several years ago, when I first got my '89 240, I flushed the tranny using
the procedure below. I believe I found it thru this newsgroup. The only
thing I did differently was to use one quart of synthetic fluid at the end.
Car has shifted perfectly ever since... I've got 230,000 miles on it.
m9876c at yahoo dot com
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The transmission could be flushed/refilled by you at home using new, clean
transmission fluid, meeting DEXRON III G specifications. (Total volume needs
to be at least16 liters) Check your owners manual to make sure of the type
of fluid you should be using.
Remove the battery and battery shelf. Remove the return hose on the control
system (valve body). Install a plastic plug in the connection on the cover
(valve body) and a transparent plastic hose on the oil return hose
connection. Position a container for the oil with markings for the volume
under the hose. Temporarily reinstall the battery shelf and the battery.
Apply the parking brake, gear selector in park, start the engine and allow
the engine to idle. Switch the engine off when 2 quarts of oil have been
pumped out or when air bubbles become visible in the hose. Top up with 2
quarts of oil. repeat this procedure 7 times. Check the color of the oil,
when the color of the oil is clear red (as new oil), switch off the engine
and connect the return hose to the control system (valve body) cover. Check
and adjust the oil level.
The above procedure is the official Volvo procedure for flushing the
transmission. It is a bit simpler to disconnect the top connector at the
radiator, you can do this just know that you will not be flushing the cooler
when you do this. Transmission Fluid should last forever, but driving
conditions and time have shown that things don't always turn out in real
life like they do on paper. The newer transmissions with lock up in the
lower gears as well as some transmissions even go into neutral at a stop
should make the fluid last longer, keep your eye on the fluid condition and
change it when needed. (your mileage may vary)
Transmission Line Removal
To remove the transmission line pry open in the direction of the yellow
arrows to open the clip, and then pull in the direction of the blue arrow.
This is the top connector and it is the one we disconnect at the shop. The
top hose is the fluid coming from the transmission, the connection down at
the bottom (Green arrow) is the fluid returning to the transmission after
passing through the radiator for cooling.
