Auto transmission fluid in my 2000 V70 SE...I think they killed my tranny....

Discussion in 'Volvo V70' started by mfreedman, Sep 25, 2005.

  1. mfreedman

    mfreedman Guest

    I have a 2000 V70 SE. It is 2wd, no-turbo. It has the 5 speed auto
    transmission, not the 4 speed in the XC and GLT models.

    I took it in at 70k to have the tranny fluid and filter changed. The
    transmission was working perfectly at the time. The repair place called
    me after changing the fluid and said the transmission was "slipping". I
    told them it was not doing this before. They then called back and said
    that the 5 speed takes a different fluid than the 4 speed and that they
    put the wrong fluid in. They ordered the right one and changed it
    again. Still same issue with the slipping. They sent it over to a
    transmission repair place that now tells me the transmission needs
    rebuilding since 2nd and 3rd gears are shot.

    So my question is, could they have busted my transmission by putting in
    the wrong fluid? I did not even get the car back, so it was only test
    driven when they discovered the problem, no significant miles were put
    on it with the wrong fluid in it.

    I don't know whether to be happy the problem showed up now and that I
    was not left stranded somewhere, or to be mad at the repair place for
    breaking my perfectly good transmission. I have a warranty, but it has
    a deductible and other out of pocket expenses I'll be out.

    Thanks....Miles
     
    mfreedman, Sep 25, 2005
    #1
  2. Miles, as far as I know they should not have changed the fluid. It should be
    fully synthetic ATF. Volvo say never change it, but the club recommendation
    is to flush/change every 100,000 miles. The repair place should have been
    fully aware of this so they have voided your warranty. They should be
    prepared to fully re-imburse you for the damage caused and either it's
    satisfactory repair or replacement.

    All the best, Peter.

    700/900/90 Register Keeper,
    Volvo Owners Club (UK).
     
    Peter K L Milnes, Sep 25, 2005
    #2
  3. mfreedman

    Mike F Guest

    That's what happens when Dexron is used in the 5 speed automatics where
    the Volvo special fluid is called for. Usually a complete flush will
    cure the problem. (16 litres at $16!)

    --
    Mike F.
    Thornhill (near Toronto), Ont.

    Replace tt with t (twice!) and remove parentheses to email me directly.
    (But I check the newsgroup more often than this email address.)
     
    Mike F, Sep 26, 2005
    #3
  4. mfreedman

    mfreedman Guest

    They're telling me it now needs a rebuild even after the complete flush
    and filling it with the right stuff? Seems strange to me since it was
    not drive any distance (only test driven) after the mistake....

    Miles
     
    mfreedman, Sep 26, 2005
    #4
  5. mfreedman

    Reed Guest

    According to a friend who is a Volvo dealer tech, the 2-3 gear
    failure was caused when the folks who did your work mistakenly
    removed the big hex "plug" on top of the trans thinking it was a
    fill plug. It's not. It is called a "locating pin" and holds the
    internal bands in place. Common mistake by non-trained people. He
    says they see maybe 1 every 3-4 months. Newer cars now have a
    non-standard 5-sided shape to prevent easy removal. Only fix is
    rebuild/replace trans. Trans is supposed to be refilled thru
    dipstick tube. Using standard ATF vs Volvo syn fluid usually only
    causes rough shifting, no perm damage.

    --reed
     
    Reed, Sep 27, 2005
    #5
  6. Try it your self ,I remember when I first drove cabs back in the seventies
    the boss sent the tranny to the mechanic every 20000 and he would over
    tighten the bands so much so they overheated and the tranny went .When I
    brought my cabs later on I used to leave oil changes to much much higher
    mileages and had no issues .Naturally I used a different mechanic till I
    decided to do the tranny my self .A rebuild was not needed if the tranny was
    used correctly till about 500000 but just one bad driver and it was hell
    ..The habit of putting the auto in forward gear while rolling back, and
    taking off was the worst as well as reversing out a steep drive while the
    engine and tranny was cold .It snapped cold parts easy .
     
    John Robertson, Oct 2, 2005
    #6
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