A transmission service gone wrong but corrected by the shop.

Astro14

Astro14

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Let me start by saying, that if you find a good, honest mechanic, you should keep them. But even the best can make a mistake, and how they handle that mistake is essential to my definition of good. So, let’s talk about what happened.

My son’s car is a 2001 Volvo V70 with the Aisin Warner AW55 automatic. I bought the car in 2019 with 70,000 miles on it, and went through it nose to tail. Timing belt, water pump, hoses, radiator, vacuum lines, aftermarket down pipe and exhaust, front and rear brakes, calipers, hoses, complete suspension, including Bilstein struts, shocks, balljoints, tie rods, control arms, strut mounts, spring seats, and some engine work including spark plugs, coils, wiring, injectors (Thanks @Trav ), throttle body rebuild, turbo compression bypass valve, turbo control solenoid, boost hoses, complete PCV system, new camshaft and crankshaft seals, transmission work, including a new GM valve body (with some solenoid and wiring changes to make it work) and external cooler, filter, and thermostat, and then wheels and tires, with an additional set of winter wheels, and a host of other stuff I’ve probably forgotten.

I gave it to him as a college graduation present in 2019. So, let’s just say, I know the car pretty well.

IMG_6130.jpeg


So, a little while back, he texts me thinking he has a power steering fluid leak, because he sees fluid on the ground by the left front wheel. His guess is good, however, that’s right where I mounted the external filter.

image000000.jpeg

image000000.jpeg


See the setup, here:



IMG_7363.jpeg

IMG_7363.jpeg


IMG_7364.jpeg

IMG_7364.jpeg


IMG_7365.jpeg

IMG_7365.jpeg

So, he takes the car to his local shop, and drops it off before leaving on a trip. When he gets back, they’ve found that the leak was the filter itself, which had rusted in the harsh Vermont winters of salt and snow, and they’ve fixed it, new filter, top off fluid.
 
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Here is where disaster strikes - he picks it up after hours, and driving it home, he smells smoke, and then, the transmission stops working - the car coasts to a stop, revving as if in neutral.

He limps it back to the shop, it seems to work in manual mode, and he drops the keys in the overnight box. He calls me, and I tell him that the first thing to check is the fluid level, particularly after that filter was changed, it will have needed some fluid, and on this transmission, 200ml is enough to go from underfilled to overfilled, so, it’s easy to get it wrong.

Next day, the shop calls: third gear is gone. Doesn’t work at all. They have no idea why.

He calls me, explains the whole thing. I start thinking - 3rd is gone? They serviced it…and - lightbulb moment!

On the top of this transmission is a big, 27mm bolt. Looks like a fill plug, but it is actually the B4 Band anchor. Remove the “plug” and you lose 3rd gear. No band. I send my son a couple links, to share with the shop. Here are some of them.


www.swedespeed.com

No 3rd gear fix help

www.swedespeed.com www.swedespeed.com
 
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He stops by the shop in person, the next day. Has a talk, very productive, about my theory:

When they filled it, they loosened that bolt - and since it’s not a fill plug, they spilled some fluid, which got on the exhaust, hence the smoke. And since it’s the B4 band anchor - 3rd gear won’t work.

The shop listens to him, nod, and say, “Yeah, makes sense, we filled it through that plug”. “Send us those links.”

SUCCESS

The shop calls him later that day - “It’s exactly what you said, we were able to capture the band, just like the forum post. We’ve driven it, and it shifts properly. You can pick your car up when you’re ready”

I am genuinely pleased with the shop’s willingness to listen to my son, and address what was an honest mistake on their part. They’re not the first ones to do it, or the Volvo forums would not be discussing how folks have lost third gear on those transmissions, but they were open to my son, to suggestion, and they were willing to correct the mistake.

This is a good shop. Remember my opening remark about an honest mechanic?

I am pleased that my son has found an honest mechanic, and even more pleased that his car went from smoking and with transmission failure to working properly.

So: Duxbury Auto, in Duxbury VT, thanks for resolving this correctly, for being an honest shop. I can see why you’re always booked.

And yeah, when the shop didn’t know what was wrong, why 3rd gear failed, Dad was right, that part is gratifying, as well.

Cheers, all.
 
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LazyDog said:
You got a nice set up on the oil cooler for the trans.
Click to expand...
Thanks, I’ve done that on all the automatic transmission Volvos.

That transmission was known for premature failure in the 2001-2002 model years, due to valve body issues. Clean fluid, at the proper temperature, seemed important. I’ve replaced, or rebuilt, the valve bodies on all 3 cars in that model year range.

I didn’t know it was a problem when I bought the first two, but I knew what I was getting into with this car, and in anticipation of future problems, replaced the valve body with a GM part, and added the thermostat, filter, and cooler set up.

