1997 S70 Hard Shifting transmission 50-42 - low kilometers

ramilio · Post by **ramilio** » 07 Sep 2013, 20:15

Hi All,

I recently purchased a 1997 S70 that has only 110,000 kilometers on the clock. The car is in great shape but i've noticed that it shifts hard between first and second, and second and third gears. Some of the time the shift is smooth, but is usually fairly hard.

I have a 1998 V70 with the same gearbox and double the kilometers that has butter smooth shifts, so I'm wondering what the difference is with my S70?

The fluid looks to be in good condition and is still red in colour. Just wondering if anyone has any pointers on what I should look for?

I've noticed that the car has had had the gearbox oil changed in the past by a non-volvo mechanic, but I imagine that they wouldn't of used the wrong oil given that it only requires dexron.

Any help or pointers to help me diagnose the problem would be much appreciated.

Post by **JDS60R** » 07 Sep 2013, 22:10

Is it a turbo?

If not check:
1. the fluid level.
2. If it shifts differently with the AC off vs on
3. if the hot air door in the air box is stuck on hot position as air box thermostat has failed .

I like to do a fluid change when I get a new addition to the fleet so I know when it was changed and what was used.

Post by **MoVolvos** » 08 Sep 2013, 00:20

**

Pretty much the same but do try to figure out if you can solve the problem by process of elimination. Just did a drain and fill on a friend's Sienna last month while visiting him in NC. Used Lucas TransFluid from AutoZone and it greatly reduced the bearing groaning problem at certain RPM'S during acceleration. It was at his mechanic for this issue not too long again so the fluid looked good. Not all Tranfluid's, especially DEX are made the same. Tried a bunch as I use to have a 323 and Grand Voyager which are notorious for Tranny issues.

1) Adjust fluid level accordingly regardless of it's condition
2) If improvement do a drain and fill with Lucas or a Synthetic to see if there is further improvement
3) If not entirely gone try Lucas or K&S Tranny Slippage Fix

Depending on your results along the steps you can have a good idea what is causing the problem

Blessings,

BKM

**

Post by **rspi** » 08 Sep 2013, 03:54

When we got our S70 it was shifting hard. I replaced the lower torque mount and ALL of the hard shifting went away.

ramilio · Post by **ramilio** » 08 Sep 2013, 03:59

Thanks for the feedback.

I should of mentioned that this is a 24v non-turbo s70.

I'll start the process of elimination, but I have noticed that the hard shift still occurs when the air conditioner is on. The fluid level is ok too.

I never would of though thought to check out the hot air flap, but I'll check it out!

Post by **jblackburn** » 08 Sep 2013, 07:19

Check out the lower engine and transmission mounts.

If your car is like mine, it revs to the moon with the AC on, which will result in a pretty hard shift at 3500-4000 RPM.

If all else fails, changing out the DexIII for Mobil-1 ATF was a pricey solution to get extremely smooth shifts.

McBudz · Post by **McBudz** » 11 Sep 2013, 06:49

Have you thought about a transmission flush? Sometimes this can be the cause for hard shifting.

ramilio · Post by **ramilio** » 07 Nov 2013, 15:35

A long overdue update…

I’ve changed the oil in my S70 (and ensured that it is at the correct level) but the hard shift persists. I’ve used the same type of oil that I use my V70 that has the butter smooth shifts.

I’ve checked the hot air door on the breather box, and the hard shifting occurs regardless if the a/c is on or off. The transmission mount looks to be fine too with no play.

Any other ideas on what the problem might be?