Hello all I have 100,000 miles on my 960 and I have a small leak around the gasket area of the transmission pan. I thought I had seen one post on a gasket kit for this. Can anyone direct me to a source. Secondly I currently don't know what kind of ATF is in my car (recently purchased), can I do a drain and refill and put in Mobil 1 syntetic ATF or will that harm whatever ATF is currently in there? Thanks for your help
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'97 964 -- 97K

i flushed mine when purchased,drain,fill,drive,drain,fill,drive, several times.now i drain and refill at oil change,i get about 2 1/2 qts. of fresh trans fluid every oil change.i use dexron IIE type fluid.works for me,that's what the 94 calls for.
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83 242 DL -129k, 92-965-195k, 94-965-203k, 84-242 GLT-Gone, but not forgotten,83-245GLT-1'st one (the 1'st 3 currently on the road)

I have answered this question at least 5 or 6 times in the last year. I enjoy helping other Volvo owners but at some point this should become part of the permanent archive. Can the power that be please add this information to the FAQ. Thank you
Justin

The only way to repair the leak is to replace the glue with a proper rubber gasket. This transmission was also used on early LS400. NAPA has the trasmission gasket and filter for $30 something bucks. You must ask for a Lexus LS 400 (90-94).They do not have a listing for the 960 since Volvo recomends you never replace the ATF fluid. If you have the pan off, you might as well install the AT filter included in the kit. It is very easy to install. This is what it Looks like. ips-parts.com has the kit of $40.
There is absolutely no problem with mixing synthetic and normal ATF. M1 and Amsoil are both good. Remember to clean the magnets and tran pan of metal shavings. Good luck.
Justin
94 965

It's so nice to have the Brickboard. Thanks for the reply and great pic.

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'97 964 -- 97K

I'll be damned...I've been using the transmission chemical gasket, and purchasing that filter for $80.00 from Volvo. Thanx! Shoulda figured...what is a Lexus...an expensive Toyota; what kind of transmission does a Volvo have...Japanese...

Where does it say that Volvo never services the trans? It's recommended every 20K in my service manuals...

Chris

Both my Volvo factory service manual and the Owner's manual for my 960 say the fluid is "life-time".
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'96 965 with 16' wheels at 114K. Had '85 745 Turbo Diesel for 200K.

Okay, I have several. One is a Volvo green book, entitled "Maintenance Service" from 1986, showing replacement every 20K. One is a Volvo green book "Maintenance Service" book. Another "Maintentance Service" green book, from 1990, indicates a need to view and/or change the fluid every 30K miles. I stick with the happy medium of 20K, assuming that the neither the fluid, nor the transmission have improved enough to change an earlier decision. Current decisions seem to be just to keep Volvo in line with other car manufacturers who promise purchasers a low maintenance vehicle. Lastly, my Green Book for the 960 Automatic Transmission states "Fluid should be replaced in the following cases, one of which is: Fluid gives off a burnt odor and/or shows discoloration, even if no fault code is registered." You and I both know at 20K on the fluid, it's no longer gonna be pretty and red.

While I agree 110% that a 20k flush interval is a great idea.. and cheap insurance against the cost and hassle of replacing the transmission, I would argue that nothing you've said shows that Volvo recommends regular fluid changes.

The first two manuals you've shown were written before the electronic AW tranny was ever used by Volvo... probably before the transmission was designed. I think it's a fairly dangerous thing to do to assume that what holds true for the AW7x will hold true for the 960's AW.

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alex

'89 765T, 173,4xx mi

Well...it's been working thus far...have about 300 some odd 960 customers with over 200K on their trannys...either they and I are lucky...or we've been doing something right. Nice to know that I incorporate some "danger" into my otherwise mundane daily existence. I drive a Volvo wagon, have two driving teenage girls, live in a bucolic setting in an 1890 farm house...and I'm living on the edge...why Alex...I think you've brought a twinkle to my eye!

Seeing that you have so much experience with 960s im going to stick to your advice. To me it makes a lot of sense to spend more money on maintainance than is absolutely necesary in order to avoid having to buy a new car. That means synthetic everything and 20K mile ATF flush. If I do the equation of the ammount of money I spend keeping up this car vs buying to new sub compact (the only new car I can afford) it makes a lot of sense.
Please keep up informed about any 960 repair surprises that might crawl into your garage.
Justin

Actually, at 115K the fluid in my 960 looks pretty good still. I do plan to replace the filter and flush with Mobil 1 real soon "just because".
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'96 965 with 16' wheels at 114K. Had '85 745 Turbo Diesel for 200K.

"Where does it say that Volvo never services the trans? It's recommended every 20K in my service manuals..."

Thats news to me. My service manual says the AFT fluid is for the life time of the car and does not require service. My car is a 94. I guess Volvo realized the stupidity of that statement and changed it.

George Bush told us that there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, and that there was imminent danger for America. Turns out there was neither. The Pope decried those who first discovered dinosaur fossils as the fossils of devils, and his forebear declared that the earth was flat because it was in the Bible. It isn't flat, and they were in fact the bones of prehistoric creatures rather than pagan gods. So just because Volvo says never to change the transmission fluid does not mean that it is either true or wise. I change mine every two years or so using Amsoil. Best of luck.

No gasket kit...it's a chemical gasket...and it almost never really leaks...unless the pan has been off before and someone used the wrong stuff. However, the cooler line o-rings do...

From what I understand, and somebody correct me if I'm wrong, synthetic doesn't mix with non-synthetic well...and if you just purchased the car from a basically normal Volvo owner, it's most likely not synthetic. See if you can find the records and phone the shop that serviced the car.

Why worry about mixing, after fixing the leak perform a flush whereby all the old fluid is removed.
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David Hunter

If the synthetic and dino tranny fluids both meet the same standards (I assume Dexron whatever in this case), shouldn't they be okay when mixed?

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alex

'89 765T, 173,3xx mi

I've been told, by the powers that be (Volvo cars of North America), that synthetic has a different density and therefore doesn't truly mix with the other...they aren't symbiotic...kinda like oil and vinegar as a salad dressing, but they pass the eyeball test...I dunno...

The synthetics and the non-synthetics will mix. There are types of synthetic silicone oils which probably are not to be mixed with petroleum oils, but these silicone oils are not used in automobiles.

If synthetic oils were not miscible with petroleum distillate oils, then one would have to have the engine, tranny or rear axle drained & flushed before they could even use the synthetic.

I believe the synthetic automobile oils have to be miscible in all proportions with regular oils in order to satisfy the API (Amereican Petroleum Institute) specs they list on the back of the container to qualify them for automotive usage.

I drained as much of the original ATF as I could and replaced with Amsoil last summer. The trasmission is still going strong. I'll be doing the same once a year for as long as I own the car.