posted by
someone claiming to be ike
on
Sat Jan 24 09:11 CST 2004 [ RELATED]
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I have an M45 and M46 that are fine (130k and 260k miles); I'm not the original owner, but the trannies seem to function ok. I'm wondering when trannies should be rebuilt, eg at 300k miles. I ran the numbers and found that parts would cost me $260 or so (bearings, synchro rings, gaskets, and seals). I plan to do it myself, with the help of a class I'm taking. Any thoughts on preventative maintenance?
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The concept of "preventative maintenance" simply does not apply to tranny rebuilds. Irv Gordon, the guy who holds the world record high mileage (over 2 million miles) with a Volvo, amazingly is still on his ORIGINAL transmission (and his engine has only been rebuilt once). So by all means, do not rebuild your Volvo transmission as "preventative maintenance." The only preventative maintenance that needs to be done are the regular fluid changes, preferrably with a good quality synthetic product. The only time you should rebuild your transmissions are when they become so worn that you can't get them in gear, or they won't stay in gear.
Unless you think you have more expertise than the Volvo factory, you could very well end up with a weaker transmission than you started out with. If you want to do it for the learning experience, by all means do it. But it would be a little silly to do it for reasons of preventative maintenance.
Or better yet, I would suggest getting a 5-speed from the junkyard for $50 and use it as your learning experience, and have it as a spare in case one of your other trannies goes out on you.
http://www.canadiandriver.com/news/020312-5.htm
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I switch to a synthetic Mobil 1 auto trans fluid im my manual trans M-46 and it works perfectly even at -30C. Properly driven and cared for the trans will go for a long time without a problem. The advise I would give is "If it ain't broke don't fix it". Change the oil as specified and enjoy the car.
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Dave Kenney 1983 240 286000km
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Hey Dave,
Quick question?
How much of a difference did you feel after using Mobil 1 Synthetic ATF in your M46?
The reasin I ask it that after I did my BW55-M46 swap the M46 works great but sometimes I find it a bit hard to shift. I re-filled the M46 with just regular AT Type F and was wondering if I should give Synthetics a shot. Does the Mobil Synthetic ATF come in Type F or did you use another type of fluid. Thanks for your time.
Sincerely,
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Julio Meza 1979 264GL B27F 122K Features Added: BW55 To M46, Central Locking System, 25mm IPD Front Sway Bar, 81+ Dash W/ Oil & Ambient Temp Gauges In C, Oil Pressure, Volts Next Project: +Cruise Control
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Julio, Now that someone mentioned it I used Redline Type F ATF because it was a type F oil, I used synthetic because in severe cold the synthetic allowed the trans to shift easier, which it does, as well as perhaps prolong the life of the trans. I noticed also after I made the shift (no pun intended) to synthetic that the O/D shifts more smoothly also. I would recommend the change to Redline or Amsoil.
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Dave Kenney 1983 240 286000km
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If you're looking for synthetic Type-F transmission fluid, I believe that there are 3 options before you. Both AMSOIL and RedLine make synthetic fluids that are directly compatible with Type-F fluid (and have given many people very positive results and smoother shifting), and Volvo also has Synthetic Type F fluid available when you order it using the part number 1161324. If you should forget this part number, it's in the back of your owners manual under the specifications section.
For more information on the use of synthetic fluids in an M45/M46/M47, read the following article:
http://www3.bc.sympatico.ca/Volvo_Books/trans2.html
If you're looking to maximize the preventative maintenance that you can do on your manual transmission, read the following: http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/index.htm?id=738246 but I may have accidentally mentioned the wrong overdrive in the post. I'm pretty sure that he has a "P" type overdrive, but the parts should be the same when changing the filters.
God bless,
Fitz Fitzgerald.
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'87 Blue 245, NA 231K
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Thanks for the links. Made for some great reading. I'm going to be replacing the OD Rear Seal next time I go in for the clutch (which should be fairly soon) so will make sure to get the "FINE" particle filter cleaned out or replaced. I did clean the OD pan and strainer before my BW55-M46 swap. I will get some Synthetic ATF F Fluid in preperation for the transmission work in the future. Thanks again for your time.
Sincerely,
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Julio Meza 1979 264GL B27F 122K Features Added: BW55 To M46, Central Locking System, 25mm IPD Front Sway Bar, 81+ Dash W/ Oil & Ambient Temp Gauges In C, Oil Pressure, Volts Next Project: +Cruise Control
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Aside from the single 744 TI I had, I've never seen a Volvo M/T (45/46) that needed it. Usually the OWC in the OD goes, and you get no "R", but that's in the OD, not the "box".
The M47 suffers from poor lube to the rear cluster, but a slight overfill and synth fluid will forstall that failure indefinately.
Basically, never.
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JohnG 1989 245 MT @216,500
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