2002 V70 NA AT Transmission Almost There

dux02v70 · Post by **dux02v70** » 09 Jul 2015, 10:45

I have a 2002 V70 NA with 163k on it. I recently purchased this car and unfortunately was not fully aware of the potential transmission issues. At least it was cheap. The problems I quickly noticed were slamming into gear after a delay when shifted into Drive and a massive flare between 2 and 3 when turning after slowing. I did a full flush and added a filter which helped some, did the servo cover but found the washer to be in place so that didn't really help at all, then took it to an indy shop for a reset. They checked and said I had the latest software update and that they couldn't offer me anything else. The car still had the same issues so I was planning to do a solenoid rebuild next but I decided to hook up an Autocom cdp+ unit that I had purchased for use with my Land Rover Discovery. It had a function for resetting the adaptation on the transmission so I gave it a shot and the flare is now gone. The only issues I have now are an occasional harsh shift when it tries to decide which gear it wants in some part throttle situations (maybe happens once every few days) and the delayed drive engagement. I can live with the harsh shift problem being that it's a very used transmission but I'm not sure how long it can handle slamming into drive. Sometimes it engages just fine but more often it is delayed. Any ideas or is a solenoid rebuild my next step?

Post by **SuperHerman** » 09 Jul 2015, 21:29

How handy are you? If you are bold I would do a valve body and solenoid rebuild using the TransGo kit SK AW55-50. I did it on mine and it is like a new car. Total cost was about $160 with tranny oil and gasket (get a Nissan Gasket, about $10, rather than use sealant - easier to remove if you make a mistake).

The project is fairly simple, just time consuming. The rebuild kit has updated parts for the valve body as well as caps to "rebuild" the solenoids. Basically you grind off the bottoms, and run a drill bit through the solenoid valve bushings to clean them up - then cap them and install. Valve body rebuild is straight forward, just follow the instructions and make sure you pay attention to how your valve body is laid out. The kit is for the various versions of the valve bodies and each update had something slightly different. While taking apart make sure you record each level's components - meaning whether a check ball or valve was used on that level.

I unfortunately put a ball where a check valve was suppose to be and had to remove and correct. After that it worked flawlessly. Hence my warning. The instructions note the various possibilities so you will know what I mean if you review them.

Taking off the valve body is fairly easy. You will find some write ups on the topic. I used Max-Life rather than 3309, as it is listed as compatible. I have had no issues and it is way less expensive.

I believe these trannies will go 300k easy if you service them. If you found no metal during your drain and fills - the evidence presented shows you have sticking solenoids.

Other option is to just buy some Rostra solenoids and leave the valve body alone. They are more expensive or you can just remove the solenoids and only use that part of the TransGo kit.

One last thing - if you go with a valve body rebuild - do not remove the glued on gasket on one of the plates - just clean and reuse it as is - throw the spare gaskets away. I spent more time cleaning the plate than doing the rebuild.

dux02v70 · Post by **dux02v70** » 10 Jul 2015, 08:39

Thanks for the response. I'm a gearhead from way back and have built motors, swapped drivelines and basically rebuilt just about every component in a vehicle. I thought I would outgrow the urge to do these projects but I guess it's just a genetic defect. A valve body rebuild is something I'm willing to tackle. I've seen plenty of rebuild info and videos and it looks pretty straightforward. I think I might do the project in an empty kiddie pool though so all of the check balls don't get lost.

Post by **SuperHerman** » 10 Jul 2015, 11:13

A kiddy pool will not be needed. A pan big enough to put the valve body in is all you need, and this is for the fluid that will leak out. If you do a search on the AW55-50 valve body you will find a guy who does a rebuild - his name is Hiram Guitierrez. Guy is magical - watch his video and you will see all the steps. The Valve body only has 2-3 check balls - nothing just falls out - you just have to not what layer has what check balls - that to me is the only thing to really pay attention to. Watch the video and you will see what I mean, but take note the Valve Body has a few different versions so not all are the same, hence the need to pay attention. Coupled with the TransGo kit with instructions you will have no problems.

dux02v70 · Post by **dux02v70** » 10 Jul 2015, 11:39

Sounds good. I was half kidding about the kiddie pool but I seem to have bad luck when it comes to detent and check balls, typically only when they are backed by a spring. Even when I know what is coming and take precautions to avoid any problems I still manage to launch them across the garage, never to be seen again.