We've had a 1990 Volvo 240 sedan with M47 in the family since 2012. My kids learned how to drive stick on this car and it is now my daughter's daily driver. Now with over 300k on it, the M47 transmission is done. Very loud howling noise when in 5th car. She is avoiding 5th gear now.

I'm not sure what path to take on this. It seems that M47 transmissions are nearly impossible to find and when found may be just as worn. They were rare to begin with and now with age and lots of consumption by manual swaps, the parts supply is long depleted.

I know there is a path of replacing the M47 with a T5. I don't have time to do this myself and I doubt that my local shop would be keen on it. Plus, it's not clear the the required adapters are readily available.

I suppose that swapping to an AW71 would be an option, but labor might still be prohibitive.

Finding a good used M47 would seem like the best path. Does anyone know where to find one or have any better ideas on how to keep this car rolling. My daughter is pretty attached to the car and would rather keep it than drive something newer. I previously offered to trade her for an S80 V8 and she said no way!!!

The road continues. The transmission is swapped with a used M47. It rolls quiet and smooth again. Everyone is happy.

Hi,

Well that nice to hear that the car has a continuing life.

Where did you locate a good one and how much are they going for nowadays?

Was the in Atlanta place the place you checked or did a mechanic locate one for you

What is the plan for the old one or did you have to give it up for a core?

I ask as I’m thinking about looking into one of the two I have with bearing noises.
Depending on what I find I may double down and apply some changes to both.
I want to see if I can find out which one or more bearings, are the trouble makers.

There appears to be a thread of commonality in here.
It’s more than just the oil levels not being high enough, even though, maintenance or getting the right lubrication can always be a prime suspect.

Especially since there was a first and then second model, so close together.
Rearranging the shifting forks lengths does move the loading thing around quite a bit, plus a possible countershaft bearing design change was another?
A Compromise in using certain angular contact bearings and type of rolling elements from standard catalogs was probably a hot topic on the drafting board.
The various engineering groups, in the transmissions fields, needed to have more meetings.
The 240 manual series had a good run but something skated about, in their decision communications, far from the end. IMHO

The countershaft appears the same in the M46 iron box and over to the M47 aluminum box and yet the bearings changed at nearly the same time. Production changes can seem continuous with notations to follow or catch up, always!
Aluminum versus cast iron presents a wider variation of expansion rate dynamics, in my opinion.
The same or different bearing and it’s preload specifications cannot or stay entirely the same.

I picked up on a post where the two piece main shaft was separated and dropped out its retainer rings.
This was on an M46 J- type overdrive disassembly.
There’s like three and the post said that can get loose?
That got me thinking of different retaining rings and made by the SMALLEY company. They might help here.
These rings spin in differently and are like flat coils made of various materials.
Whoops,
I got to be careful, as I might be thinking ahead of the horse or even the carriage.
I imagine before thinking gets started.
I’m really trying to talk out my hat, that’s probably on too tight. (:-)
I’m no gear box expert, even though, I have machined some really large ones with their blueprinted challenges to go with them.

I have notice that the newer FWD Volvos already have lots of rebuilders with supplies!
Do they NOT last as long?
A lot of trick stuff used in most all cars today.
They have lots of large aluminum parts.
I suspect the industry has had wide the learning CURVE and it’s still curving.
Back with the M47s, that could have been one sharp CORNER.

I have never heard about one of these gear cases cracking with a four cylinder engine, turbo or not.
What breaks inside these exactly?
Noise from wear and abusive shifts, I get that, it comes with some territories.
Too much horsepower, well now, that’ll be all about not enough gear tooth and gear width.
I drive my vehicles in a way that they were designed for to begin with and if that didn’t work I don’t buy another for sure.
The 240s apparently matched up well with a lot of “mid range” consumers for many years with good resales.

