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Transmission intermittently locks and unlocks S90-V90

Hello folks,

I'm having somewhat of an issue with my transmission. At highway speeds (60mph+) particularly when going downhill or on level road my torque converter locks up (rpm about 2,500 at 65mph), then rpms jump up a bit (2,800 or so) then go back down, and so on. Feels like a bit of a lurch each time, not really terribly pronounced. (So many rubber parts in the drivetrain you can't really feel it.) Doesn't do it a lot and seems fine for the most part when going uphill. Driving around town is also no problem.

Checked the FAQ which gave me two leads to check the TPS and to clean the three electrical connectors on the front driver side of the transmission.

Any other ideas as to how to diagnose the problem, if it goes beyond the simple fixes mentioned above? I have a AW30-40 manual on my shelf which I'm somewhat afraid to delve into (and it refers to using Volvo special scanner for most diagnostics anyway). Any easier to obtain scanners I could use? There are no trouble codes on the car.

Besides other clearly unrelated issues one I could imagine have something to do with the problem is a possible vacuum leak at an undetermined location that prevents my AC system from working (no air from the vents, blower motor works fine).

The car had been sitting for a while while some work was being done on the engine a little bit at a time, so I guess, little electrical issues due to exposure to elements and hot weather are not entirely unexpected. The car has a recent (1 month, 1,200 miles) replaced head gasket, some head work, and the intake has been cleaned on assembly. Just fixed some EVAP related issues due to multiple rubber connecting pieces having cracked, so that sort of thing is also ongoing.

Thanks!

1998 V90 160,320 miles B6304S2 engine AW30-40LE transmission








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    Transmission intermittently locks and unlocks S90-V90

    Interesting problem with a transmission I'm not overly familiar with and we don’t hear about often in this forum. I’ll make a couple of general comments in case they help.

    In the FAQ, the “Abe Crombie” reply to generally erratic AW30-40 shifting problems may be your best lead. Jim is/was a top Volvo Vista Master Mechanic and one of our top contributors here in the early years. His diagnoses were always pure gold so I would say the odds of it being a worn/faulty TPS are high. Short of having a scan tool to better diagnose the issue, I would want to electrically check out the TPS to make sure it’s functioning as expected and not at all having intermittent or irregular resistance throughout its range of travel, possibly even replacing it on spec with a good used one if I remained in doubt.

    Second, it seems yours is not a problem with actual shifting, only a problem with the lockup torque converter kicking in and out when you're at the approximate lockup speed. With the AW7xL trans I’m more familiar with, the lockup function is hydraulically determined and controlled. There is a magic road speed where the trans will seemingly “hunt” in/out of lockup until your speed stays steadily above or below that point. A certain amount of that is normal, even though the behaviour seems unusual. I'm not sure if that's exactly what you're describing. Is your behaviour something that may have been there all along that you didn't really notice until now? I say that because even though gear shifting is electronically controlled in your AW30-40LE, it may be that the lockup torque converter is still completely hydraulic and worn/dirty valving/passageways might then be your issue rather than electrical.

    And last, but by no means least, whenever any of us have unusual trans behaviour, the first thing we should be thinking of is a trans fluid flush. When was that last done? As much as Volvo stopped calling for regular trans fluid changes, many of us still consider 100K-150K miles a good change interval. The longer this has been left and especially if the trans has led a harsh life, or extremely high or extremely low miles, then be sure to thoroughly flush and maybe even repeat the flush a few Kmiles later. You may want to look into the pros and cons of switching to synthetic fluid or possibly even doing a pre-flush with something formulated for loosening trans fluid grunge (not that I at all generally recommend using such agents). There may also be an internal filter that might need cleaning/replacement if the trans is really grungy. Note that flushing should be done through the trans cooler lines until it runs perfectly clear, not simply draining and refilling. Ideally you begin by draining the pan and re-filling to get as much of the grunge out of there as you can initially, but many of us choose to skip the extra effort and mess and do a longer flush instead.
    --
    Dave -still with 940's, prev 740/240/140/120 You'd think I'd have learned by now








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      Transmission intermittently locks and unlocks S90-V90

      So there is agreement in flushing the transmission, should it be necessary- BUT the pan has to be dropped and the internal filter cleaned really well or replaced. This is a must be done step.

      I had my transmission rebuilt about three years past b/c the fluid was like a brown milkshake and even with the filter change it needed rebuiilding. There is a lot more to the story but this is the short version.

      The ecectronic solenoids are dificult to find-(in China, since no dealers were able to get them or have them in "stock")
      also the radiator may have to be changed if the fluid is polluted. The torque converted has to be cleaned out as well.
      Maybe you wont have to do all this- but just FYI.







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