the car; bought at 145k miles now on 160k miles so im sure it will plod on for a very long time yet. I would like to improve the driving experience but for £675 and no guarantee it will sort it, I might just drive it as it is

I do think it's solenoid / valve body related though, as the lubegard all but eliminated the symptoms for a while but now they are creeping back. The jolt with the AC is particularly annoying, almost feels like a misfire when cruising. However its not often that warm to require it in the UK!

[vtl]

Lubegard has friction modifier, which eventually wears out. Keep adding it or flush the transmission with ATF. Volvo ATF is richer in modifiers than most of compatible aftermarket ATFs.

R-D, D-R bangs are most commonly a wear in shaft splines and differential satellites.

Engaging and disengaging coast clutch can be both valve body and mechanical wear in transmission casing.

This worn leap is responsible for the bang when transmission's torque sign is changed (coast/no coast, R/D):



If left untreated, it causes this bushing spun out (still good on the picture):



And this:



The cure is sleeving the casing:



The mechanical part has a few more common wear places.

tl;dr: while a new valve body will fix a lot of issues, a proper transmission rebuild is necessary to cure most of everything.

[Willber]

Thank you for that it is really helpful! I have often thought that the clunk does feel mechanical, so I would hate to replace the VB for it still to have it. I am unlikely to get a full rebuild done so may just add more Lubegard and eventually plan to replace the car with a manual P3 model....

[ignatz]

Do a drain and fill and include Seafoam Trans Tune to the correct fluid refill. Look at the magnet while the oil is draining out and see if its collecting metal. Its been two years since I did a drain and fill on my 02 V70, and I did one yesterday. The magnet was spotless, so in went fresh trans oil with a bottle of Seafoam.
If the magnet would be getting messy between drain and fills, I'd look for another transmission. But it stays clean pointing to my valve body solenoids being "not smooth" on the shaft/ bronze bearing surface.
If it would be an easy 20-30 minute job to pull the valve body cover off, I would have already addressed the solenoids. But its unfortunately a lot more work than I want to do right now. Try a drain and fill with Seafoam added. It won't fix your transmission, but it should help it.