Volvo RWD 700 Forum

Hello Bricksters !

After 300k miles my beloved 90' 765 is a little sick since last night.
It turns out that crankshaft sensor contacted fly wheel and broken itself off. From the looks of it, I think I will need to pull the tranny out to get it replaced. Do you guys think I can get away by dremmeling bell housing out for the screws to come out? I've never pulled tranny before and have a feeling that something else may go wrong! Ok, it's 110F outside now. Any thoughts?

This exact thing happened to my '94 945 (245k miles) about a year ago. Driving down the freeway I started hearing a "whine". It was engine speed sensitive and would come and go. Tried to diagnose it on the road with no luck. So, I just kept driving. (100 miles to get home) At about 15 miles to get home I heard a bang and the engine quit. Bracket must have been semi-broken and hanging there. Finally the vibrations got the better of it and the sensor dropped into the flywheel with a boom.

I tried everything to reach the bracket, cut it out, reglue it, etc. After about 3 days of messing around with it I just pulled the engine and transmission. It was about 15 hours to get it all out, fixed, and back in. Though, I've done it a few times before on that car so I knew what I was getting into.

On the plus side, when you have the engine/tranny out you can fix all of those annoying seals that you can't reach and have been dripping in your garage. =)

-simon

Simon,

Why did you ended up pulling engine with transmission together? Is it possible to pull just tranny out? I'm getting reddy to do it tomorrow. Parts are in. My local dealer took just a day to get them in out of Cali.

Thank you

Robert

Robert,

I've always been frustrated trying to pull the transmission out from underneath the car. The bellhousing bolts are always a pain to get any torque on right next to the firewall. And, trying to wheel the transmission out from under the car while you are on your back and the car is on jackstands is a real 2 man job. The automatic transmissions are really heavy!

As I have an engine hoist, I've always found my time much less frustrating by pulling out the engine and transmission together. Then I can work on the transmission easily once it is out of the car.

The best analogy I can make is this:
Pulling the transmission out from under a car is like driving through downtown during rush hour. You stop and start a lot and wonder if you are ever going to get there. Pulling the engine+transmission is like taking the long way around town on the freeway. It is 3x the distance but you are always driving and feel like you are making progress. You get to your destination ~ the same time so it becomes a personal choice. I have the tools/equipment to pull out an engine/tranny much easier than pulling out a tranny by itself. There are many more nuts and bolts by pulling out both. On the flip side, you would be amazed at all the leaks or other deteriorating things you will find when the engine is out.

Other people may have much more luck or better tools (lift?) that help them pull an automatic transmission easier than I do. So I think it really is a personal choice.

take care,
simon

Thank you Simon for your response.

Started to pull the tranny out and like you say without proper tools ( jacks, hoists or lifts) it is an impossible job. So after a full day of pain i was ready to pull it apart. I had just one bolt left. And I could not remove one of the bolts holding converter to the plate. I had to abort the job. I opted to "trim" bellhousing near the sensor to remove these 2 bolts. Used a drill and a dremel. It was easy. I was done in 2 hours. I figured that with 300K on the car its usefull lifespan is almoust over and I should be looking at getting ready for replacement vechicle. If it was 100K miles than I would do a complete maintenance and get to these seals and gaskets. But now I won't complain about little drip on the driveway. Thank you for sharing.

Back on the road :)

Robert

Do us a favor and write up your experience for the FAQ, then email it to me.
Steve
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See the 700/900 FAQ at the drop-down menu above right.

Well, the good news is that you fixed the problem! =)

Crazy how it only takes one bolt or nut to really make life impossible!

-simon

3507510 $23.69msrp $0.00 $17.57

BRACKET

From Tasca Volvo
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Bruce Young, '93 940-NA (current), 240s (one V8), 140s, 122s, since '63.

Thank you Bruce. Parts are on order. About $ 100 with a new sensor. Did it happen to you? I wonder why these fail. Brackets are cast metal and not really working parts. They just sit there.....should be forever.

Thanks a lot

Robert

I know of someone who did just that... but with a chisel. Worked fine. Just be careful to keep as much "fallout" away from the torque converter as possible... perhaps using a shop vac.

The bracket itself isn't terribly expensive from Volvo. ($30)

-Ryan
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Athens, Ohio
1987 245 DL 314k, Dog-mobile
1990 245 DL 134k M47, E-codes, GT Sway Bars, GT Braces, Draco Wheels
1991 745 GL 300k, Regina, 23/21mm Turbo Sway Bars

Ryan,

Drill and a dremel worked fine. Tried to pull tranny out but got stuck on one pesky bolt. So I had to abort, and went for a drill. Was done in 2 hours and back on the road today. I only had to trim about half an inch on each side.

Thank you

Thank you Ryan. I wonder why the bracket failed in the first place. Car started making noises like it blew exhaust gasket just before it stopped with a loud clunk. At first i thought connecting rod broke, but i can turn over engine with a starter with out any trouble. Parts are on order with local dealer.

Robert