I know that Volvo now doesn't recommend dropping the transmission oil pan as a routine maintenance item, but I think on a car that hasn't had routine flushes, it's still a good idea. I did the full flush routine a few months ago without even draining the pan, and the fluid got somewhat dirty again rather fast, so I decided to drop the pan.

My first issue was getting the dipstick tube nut loose. I had to use my floor jack to lever the wrench in order to get enough torque. After it was "loose", I still had to strike the wrench with a sledge hammer to back it out! What can possibly make this so tight? There's no corrosion, etc. I saw afterwards in a posting that anti-seize is recommended on this nut (too late now, but I'll not likely ever have this off again).

My second surprise was when I loosened the small bolts holding the screen in place. Once the assembly came loose, another litre or two of oil came out! Not a big deal if you're expecting it, but in my case, it was all over the garage floor. This wasn't mentioned in any of the postings I've seen; is it normal?

The pan did indeed have a lot of sediment in it, and the magnet was missing. I just found another small magnet as a replacement. With the filler tube nut so tight, I started it back in before tightening the pan bolts. It's hard to judge if something this tight is misthreaded, and I wanted to be sure it wasn't before I reefed on it.

Hope this helps other novices who are thinking of doing the same.