Advice for topping off transmission fluid

coded9 · Post by **coded9** » 09 Dec 2016, 13:00

During an inspection a week or so back i found out from the dealer that my transmission has a slow leak from the pan. Unfortunately it'll be a while before i can do anything about it sine they quoted 1200 to fix and flush it, (and from what kind of gasket i found out my AW has It's too far above my skill level for me to attempt to fix). I found out from checking that i'm a bit low (above the mark though). since i can't exactly go by the "put in what you take out" rule and i'm nervous about putting too much new stuff at once because read about opening a huge can of worms from that (also fluid is black, and mileage is 146K). What kind of strategy should i go about doing to make sure I save it rather than killing it.

Post by **chrism** » 09 Dec 2016, 14:38

"...What kind of strategy should i go about doing to make sure I save it rather than killing it...."

Well, nothing's a sure bet with these transmissions. But if I were in your shoes, I'd drain the sump and measure how much comes out. Then put in that same amount of Mobil 3309 plus about 1/4 qt (because you said it's currently low on the stick). Warm up the car and check the level. Then drive the car a few hundred miles and repeat the process. Do that three or four times. Each time you get ready to dump the sump, first check the level on the dipstick so that you can see how much it's lost and guesstimate how much extra to add beyond what you drain out. Remember it's easier to add a bit if it's low rather than having to drain a bit if it's overfilled.

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Post by **JRL** » 09 Dec 2016, 17:11

Let the engine and tranny fluid get to FULL HOT (means at least 30 minutes of running)
Park it in a perfectly level spot and check the hot level mark on the dipstick.
Add fluid as necessary, just a teenie bit at a time. You always check the level at full hot, that is the only correct reading
Obviously you always check tranny fluid while the engine is running.

EDIT: I did not read the above about the black fluid, do these drain and fills as was stated.

Post by **oragex** » 10 Dec 2016, 13:16

Assuming you have the 5 speed automatic transmission, I don't remember seeing a pan on this transmission. It is also uncommon they leak at seals. Considering the $1200 quote from the dealer, there may be a chance they are trying to make some money on you. I'd get a second advice at a nearby european/volvo independent garage if available. Or maybe you can get a picture from under the car and post it here - (if it's the first time, careful not to go under the car lifted on the spare jack)

Post by **JRL** » 10 Dec 2016, 16:12

If it's the middle seal, yes it's a big job. The tranny has to come out but check all the bolts and tighten them up.
My wife's 5 speed had a small leak there about 40,000 miles ago. They were all torqued up then, cleaned off and it's been dry ever since.

coded9 · Post by **coded9** » 10 Dec 2016, 17:03

My SA said that there is a slow leak coming out of the front pan gasket. I didn't jack up my car yet to have a look, but you can tell something is going on looking under there. the pan is shiny and It's pretty greasy touch-wise, no signs of dripping though. I'll see if I can get a picture in tomorrow. I'm not too knowledgeable on these things but based on VIDA's diagram it doesn't seem to be the middle seal IMO.
At any rate I'm also going to check out an independent I found out a while back, hopefully maybe their quote will be a lot better.

MarcM · Post by **MarcM** » 14 Dec 2016, 12:33

Just checked transmission fluid. Apparently a leak. Odd RPM hunting, etc. Fluid black. Nothing to describe the sinking heart feeling when I saw that. That was cold when fluid was on the stick. Did the usual warm-up and check. Added about 3/4 qt to get it just below hot/full. Called dealership for quote on drain/filter/fill. $265. Well worth my aggravation. Had fears of the $700+ I read about many months ago where they keep running fresh fluid through... gallon after gallon until clear. One more year out of her (174k so far) is all I need.
Rebuilt trans is ~$1000. Another fun-time I'm hoping I won't have to do.

coded9 · Post by **coded9** » 18 Dec 2016, 08:39

I just got my first drain/fill done today. I drained about 2.4 +- 0.1 (spilled a bit draining, same with filling) and I put about 2.5 back in. I'm having a weird issue with the dipstick though. I drove close to 30 min on the highway (probably 50 combined with 15 min trip to store). Not much change from before driving wise. But when I checked afterwards when it should be hot (burnt my hand trying to get that dipstick out ) and I can't seem to get a hot level reading, only cold. But according to cold it's fine. I'm not sure if it means I'm that low on fluid or if there's something that isn't right with checking it. I did cycle through all the gears at 10s intervals beforehand also.

EDIT: According to the dipstick it shows full on cold markings, though it's hot, that's when it was running, I also checked when it wasn't and it's a couple spaces above cold otherwise. I have seen some people say they drained 3.5 quarts out normally, should i add another quart?

Post by **abscate** » 18 Dec 2016, 10:25

It has to be hot and running to check the dipstick. The cold or stopped reading isn't useful.

When the engine runs, it pumps trans oil up,into the torque converter and the fluid level in the sump drops.

coded9 · Post by **coded9** » 18 Dec 2016, 10:41

abscate wrote:It has to be hot and running to check the dipstick. The cold or stopped reading isn't useful.

When the engine runs, it pumps trans oil up,into the torque converter and the fluid level in the sump drops.

I just realized I mis-worded my other reply (and edited it). The hot reading I mentioned of was with the engine running, with the fluid level being between the cold markings.