Thanks for the advice SPOOK, the mechanic did not want do flush the tranny then I went to another "independent" volvo mechanic who flusjed the transmission as you recommended and VOILA, the O/D was worj¿king again, the tranny is much smoother and shifts like a breeze............

THANKS A LOT!!! you just saved me 350 USD plus labor

Never heard of an "overhaul kit". Maybe he means a cleaning and new seals?? Too cheap for a complete rebuild.

I'd still have him check the wire from the OD relay to solonoid. Common problem for it to go bad. Mine did...

If he is unwilling to do that, I'd get a second opinion!




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90 244DL 253K - original engine/drivetrain :)

Dear Francisco,

Good p.m. and may this find you well. "Over-hauling" an AW-71 tranny is a huge waste of money. These transmissions are very durable. They usually outlast the cars.

Thus, go to a salvage yard, that keeps Volvos. Try to find a low mileage AW-71 (under 100K). Depending on your region, you may pay more than $250-300, or less.

Inspect the fluid. If the fluid is cloudy, and/or brown, black, orange, etc., pass-up that tranny. You want a used tranny, filled with clear, rose pink fluid. When you find one such, buy it.

Get the tranny flushed with Dexron III/Mercon, and installed. The installer should change the tailshaft seal and bushing. If you car's rear main seal is questionable, get that done too, while the tranny is out of the way. After 500 miles, get the tranny re-flushed (not drained, re-flushed) with Mobil1 Synthetic transmission fluid. M1 ATF may cost $7/quart. It will take about 12 quarts.

The bottom line: you spend about the same $$$, as you would with an "over-haul" but get a tranny that will work for several hundred thousand miles, and a new rear main seal (if it is needed).

Hope this helps.

Yours faithfully,

spook

You’ll here it on the 240, 700 and 900 forums plus the FAQ that the AW 70 series transmissions are a bullet proof as the B230F engine.

There is a single black and white wire going to the solenoid. To that wire at the solenoid, connect a 12V light going to ground. Drive and when the car should go in to OD at 48MPH and if the light don’t go on it is the wiring or the relay.

Dirty governor. Did he check the governor pressure?

If it’s not the governor, the electrics or the solenoid I don’t think 350USD+ labor will fix the OD unless you’re just paying your dues. Get a second opinion.

You may want to look into the A43D. It is a AW-71 replacement that was used in Toyota pick-up trucks. They are considered more heavy duty and almost identical with exception of rear seal and bushing (or something like that.) May also be cheaper to find a rebuilt Toyota tranny than a Volvo one and it's an upgrade. I have never seen this mentioned on this board, but here are a few links that might get your research started:

http://forums.turbobricks.com/showthread.php?t=1450&page=2&pp=25&highlight=a43d

and check out the chart on page six of this .pdf
http://www.transtec.com/rebuilder_news/3rd_q93r-n.pdf

Good luck,

Ryan

p.s. I'm a beginner so really look into it before going on my recomendation. I know my '89 244 that I just bought came with an a43d in it under warranty. I'd be interested to hear what you find or what anyone else knows about this.
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1989 244 Silver Sedan, 1983 245 Blue Waggon