I believe the Saab 900GM and Volvo 850 use a very similar Aisin Warner automatic transmission which is made in Japan.

Although the fluid recommendation is regular(dino) ATF Dextron 3 for the Saab, I would like some input on the use of synthetic ATF (Redline, Mobil I, Amsoil).
Have any Volvo 850 owners tried this ??

I have been using Mobil 1 ATF in my 240 (AW70) for 3 years. Original tranny w/243K, no issues.

Tranny is strong and quiet...


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Jim 90 244DL 242K

I did my last flush with Mobil 1. Mileage average increased by 2MPG. What does that tell you about friction reduction???

96 850T 90K miles

My daughter has had AMSOIL ATF in her 850 since shortly after it was bought used.
Still looks good, still going strong after some 5 years now.

Hello, I happen to be an Amsoil Dealer and have been using the products for over 6 years now. If you use the Amsoil ATF fluid you will notice a big difference in your volvo 850. I have an '95 Volvo 850 GLT that I bought with 86K on it and now have 153K less than 3 years later. When I bought the vehicle I switched everything over to the AMSOIL Line and have had great success with it. Amsoil produces a synthetic motor oil specifically for the european vehicles and it is 5W-40 it can be used for 12 months or 25K miles which ever comes first. Along with that I use the Amsoil SDF-42 oil filters. There to be changed around 12,500 miles or every six months. Then I have the 2-stage Air Filter by Amsoil as well. Just with this set up you will notice a big improvement in your vehicles response when you press on the gas. You will also notice that your mileage will improve between fill up. For example the vehicle I have according to Volvo should average about 24 mpg doing city/highway driving. I have been experiencing a little over 29 mpg since doing this.
Now when you add the ATF into the equation you will be reducing your transmission temps anywhere between 20 - 50 degrees. This reduction helps increase your transmission life. Also if your transmission has no mechanical problems currently you could extend your drain interval with the AMSOIL ATF up to 5 times the service life of the conventional ATF's. We meet or exceed in just about all cases the manufacturers specifications on any vehicle. I hope this helps you. If your need further questions answered email me at rpiescik@comcast.net. I'm a stocking Amsoil Dealer and have most products here at my home ready to ship any where in the Country.

Wouldn't switching to synthetic oils after always using DINO potentially cause leaks? I have about 120,000 miles on my 95 850T.
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'95 854T 120,000

Mobil 1 Synthetic ATF is in my 1995 850 turbo as well as many others on on the Volvo forums (determined by reading the postings over the years). My Volvo only indy shoop exclusively recommends Mobil 1 Synthetic ATF.

FWIW- I have been using Mobil 1 products since 1988 in all my family vehicles and have never had any engine ( or transmission) related problems.

Nice thing about Mobil 1- it's available in auto parts stores and Mobil 1 synthetic engine oil is available in 5 gallon containers at your local Walmart.

NateB

Original Owner - 1995 Volvo 850 Turbo

I have been researching quite a bit on this topic on this website. A lot of volvo owners do a flush with mobil 1 and repeat again after 1k miles. So I'd say give that mobil 1 a shot. Type into the search transmission flush and you will get some answers. I did not use syntheic. I used valvoline. Only because I am poor. I just posted a message about my flush so have a look.

Well, that is, in one day, 5 yes to Synthetic and 0 No.

The Saab 900 uses a AW 50-40LE transmission; the 850 Volvo a 50-42, many others also use AW, including the Volvo 960.
It has been my experience that auto-makers in general are very slow to accept new things - this "new" synthetic ATF has been out on the market for ten years, maybe more.

I used a synthetic manual transmission fluid (75-90,GL-4,Mobil I ?) to replace 10-30 engine oil; this worked out great - a "weak" transmission giving very good service beyond 160k miles.