At the risk of wearing out my welcome with all the posts--too tempting when I get such helpful responses every time--does anyone know about how often this should be done? Hope I got the M47 right--it's the stick shift in the 88 244. My tranny is a bit jerky from 1st to 2nd and wants to lurch a bit when I take my foot off the gas in 1st (when in a parking lot). Is it OK to have a non-Volvo place do this?

Thanks!

John
88 244DL stick 102K

You may want to read

Paul Grisham at http://www3.bc.sympatico.ca/Volvo_Books/trans2.html

and here on the BB about overfilling

http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/?id=700356

I did change my fluid at around 160K (I stayed with ATF type F, Castrol and did not go synthetic). I did do the overfill, and it seems to have helped somewhat at first. Surely it can't hurt, and it is an easy job which you can do yourself.
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'89 244DL M47 162K miles

Volvo reccomends to not ever replace the tranny fluid in the M47. It is supposedly serviced for life from the factory. Many people have done the tranny fluid and the M47 still failed about 250k-300k miles, which is about when it goes regardless or fluid change.
I did the tranny fluid change at 180k miles to Mobil 1 syn fluid and had an independant shop do it only after I begged the guy to do it, he insisted that it didn't need to be done. I have 265k miles on it now and have been pretty gentle on it over the years. It feel pretty sloppy and the syncros are starting to go. I guess I might have another 50k miles from it if I'm lucky, but that's why I have an M46 OD trans with 65k miles on it sitting in my garage.
I honestly don't think it made any difference.
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'89 245 Sportwagon, '04 V70 2.5T Sportwagon