i had a customer today tell me the trans in his 92 was replaced at 140k for the same reason-no 3rd gear. i have a hard to believing both you and he had the same problem. he bought the car at 135, so he has no idea why it died. i'm just not used to seeing aw trans's die at this early age. we have 1 customer with 500k and the boss' 83 has close to 600k on the trans. i honestly do not know the maintanence history on them.

volvo has always said, change the fluid every 20k, and i've always suggested pulling the pan and the filter and get the most out you can. volvo used to but changed to just pull the plug and drain it. trouble is, if the car has been neglected, a fluid change MIGHT mean killing the trans. aw's, up until today's 2 cases, have aways been very tolerant of some neglect or lack of changes. keep in mind, if you change the fluid and the trans dies, it's not the new fluid's fault. the trans needed that varnish and silt in the old fluid to keep engaging. i would just to a drain and fill, usually it's 2.5-3 qts. i would follow it with another in about 10k, unless you lose 3rd before. by the way, when you change the fluid, cross your fingers. good luck, chuck.