'96 volvo 850 GLT wagon reverse gear blown??

Volvolian · Post by **Volvolian** » 21 Nov 2016, 00:51

I have a '96 850 GLT wagon that is my daily commuter, work vehicle, etc. The other night I was parking on a hill and I felt the reverse go... gone? I can hear the gear engaging, on level ground I even get some traction but for all effective purposes the gear is not usable. Is this pure and simple a transmission problem ie. a $2k death sentence or is there another possibility? Would it serve any purpose to try changing the trans fluid or is that revealing my stupidity? Any and all help is much appreciated as I can go virtually anywhere, I just can't get out! Thanks

Volvolian · Post by **Volvolian** » 21 Nov 2016, 01:30

I should add that my OBDII scanner has not read any set codes. It also revs fine and but only catches the gear a little bit.

Post by **abscate** » 21 Nov 2016, 05:22

When they die in one gear it's usually an internal fix

Make sure the linkage is engaging reverse

Post by **Clemens** » 21 Nov 2016, 05:23

First things first?

Have you checked the fluid Level (with engine idling, in P with parking brake set)? Have you changed the fluid in the last year or 20.000 miles? If not, give it a shot, it is cheap and might help.
I think the 96 OBD2 doesn´t really Access / reveal the trans. a stealership might get the codes. But don´t listen to their diagnosis, just get the EXACT codes and Report back here.

Also, depending o the car´s overall condition, getting a used (known working) tranny for two Grand is still better than getting another car.

Plus, you live in Cali, roads are wide, parking spaes plentiful and huge, learn to plan ahead and live w/o reverse. My 72 Lincoln would loose reverse occasionally to a worn linkage, and I didn´t bother too much as Long as I had it in CA (had to fix it back in Europe, though).

Volvolian · Post by **Volvolian** » 21 Nov 2016, 06:30

I have checked the fluids, they look ok but I'm going to change the transmission fluid tomorrow for shits and giggles. I had to push it out of an incline in the rain today, which happens every 7 years or so in California, and I just pray for a spot that I can drive into and out of. I'll change the fluids and have the codes read at a dealer, check in afterwards. Thanks for the input

Post by **Clemens** » 21 Nov 2016, 09:28

are you getting a flashing arrow, btw? if not you will most likely not have any codes stored.

Volvolian · Post by **Volvolian** » 05 Dec 2016, 18:03

I am not getting the flashing arrow, I've had it in the past with the codes (I forget) for TPS. I replaced the sensor and reset the codes, the arrow has not returned. I'm not getting anything on my OBDII scanner but I've heard too there may be codes that must be read by a dealer or another machine. I'm at a loss here, hoping I can fix this without having to swap or rebuild the tranny, just the last thing I need (or anyone needs) right now. In fact if it is indeed the transmission I'll be looking at a new vehicle. Bummer, only 100k miles on my '96 and was sure I'd be driving it another 5 years at least. The trans fluid had a brown tint to it but the levels were fine, I can hear the reverse gear engaging and I even get the slightest amount of traction, enough to inch it slowly backward but with negligible torque. I realize this is a bad sign and indicates not a PNP or solenoid issue. F#%K!!!

Volvolian · Post by **Volvolian** » 05 Dec 2016, 18:09

Let me axe you this: assuming that I have ruined my transmission, what do you think CAUSED this? As I said I was on a hill, I had some equipment loaded up, I was in reverse facing downhill and I would give it gas but the car would roll forward. I tried braking until I could hear the gear engage (to avoid engaging as the car was moving forward) and the gear caught, made a now horrifying "POP" and that was the dying breath of my reverse gear. Admittedly I have not checked the trans fluids in 6 years of owning this car until this happened. I have 100k miles on the odometer and the first owner serviced it regularly with the DEALER. Do you think the trans fluid was THAT bad to be able to cause failure? Was it because I was rolling forward when I popped into reverse? Is it because I had gear in the back? Incidentally my coolant levels were also low at the time of the "POP", do you think that has anything to do with it? Last detail is that my equipment weighed no more than 400 lbs, I was not hauling a trailer which obviously would require another cooling mechanism for the transmission. Ok that's it what do you think it was?!

Post by **matthew1** » 05 Dec 2016, 18:53

Continued here https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... p?p=424107

Volvolian, you're testing my patience.