Help!!! 960 1997 stopped moving while driving down the road...

"As though it went into neutral!"
It will start and run fine but, will not move... ie: wont move when I
put into D, R, 3 or 2.
Does ANYONE out there know what my problem might be?
Thanks in advance.
K--

 

you might want to check the tranny lingkage.....

 

Hold onto you wallet. It could be a transmission failure. With luck it
will be something simple like the linkage, but probably it is something
worse.

Sorry!
John

 

Hi John,

It is possible that it is the torque converter, not too expensive, but
lotsa labor. It is also possible that it could be a massive seal
failure. My 740 shot a seal once and this is exacly the symptomology.
This of course is accompanied by massive fluid loss. Pretty cheap fix
though. I sure hope that it is something simple.

Good luck,
-E-

 

So... what do either (or both), of you suggest?
What a nightmare this is. I just spent 1300 on a new set of fuel
injectors and, three months earlier, $1200 on a new timing belt.

As I mentioned... My car will start and idle fine, just wont move. I
try all of the gears; nothing.

Where should I go from here? Do you have "a next step" suggestion?
Thanks__
K.

 

First off, it is obscene and beyond the pale that you paid $2500 for
new fuel injectors and a timing belt.

Boy, did you get ripped off!

Do NOT take this car back to the pirates who did the other work for
you.

Try to find an independent volvo repair shop, one that specializes in
Volvos, and give them a call and tell them what you notice.

Were you capable of doing so, I would suggest that you first jack up
the car and look underneath at the movement of the transmission
linkage, to verify whether the linkage into the transmission is moving
freely, of if there is a break outside the transmission (hope for the
latter).

One viable option is to find a mobile mechanic who can come to you:
buy a used transmission at a wrecking yard, and have him replace it,
add new fluids and test it.

Cost should NOT be more than $300 for the transmission, and at most
$450 or so for the labor: IF you don't take it to a shop.

Given your track record of getting hosed by repair shops, they'll just
kill you on a transmission repair.

Seriously, why not spend some time and money learning to understand
and repair your car?

You'll save a bundle, and have fun in the process.

 

Holy crap!!!! Are they gold plated with a lifetime warranty?! Wherever
you went to have that done, never go there again. Even at a Volvo dealer
it should not have cost half that much.

 

Automatic transmissions don't usually fail suddenly like that. Normally
they start slipping and gradually get worse. I would suspect something
simple personally. First thing to check is the fluid level, if it
started leaking badly it could have drained out the fluid in a hurry. No
fluid in the torque converter means no movement.

 

I'm with James - check the fluid level. That is a fairly unusual tranny
failure for a 960, but it will certainly happen if it lost a lot of fluid -
like a loose hose from the radiator to the transmission. refilling it (with
something to stop or at least control the leak) would get it going again in
that case.

I also agree that you are being taken advantage of by the shop. In that
case, it could even be sabotage in the form of a leak created in one of the
lines to bring you back.

Mike

 

Ok guys... (Mr. V, James and Michael), first of all I took my 97 Volvo
to 'the local V Dealership. I have recently moved to FL (from CA) and
truly did ask and search around for a shop that worked on Volvos. I
found one in the town north of me (Bradenton), got an estimate (over
the phone) from them and, the dealer, to replace my timing belt. They
were within 150 bucks of each other. I thought I was going the SAFEST
route by choosing the Dealership. Hmmm.
As far as the Fuel Injectors go, I was blown away. First of all I
couldn't understand how/why ALL needed replacing.
I wont go into those details!

I checked the T oil and actually added a quart. By the way it was
pretty black. It seems full?!?

I am capable and very interested in 'taking an interest' in my car. I
like and, enjoy my 960 very much. I am also VERY MOTIVATED from a
monetary stand point.

Any further interest in my nightmare will be very much appreciated.
Thanks again, guys.
K--

 

The only good next step is to have it towed to a mechanic who is
familiar with Volvos. Another idea would be to have a good transmission
shop that does a lot of work on Toyotas have a look at it. The Aisin
Warner transmissions are very similar to Toyota/Lexus units.

John

 

Sounds like typical Volvo dealer repair prices. Volvo's parts pricing
is through the roof these days and many dealers are charging OVER MSRP
for Volvo parts. The dealer which were purchased by large chains like
Autonation seem to be especially into jacking up parts prices. Then
they charge $100-$150 per "book hour", and it rarely takes an
experienced mechanic all the time the book allows to do common jobs like
a timing belt.

John

 

There's places out there that will exchange your injectors for a set of
rebuilt ones. I don't recall the price but it seems like it was pretty
reasonable. Swapping injectors is easily done with basic tools and a bit
of patience. They're right out there on top.

Black transmission fluid is a very bad sign, it should be bright red.
Take a whiff, if it's black as well as smells burned, the transmission
is probably shot. Careful not to overfill it, the dipstick should have
two different sides, one for cold transmission and one for warm. Check
it with the engine idling.

Pick up a Haynes manual for the car, a 960 is a lot more complex than
the 4 cylinder cars but they're still well made and not too terribly
difficult to work on.

 

What do you think about this idea?
I recieved this from someone on Brickboard.
I am waiting foir a friend to show up with a lift so I can get under
the car.

If it "floats" between positions, I
suspect the linkage has separated from the shifter handle. A pin,
secured with an "E" clip, connects the bottom of the shifter lever
with a transfer bar, that moves a lever, that changes the gear
selected inside the transmission.

If the "E" clip fell off and the pin dropped out, the shifter is no
longer connected to the transmission. You cannot move the car, using
its own power.

This is not a hard fix. You will need:
(a) to jack up the car (put a jack stand under a frame member) and
inspect the shift linkage, which is on the driver's side of the
transmission (USA/Canada models)
(b) if the shifter handle is separated from the linkage, you'll need
to visit a Volvo dealer, to get a replacement pin,"E" clip, and the
bushing, that goes in the hole at the bottom of the shifter
(c) to install these parts.

The bushing can be lubricated with dish-washing liquid, to ease it
into the hole. There's not a lot of room to get the pin into place.
You have to position the pin, so its head is closest to the
transmission case wall. The "E" clip is best held with a needle-nose
pliers.

Hope this helps.

 

try it...you might "get lucky"....