2001 V70 XC Harsh delayed shift from Park to Drive when cold

[Captain Spaulding]

Dear All,

I have a 2001 V70 XC with 83,000 miles on it. It developed the dreaded 2-3 shift flare, which worsened, and eventually the car went into limp mode. I took it to a reputable, local, automatic transmission shop who ended up installing a Transtar Industries rebuilt transmission in it (Aisin Warner, of course) with a 2 year warranty. The service advisor told me my "idle is too high" and that was the reason the car will shift HARD into Drive from Park when cold. My car was warm when I left the shop so the shift was smooth and subtle. However, the next morning when I left for work after warming up the car for about two minutes, the car shifted harshly into Drive. Mind you, my idle is right where it should be, at a steady 740 R.P.Ms. Three days have passed and every time I shift into Drive from Park with a cold car there is a 1-2 second delay followed by a very abrupt, harsh engagement into Drive. I spoke with the service advisor tonight and he insists that the idle is too high and by "turning the idle down" the harsh shift will stop. Clearly he's an idiot. I was A.S.E. certified in my younger days and do my own work for $everal reasons, including to avoid dunces like him. All of my transmission and motor mounts appear to be in excellent condition and once my car IS warm it now always shifts from Park into Drive smoothly. Help!

[jimmy57]

There is a chance that resetting the trans control module (TCM) adaptation for shifting might solve the problem. The idle as you know is fine and is not adjustable.
I doubt the trans shop has a scan tool capable of this reset. IT will take Volvo's own system, VIDA, or Autologic to do the reset. There could be other tools capable of it also like Autel or maybe Launch.

There could be relief by getting it up to operating temp and finding a warehouse district street with no traffic and then doing 5 light throttle full upshift sequences followed by 5 sets at more moderate throttle.

The adaptation for shift completion time is slow to come back down from adapting for slow shift completion time. Too fast completion time is not the focus of the TCM software. The TCM sees too long shift time and incrementally changes line pressure solenoid signal to increase pressure.

The trans would have had the valve body reman'd and there could be a fault there.

I dare say that is the test drive I described makes no difference then the reset will be a waste of time.

One more thing: The lower trans torque limiter link may be worn out (rubber gone) and that can make it harsh on engagement when all is normal otherwise.

One last thing (this is it, promise): if the harshness is more noise than actual jerk then the front axle bolts could be loose and letting splines shift. This is a common issue with P2 models.

[regent]

If I may add, your new transmission may be just fine while the problem could be that its control module ‘doesn’t know there’s a new transmission in there’. It will keep ‘thinking’ that the box is misbehaving and will keep self-adjusting the shift patterns in very small increments. The self-learning process (as you drive the car every day) may take forever, and each harsh engagement will be stressful enough to both the box and the owner.
It is best that you reset both the fluid counter and the adaptations (the old shift point matrices stored in the TCM with the old transaxle), then place TCM in Adaptation Mode, and then perform the complete adapt drive cycle. After learning the new shift points at 1400 RPM (1-4 only - below 1500 RPM it will only shift up to 4) and at 1800 RPM (1-5, like jimmy57 explained above), you may want to do an optional run at 2500 RPM (to learn a bit steeper accelerations).
In the final adaptation step, with your foot on the brake and the car at a stop, the TCM will learn the ‘garage shift points’ between P-R-N-D at idle RPM and then you’re good to take off.

I say you definitely need to get the TCM to re-learn the adaptations for the new box first before looking into a mechanical issue. Also note that the Engine Control Module and the TCM ‘talk to each other’ all the time to achieve best performance, and as of now, both your ECM and TCM are still unaware of the new transmission.

And last but not least, (assuming they've installed the correct transmission fluid) if you haven't already, do check/adjust your fluid level and ensure it is adequate before you undertake any of the above.