Are automatic transmissions known to be weak in 96 850s? My mother's car refused to shift up. It happened on the first really cold day of the season. She said it drove fine on the way into work. She had it towed to the local dealer and they said that the transmission went out. They said that they don't rebuild transmissions and that it would cost $3000 to replace. The car has 59K miles on it and was running perfectly the last time I drove it. They had it serviced (60K mile service) about two months ago before taking it to Florida for a week.

Is any of this making sense to anybody? I'm thinking that the car only has 60K miles on it and if the transmission went out, then Volvo should eat the cost. I have a 240 in my driveway with 175K miles on the original transmission. I'm also thinking that it went out not very long after a major check-up at the same dealer. And they don't rebuild transmissions? What's wrong with this picture?!

Turned out to be the mode switch. $145 for parts and labor is all it took. I thought it was super cheap since my parents didn't have to replace the transmission and I didn't have to chase the problem by incorrectly replacing the PNP switch.

Southlake Volvo in Atlanta, Georgia said that there were no fault codes pertaining to the transmission. They also said that the transmission was shifting hard after the flush. The car drove fine when I picked it up and put it on the trailer. I took the car to a second mechanic who verified that there were no fault codes in the computer. I left it overnight and he left it outside in the cold. Sure enough, the problem returned the next morning. When he got back to his shop he checked the computer and, yes, there was a fault code for the mode switch.

I highly recommend Braxton Automotive Group on Howell Mill Road (independent Volvo and BMW repair). I'll let you make your own assumptions about Southlake Volvo, which is owned by Ron Swatty (he has several franchise dealerships in Atlanta).

First off I would have the ATF flushed with a good synthetic. I dont think the dealer flushed at the 60K service....chances are they just drained a bit of ATF from the plug and topped off. Volvo will not pay for a replacement trans after the warranty is out of force. Volvo dealers DO NOT rebuild these AW auto transmitions. They send it out, and install a rebuilt unit......for about $2500.

Just check the PNP switch, and flush it with synthetic ATF.....if that dont work, it looks like a new AT will be needed.

You can get all the info on the PNP switch, and recomended flushing procedure at......http://www.volvospeed.com/maintence.htm

good luck, and let the board know how you make out!
--
Steve F. in Hoboken, NJ

SOUNDS LIKE BS TO ME. COULD BE THE PNP SWITCH. I BELIEVE THAT ON THE 60K MILE SERVICE THAT THE TRANNY FLUID IS CHANGED. DID THEY CHANGE IT? WAS IT PROPERLY REFILLED IF SO?

I WOULD CHECK THE FLUID AND THEN WITH THE CAR TURNED OFF TRY TO CLEAN THE PNP SWITCH BY SHIFTING FROM PARK TO LOW REALLY FAST ABOUT 10-20 TIMES TO CLEAN TEH CONTACTS ON THE PNP SWITCH, THEY TEND TO ACT UP IN COLD WEATHER!

DID THE FLASHING ARROW COME ON ON THE DASH?

GO TAKE THE CAR FOR A TEST DRIVE YOURSELF AND SEE HOW IT ACTS. IT WILL FEEL LIKE IT IS SLIPPING IF IT IS IN WINTER MODE THE TRANNY WILL BE LOCKED IN 3RD GEAR.

TRY CLEANING THE SWITCH AND GET A SECOND OPINION, ALSO THEY SHOULD CHARGE YOU ONLY ABOUT 25OO.OO FOR A TRANNY REPLACEMENT NOT 3K.

DAN

The dealer said that they did flush the transmission, but that it still shifted very hard. Mom said that the car acted like it was stuck in first gear and wouldn't shift up, so it doesn't sound like it's stuck in winter mode. She said there were no flashing lights when the problem occurred. Luckily, they said it would take a week to get the transmission in, so no work has started yet. I'm going to go pick up the car on my trailer. I'll try checking the fluid level and playing with the selector to see what that does. Otherwise, I'm taking it to somebody else for a second opinion. I've known this dealer to be higher than the other two dealers in town in the past, but that price may include some diagnosing time and $150 for a flush (I think that's what my step dad said for the flush).

When you check the fluid level, make sure that it is pink red in color. Otherwise, dealer didn't flush the tranny. I just did mine @ 100k miles with 12 quarts of ATF. It is pink red instead of brownish red on the dipstick. Also move the shifter from P to L and back to P for about 20 times to cleanup the PNP switch.

Ching-Ho Cheng
--
1995 855 NA, Bilstein Shocks, K&N Filter, E-Code Lens

Dude, trany flash is $80. Also, at least in my experiences with a volvo in chicago, they do not flash tranys ever, unless you tell them. I came to them before driving form Chicago to LA and told then then I need my car in like new condition because I will be driving 2k miles on it in 3 days. I payed $2k for a shopping list of stuff. And you know what, I got stock in Colorado. So volvo delars suck, and that is that, I would never ever take my car to them again. And the trany is just the biggest of there fuckups, I have a list of stories I can tell you. Perhaps it is just my bad luck, but I am fixing my car my self now and it stoped braking every 2 months.

Oh yeah, and a new volvo trany, from volvo parts site, is $1500 i think, if not chipper, and to install it is 2 hours of work. So there is no why it is 3k. AAMCO quoted me at 2k with work and all.

Bogdan

Well, if you want to go to AAMCO, be my guest. Personally, I wouldn't trust them with my bicycle.

2 hours for a tranny replacement??? I'd like to see the guy who can take all that out in 2 hours. As Ray said, it's at a minimum an 8 to 9 hour job.

Replacing the transmission is an 8 to 11 hour job (based
on Volvo technical info at alldatadiy.com). I'd first have
the PNP switch looked at. Also, check if the up arrow
is flashing. It may no longer be flashing since the PNP
switch problem can be intermitent (often seen when cold).

When the tranny detects a failure it goes into limp home
mode. This locks it into 3rd gear and it won't shift (it
will also have very poor acceleration).

PNP switch failure is very common; tranny failure is rare.
Posts here have reported dealers wanting to replace the tranny
and when the PNP switch was replaced that fixed it.

PNP switch is 70 to 90 dollars and 2 to 3 hours labor.

Not only they do not rebuild tranys but they also do not flash them, what happened is they most likly never flashed it and it has 60k miles old oil in the trany. Try flashing it and see what happens. And try to get volvo to pay for it, I they do not get some one to rebiuld it. I head the same problem, well steel having :(

Bogdan