Buying a used / salvage trans

Post by **priapism** » 03 Oct 2010, 15:14

So the trans is dying, of course. Being that rebuilds / replacements are ~$4500+, I'm looking into replacing it with a used one out of a low-mile salvage car.

Questions:
1) Can I put a later model year transmission into this 01 s60? There are plenty of 03-04 trannies out there with low miles for ~500 bux. My mechanic mentioned it might be possible, but I want to explore any possible complications before we pull the trigger.

2) What do you look when shopping for a salvage auto? Aside from fluid color. I know generally you look for shift quality, but in a salvage trans it will be out of the car, or in a car that's not drivable. Is there any way to test that it's good before I dump ~1k on installation?

Thanks all

RaymanSean · Post by **RaymanSean** » 04 Oct 2010, 08:47

You are buying a slavaged tranny, it may fail at any time. It is a shame that more mechanics do not rebuild trannies for their customers as the parts are about $300 and can be done in a half day or so. Give yourself another day to get it in and out and you can easily do this over an extended weekend. How much is your mechanic going to charge you for labor etc? Does the rebuilt unit come with a warranty?

Post by **priapism** » 04 Oct 2010, 09:21

I was told the valve body was bad and that it runs ~800 bux alone. While I'm willing to try anything, I doubt I'm mechanically inclined enough to try it at this point, and it's my girlfriend's car so I don't want to screw it up.

I was quoted ~950 for labor. Some salvage shops have warranties but the labor is the bulk of the expense.

I wonder if I can drop the trans on my own, that would save 2/3rds the cost...

Post by **JRL** » 04 Oct 2010, 20:35

7 to 10 hours for an EXPERIENCED Volvo tech, good luck!

Post by **priapism** » 09 Oct 2010, 15:52

Will an 03 or 04 trans work in an 01 car? Are they the same across the model years?

Post by **JRL** » 09 Oct 2010, 18:56

No, different electronics

Post by **priapism** » 11 Oct 2010, 10:30

So I can only replace it with a trans from an 01? Crap, that sounds like a hell of a gamble given the state of most of them.

jda2000 · Post by **jda2000** » 11 Oct 2010, 13:00

You can try replacing the valve body. There is a place that rebuilds your valve body for about $700. You send yours in and they replace solenoids and other worn parts.

You can remove/replace the valve body without removing the tranny.

Post by **JRL** » 11 Oct 2010, 13:26

02 will work in an 01, same crappy trans minus the stop neutral software

Retired MVS Contributor · Post by **Retired MVS Contributor** » 11 Oct 2010, 15:13

I have posted this before and I had hoped it would not be necessary again...Aside from the stop-neutral software, (which can and should be up-dated) the transmission used in 2001-2002 Volvos is IDENTICAL to the transmission used in every other late model Volvo, as well as in Nissan, Saab, Chevy, Buick, Caddy, Saturn, Renault, and Opel...It is basically the same as the 4 speed job used in the Volvo 850 and V-70 and many of the parts are interchangeable...All those cars have a "crap" transmission???...The software was the crap, not the transmission... There are thousands of 2001-2002 Volvos running around that never had any problems whatsoever, either because the software was updated, or the owner was careful, lucky, or both...And, despite rumors to the contrary, valve bodies ARE available...It depends on the dealer, some will replace them, some won't...Mine will...

You are taking a very big chance with a used transmission...It might be good, or it might be worse than what you have now...Even if it is good, it will take a lot of up-dates and adapting to get it right...The vendor might "guarantee" it is good, but is he going to eat your bills if it is not good after it is installed?...

Jerry