I did not have time to flush the trans yet because I don't have the o-ring or the clip, but I had an appointment with the dealer for this morning and I kept it. I really can't afford to be without a car.

The service technician (Don) at the dealer says the transmission is going. The service advisor says 14 hours plus materials and the new trans is about $3,000. They don't think the fluid change will help. One of the ST (Levi) said the poor acceleration and performance are sticky valve bodies which is an indication of general wear and stuff floating around in the fluid. I told both tech's (Don and Levi) I last flushed the system about 55k miles back and Don said that explained why the fluid wasn't dark. He said the fluid wasn't too bad and there was only a very slight burning smell, if any. The advisor said it's a bad idea to change the fluid or flush it. I asked him if that was Volvo's story-line or his general experience. He said that was conventional wisdom based on his own experience, not Volvo's position.

I have not flushed the fluid yet and neither thinks it will help. Don says maybe 10% chance and Levi says 2%. I've known Don for about 20 years and Levi for 5. They both agreed I could drive it and baby it for a long time, but the poor acceleration merging on the freeway makes it a safety issue. I looked up used trans at Erie and they are about $975. Don checked all the electrical connections and he saw no codes. He checked the plugs and replaced them because they looked good but a little worn. They had about 25k miles on them. I told him that was okay. They charged $30 for the parts. Total $140, but they spent over two hours on the car and I don't think that was unreasonable.

I'm holding out hope for the flush. Either way I may be looking at a trans in the future.
--
I'm stuck on Volvo and Volvo's stuck on me....