Maybe I’m not in the right circles?
In fact I don’t have a circle, just this spot! (:-)
Anyway, I like this topic because of a high interest.
So if anyone starts another thread, I’ll be watching. 👀👀👀

Phil

Hey Phil,
If you’re still looking for a M-47, I might be able to help. But, you would have to take the parts car it’s in. I lost 2nd and OD in my AW-70 and was going to swap it, but Parkinson’s had other ideas.
Howard

Hi,

Sorry but I’m not looking for another M 47 or a parts car. I have six cars and have done my share of stashing parts from Pick a Part yard.
I try to keep all my vehicles out of the weather and with spare stuff I have collected I now have myself crowed up more than I should have.
Four Doors, off color from cars I have and some reasonably good seats take up lots shelving room.
I took what is could get along the way too.
I didn’t realize that the cars wear so well or I might not out last them either.
Being invincible, is a trait that finds “everything” to be rather nonexistent.

I have two cars with M 47s plus one extra on a bench.
I hope to disassemble one this summer to replace, what seems to me, a noisy bearing or two.
What ever I find I will be looking for enough to fix two transmissions out of those three.

As I remember, you live somewhere in Texas and how, you said a few years ago, these vehicles were drying up.
Thanks for thinking of me and I will do the same for you.
My wife replied to me telling about your offer that we have a relative in Denton Texas, we could go visit and consider the car.
But I said, like where would I park it and the distance isn’t that workable. A young man, I used to be!
She one of my reasons, I have too much, as she loves excuses to go.

I’m also sorry to hear about Parkinson’s interfering with a conversion.
I rather wish you had my kind parking problems, stated above, instead.
I hope it’s a very recent diagnosis as that stuff progresses very slowly, from what I know?

Michael J. Fox has had it for many, many years and still acted in some television series while helping with fundraising and building a research foundation.
I’m sure there’s lots of avenues or forums for you to pursue and help you with this as well.
From the way communications have increased our knowledge bases, in an exponential manner, you will get his similar results at least.

Best wishes and keep in touch on here as Volvos cars, find other Volvo owners, in various parking lots, all the time!
(:) A remedy could be closer than you think.

Phil

Nice going! Best of luck. - Dave

You can try calling/emailing these guys in Atlanta and asking about an M47 ...you may get lucky.

http://www.voluparts.com/


Meanwhile:

You can try this to get a few more miles out of it.

Drain the trans fluid into a clean pan...a light colored cat litter pan will work just fine.

examine the magnet on the drain plug and on the filler plug.
examine the fluid --- sliver/steel shards on the magnets and in the fluid = gears.
Brass finer particles in the fluid---shimmery = syncros.

this will give you an idea of the damage done.

Refill with a Sythetic Manual Trans fluid. Redline MTL is one choice---2 qts + some.

Your your daughter can probably drive it for a while avoiding 5th gear, which is at the back end of the tranny and dosen't come into play. 4th gear is 'direct drive' aka 1 to 1 ratio. 5th is the Overdrive.

Another double step is to refill it with cheap ATF--Type F and drive it, drain again after a 100m or so into that cat litter pan and see what's floating around.

Then if the fluid and the magnets are not too contaminated. Refill with Redline MTL and drive it until you work out a replacement solution.

Just keep it out of 5th.
______________________________________________-
For the Volvo Green Book:
go to this Website
https://ozvolvo.org/archive/

in the search bar type --- M47
download
TP30941-1

Note on page 3 the different locations of the 5th gear M47 v M47II...M47II fitted after 1986. The 5th gear is not on the Main shaft.


( I was someone claiming to be CB for some time, finally gave up on trying to re-register under my original handle----so went with CeeBee1)

Thanks. The shop said that the fluid was at a good level and nice and clean. I think she'll be able to get through the semester by avoiding 5th gear. In the meantime I'll search out M47 options.

Voluparts was the first place I tried...nothing available there unfortunately.

Did you overfill your M47?
Dan

Yeah. Did the slight overfill by filling with the car at an angle. Who knows what was done for the prior 240k though.

There really isn't a cheap way out of your dilemma. The AW70/71 auto is easy enough to find but best to find a parts car that has all the needed parts--flex plate, torque converter, driveshaft, shift linkage, etc. Same for finding an M46 equipped parts car. Best course of action to keep your car would be to have the M47 overhauled - not cheap, I understand, but between the time finding a replacement (original or otherwise) and the related costs, staying original may be the best choice. Says the guy driving a '93 245 with an Oldsmobile aluminum V8 and Camaro T5. -- Dave

Thanks Dave. I figure out a way to keep this car rolling one way or another. I have a month or so before my daughter is back in town with the car. Hopefully a decent M47 can be found.