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With so many seemingly great choices in the world of lubricants, I am curious about what other Brick Boarders are using their AW70 and AW71 transmissions, and why you chose to use it.
Have you used other lubricants in the past? Why did you change? Found a holy grail?
Your thoughts, please.
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Mobil D/M or SuperTech DEXRON III. Flush every 15k via IPD method, 10-12 quarts. Inline magnetic filter changed at flush.
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Amsoil Signature Series Multi-vehicle ATF. It'll put up with the heat, lasts through the life of any vehicle I've had (100kmi+.), and I don't have to carry 3 or 4 different types of tranny fluid for my Volvo, Benz, Ford or GM. (Yes, right now I'm owned by at least one of each. Yikes!) Makes it easy.
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My 240s are used less than 10K miles per year and driven sedately. I use cheap ATF that exceeds the manufacturers specs and flush yearly.
It's the opposite of the approach taken by the synthetic users, but my guess the outcome is about the same given the type use my 240s get. I'm hedging my bet with a spare transmission. What us old guys call the "Belt and suspenders approach".
I've got 47 years of full-service DIY and an Airframe and Powerplant experience on a number of different makes (some that aviate).
I'm a firm believer there is more than one way to achieve a particular result. Others believe differently. As they used to say, "More power to them".
Tatra Mike
San Diego, California
1985 244 "Alfsen" (wife's car - the good one)
1984 245 "Buster" (the kid's car, now sold)
1985 245 "Cosmo" (parts car, sold off for move to WA)
1985 245 "Daisy" (back seat down, full of tools, the work truck)
1985 245 "Earl (CA vehicle 'retirement' program)
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I like that you name your cars. I do too. My '88 245 is named Sherman, and my '91 Saab 900 is named Stanley. I used to have an '86 900 Turbo named Casper, because he was painted white. I swapped him from an auto to 5 spd and made some performance mods. My god, was that car fast.
Off topic....sorry!
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The cheapest Dex-Merc I could find when I did my engine swap. I think it was walmart Peak brand or Chevron.
I intend to switch to synthetic when I get a real job, which will hopefully be soon.
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I use the Amsoil ATF for the extended drain. They may have updated this, but they said it was good for 3 X the recommended interval which works out to 60K miles for my 740.
--
Paul NW Indiana '89 744 Turbo 175K/ '90 745 turbo 145K
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Very expensive (synthetic), but worth it. In a newly acquired car, I run through two cases (24 qts) using the IPD (drain at the radiator connection, 2 qts at a time) technique, which according to my calculations leaves only 3.1% of the old fluid*.
[ * there's a point of diminishing returns because the slope (new fluid flushed to old fluid remaining) is asymptotic -- e.g., it would take another half a case to get the old fluid down to 1%, which wouldn't be worth it unless the original fluid was burned, and then I wouldn't have bought the car anyway.]
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Valvoline Synthetic ATF. It is readily available at Autozone. I drain and refill every 25k or so. I flushed at 100k. Car now has 240k miles.
--
See the 700/900 "FAQ" at the menu bar top screen left side.
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I believe the ATF spec was Dexron IID. I bought a case of Chevron MD-3 at Costco--came out to a little over $2 a quart. I do a drain and fill (or two) once each summer. This Chevron ATF spec is Dexron IIIG. Transmission shifts well. I'm really not trying to be cheap. It's an upgrade from originally spec'ed fluid and inexpensive.
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As the subject line states. I've owned a few 240's (not to mention two 164's before these) over the years, including both a 1983 and a 1984, and my owners manuals for each of these document exactly when the changeover of the ATF specification occurred. Don't mix them up!
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I believe it is dexron for the manual transmissions in 83-84 .... but that's not the topic of this discussion :P
Thanks for the correction.
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Volvo specified Type F as the lube for M45/46. Not Dexron.
Also, in response to Ken, use Type F for the BW55, which I believe may be found in some '84 models. So check that service label, folks.
--
'80 DL 2 door, '89 DL Wagon
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Yes, but the O.P. was asking about AW7_ transmissions, as in "... I am curious about what other Brick Boarders are using their AW70 and AW71 transmissions...."
And in the U.S., the last BW55 was around '80 or '81 (maybe '82), wasn't it? Certainly by '83 they were all AW.
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I may be wrong, Ken, but I believe the BW was in use through at least part of the '84 model year and was replaced by the AW.
Prior to that it was strictly Borg-Warner.
Someone please correct me if this is wrong.
--
'80 DL 2 door, '89 DL Wagon
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It's certainly possible in other countries, but in the U.S. I am doubting it for two reasons.
First, we already had a CAFE policy, and it was expensive for any manufacturer to offer several alternative power trains because of the cost of getting each variation certified.
Second, there would be a significant difference in mileage between the three-speed BW and the 3+overdrive AW -- this was a time of increasing gas prices and even some threats (political) of shortages -- and any astute marketer (or customer) would evaluate the difference in mileage and Volvo would see that they couldn't give away BW's when the AW's were sold alongside them in '83.
Also, I owned the cheapest version of the '83 (DL, with solid front discs among other low variations), and it had an AW. [btw, I also had a '84 DL, but by then even the DL got vented front discs :-) ]
I'm not discounting your belief that BW might have been sold as late as '83, but I think, instead, is that BW's might have been sold in other countries that year, perhaps even in neighboring Canada, and over time some of them might have "wandered" down here where you might have seen one.
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I don't know about any of that. I do know that the U.S. owner's manuals, which you cite as your source of information, indicate Type F for automatic transmissions through 1983 without stating the transmission manufacturer. Logic dictates this would be for the Borg-Warner.
The manual for 1984 is where the overlap occurs. And it specifically states that BW55 and AW71 were both used. And, as we know, the owner is instructed to use Type F in the BW and Dexron in the AW.
My whole point from the outset has been to verify what transmission type one has before adding fluid. Taken at face value your advice might lead someone to add Dexron to the Borg-Warner simply because it is in an '84 model.
--
'80 DL 2 door, '89 DL Wagon
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As I wrote earlier, I had a 1983 240 with a AW70, and also an '84 with an AW70; the '83's owners manual specified Type F; the '84's owners manual specified Dexron.
There wasn't any mention of a BW55 in either owners manual. What more can I say?
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Titled "USA/Canada" on the front cover, and on Page 61:
"Fluid type: BW55: Automatic transmission fluid Type G(FLM)
AW71: Automatic transmission fluid Type Dexron IID"
The next line says "Replace every 22,500 miles".
The Type G(FLM) is also specified for the M46 manual trans.
My 1983 owners manual does not mention the BW or AW transmissions as such, but specifies only ATF Type G(FLM) and calls for 7.4 litres ""with overdrive", and 6.7 litres "without overdrive".
My 1985 owners manual mentions only the AW70/71 trans's and Dexron IID
The "Type G" is apparently an outdated European spec and is equivalent to Type F.
--
Bob: Son's XC70, my 83 240, 89 745 (V8) and S90. Also '77 MGB and some old motorcycles
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I see in the old greenbooks where Type F or Type G is recommended for BW and AW with a note that AW from 1984 and after should use Dexron.
--
'80 DL 2 door, '89 DL Wagon
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Perhaps they had a reason for switching the fluid spec'd to Dexron in '84, and perhaps they issued a Technical Service Bulletin stating the change for '83 models which neither of you know about.
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