2000 v70 transmission slipping after fluid change

fourteen2hands · Post by **fourteen2hands** » 10 Oct 2015, 11:05

Hello everyone,
Just bought my first Volvo this week. It's a 2000 v70 with 110k miles. I brought it to my mechanic for a pre purchase inspection. He said the car was in excellent condition except that it needed a new motor mount and a transmission fluid change. I negotiated with the dealer and he wanted his mechanic to do the work and he would pay for it. Drove the car around for a few days and it was running great no trouble. Brought it to his mechanic for the service and get a call the next day that now the transmission is slipping!
Drove the car home today and it only slips going from 2nd to 3rd gear. Other wise the transmission works fine. No loud clunking or grinding.
After doing some digging on this site I am wondering if his mechanic used the wrong transmission fluid as I read there is a specific kind. He says he used Valvoline synthetic atf fluid. Can someone tell me if that is the correct fluid? Would it be worth it for me to get it rechanged with different fluid?
Since there is no used car lemon law in my state I am kind of screwed if the tranny is bad. Is there any other things that could cause this? What should I have the transmission shop check as the cheapest fix first?
Thanks for the advice!

Post by **RussB** » 10 Oct 2015, 14:55

The issue may be the method used to change the fluid. If a pressurized fluid machine was used, it can & does cause more problems by loosening residue in the tranny that gets into places it doesn't belong. The "way" to replace the fluid in a Volvo is described in detail in these forums.

https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... php?t=8767

IPD sells a kit, and has excellent instructions,

http://www.ipdusa.com/products/4808/107 ... h-hose-kit

Post by **cn90** » 10 Oct 2015, 14:56

@110K, the trans is good for many years, way beyond 200K miles.

Is yours 4-speed or 5-speed trans?

For the record:

ALL 4 speed autos FWD/AWD use Dexron IIIG or IIIH.

All 5/6 speed autos trans FWD/AWD will use JWS3309.

Post by **cn90** » 10 Oct 2015, 14:58

The GOOD news for you is in this thread...

http://www.thevolvoforums.com/threads/a ... anny.6737/

The BAD news is also in that thread, if the mechanic removed the "locating pin" in the trans, you are screwed.

You NEED to speak directly to the mechanic and asked him exactly how he filled the ATF.
If he filled through the dipstick and didn't touch the "locating pin", then you are OK.
Otherwise, you are screwed badly.

Post by **RussB** » 10 Oct 2015, 15:11

They should give you your money back on the car

sk55 · Post by **sk55** » 11 Oct 2015, 18:03

I had good luck with Valvoline maxlife atf, you can get it at Walmart...

I think it handles the 2000 v70 spec... verify before use.

the safest way I found was get a might vac suck it from the dipstick... suck out 2 qts...

then pour 2 qts in...

drive 25 or so.. miles.... then suck it out again.... do this 7x... good to go...

or I think Robert spinner said drop the the oil from the bottom.. and fill with 3.5 quarts.....

drive 100 miles and do it again...

use dip stick tube to fill easy peasy..

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 12 Oct 2015, 06:40

cn90 wrote:@110K, the trans is good for many years, way beyond 200K miles.

Is yours 4-speed or 5-speed trans?

For the record:

ALL 4 speed autos FWD/AWD use Dexron IIIG or IIIH.

All 5/6 speed autos trans FWD/AWD will use JWS3309.

^^^This.

It is hard to find Dexron III in any variety since GM quit licensing the formulation a year or so ago. Dexron IV is just fine and you can find it anywhere. The 2000 non turbos and some of the R models used the 5 speed automatic which must use the JWS3309 formulation. Toyota sells the JWS3309 cheaper than Volvo and it works fine.

...Lee

Post by **cn90** » 12 Oct 2015, 07:46

For the record, Amazon sells the JWS3309 ATF for about $70/case of 12 bottles.
FREE shipping as long as you have Prime membership.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BLK ... 1_1&sr=8-1

fourteen2hands · Post by **fourteen2hands** » 12 Oct 2015, 08:27

Thank you for all the information. Here is what I know about how the mechanic changed the fluid.
He changed the fluid by dropping the pan not with a vacuum. Once he changed it the first time and noticed it slipping he used that method to "flush" the fluid a few more times thinking that some dirt may have been caught in the filter. He did say that he filled it by way of the dip stick so I do believe that he did not remove the locator pin.
I believe the car has the 5 speed automatic. On the stick it has L 3 4 and D which I think means five speeds but please correct me if I'm wrong here.
So now that being said it appears to be the problem really is that he used the wrong fluid. I want to bring it back to him to have the correct fluid change. I live in an apartment with no suitable area to change it myself. So my questions are:
Is it safe to drive it back to his shop (<5miles)?
Exactly what transmission fluid should I have him use?
How many times should I have him change it?
Thanks for the help!

Post by **cn90** » 12 Oct 2015, 09:06

Buy a case of JWS3309 from amazon.

Twelve bottles should fix this.

Just do drain-refill:
1. Drain ATF from sump through the 24-mm bolt.
No need to remove the sump.
Re-install the 24-mm bolt gently, no need to tighten it because you will drain the fluid in a few minutes.
2. Add about 2.5 qts.
3. Run engine, shift through all gears, incl. reverse for a few minutes to mix the wold fluid with new fluid.

Whatever you do, save some 3.3-3.5 qts for the final fillup.

Repeats steps #1-#3 2 more times, then tighten the 24-mm bolt.

Using half-life equation, after some 4 cycles of drain/refill, there is approx. only 6.25% of the wrong fluid remaining. This should be fine.

Yes, it is safe to drive short distance.

Please post final outcome.