My wife drives a 1990 740 turbo with ~195,000 miles. She has about a 20 minute commute, most of it on the freeway. Recently her car began "sticking" in 3rd gear after acceleration up to highway speed (70 - 80 mph). This results in her driving at about 3500 - 4000 rpm instead of the ususal 2500 - 3000 rpm. I drove it for a couple days to see what I could see. For me, it seemed to "stick" when it was cold and to shift with no problems when it's hot. Note that it shifts fine through all of the lower gears.

She had a similar problem about a year ago when she developed a major leak in the hose running from the intercooler to the throttle body. At that time she got a check engine light and other problems developed until I replaced the hose.

The first thing I checked was the transmission fluid. It was fine. After some online research I ran a pressure check of the hoses and cannot find any obvious leaks. Next I cleaned the throttle body. That did not help. More reading and I adjusted the downshift cable a little. She is off today, so we will know more later in the week.

Any thoughts or suggetions?

I sure enjoy reading the board. Please note that I do not consider myself a mechanic or a "car guy". I am just trying to keep my wife's car running - but I do respect and enjoy the quality of the Volvo automobile.

Thanks in advance.

Tom