The plumbing path - Transmission > radiator > thermostat (which either bypasses if below 180F, or sends to the cooler if above) > filter > to transmission return. The fluid warms quickly as the car heats up, but then stays right about 180 in operation.

The thermostat element is an important element for any car - but particularly one in Northern Vermont, that will be operated in very cold weather - to maintain proper fluid temperature. At least, that’s my opinion on running cars in cold weather.
 
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That 27mm hex, band anchor bolt sits atop the transmission and just says "FILL HERE" all over it.
So many posts read, "fill through the dipstick tube - DO NOT unscrew the big hex".
Posters claimed unit disassembly was required to reattach it.

A revealing item about these car owners' posts was the number of times people couldn't find the dip stick.
It is small and indeed under stuff.
I posted "X inches rear of the radiator support and Y inches inboard from the front fender seam -then go straight down" and people still didn't get it.

My 2002, bought at 70K from a family (1st owners) who tried dealing with the "double bump" at the dealership, had crystal clear ATF.
Another dealership, Almartin's in S. Burlington, gleefully told me I needed a new transmission. "Why all the dealership hate?", you ask?
I swear the LubeGard red and a reflash cured 90% of the harsh operation.

Remember, Ford, owner at the time, decided to mess with a beautiful transmission by adding the "stop neutral feature" which caused the transmission to slam into gear upon stepping on the gas at green lights. Very stupid idea.
You could never learn when a dealership removed that feature. Thus, you couldn't even guess how much damage was done.

I sold that car @200K mi. and 9 years of daily operation to the very first person who came by....even with the failing high beam indicator.
Great cars.
 
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I’ve had mixed results with Almartin Volvo in S. Burlington. So, when I lived in Vermont, they were my first choice, and a good source of parts. They were great when I lived there, but, for my son, since getting this car in 2019, well, things had changed - Sometimes they were great, but a few times, they really got it wrong - and they got it wrong once on this Volvo, making him eat the cost after their error, and that sent my son searching for a closer, more reliable, shop to service his Volvo.

Snowfire Auto in Waterbury, VT has a good reputation, and is near him. Always booked, and they used to specialize in Volvo and Subaru.

But I am impressed with Duxbury Auto, in Duxbury. Sometimes, the mark of a true professional is how they handle a problem, and they did a great job with that. That distinguishes them from a great majority of shops.

My son works from home most of the time. This car might be 23 years old, but it has only 130,000 miles on it, runs great, has no rust.

It is worth keeping.
 
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If there's one thing which makes me cry it's the ultra cheap S/V/XC-70 cars available in the UK.
The perishable suspension bits wear and ...poof...they're gone.
It seems more people post about suspension wear out and steering rack leaks than diesel woes.
 
I like the Magnefine inline transmission filter. Mainly because when I opened them up there was little in the media section but the online magnet was covered in metallic paste. That tells me that the magnet is the most important part of the filter. The spin on filters don't have the magnet.
 
Astro14, without your intimate knowledge of your sons car, this could have been a nightmare for someone less familiar with Volvos as this shop seems to be. You found the mistake the shop made and they fessed up and admitted what you suspected was the cause. Good on you and the shop. (y)
 
Donald said:
I like the Magnefine inline transmission filter. Mainly because when I opened them up there was little in the media section but the online magnet was covered in metallic paste. That tells me that the magnet is the most important part of the filter. The spin on filters don't have the magnet.
Click to expand...
I agree that the magnet is important. Volvos of this vintage come with a magnetic transmission drain plug, which is why I frequently do a drain and fill on them. As much to clean the debris off the plug as anything else.

I get about 3.5 quarts out of an 8 quart transmission, and even after quite a few miles, the fluid is bright red, so I’m not accomplishing much in the way of a fluid refresh, it’s more about cleaning the plug and keeping an eye on things.
 
gman2304 said:
Astro14, without your intimate knowledge of your sons car, this could have been a nightmare for someone less familiar with Volvos as this shop seems to be. You found the mistake the shop made and they fessed up and admitted what you suspected was the cause. Good on you and the shop. (y)
Click to expand...
I agree, and the consensus on the Volvo forums many years ago is that a lot of Volvo owners paid for unnecessary transmission rebuilds, or got new cars, because of this mistake on the AW55-50. The forum traffic on Volvos of this vintage, equipped with the AW55-50, has really dwindled since I got our first one back in 2007.

Back then, the chassis, and transmission, was still in production, and the oldest car was 6 yeas old. They're dying off now, sadly, because I think that chassis is well executed. The P2 is a reliable, durable, car, but since I have four of them (though technically, my son owns one, and my daughter owns one) there is a possibility that I am biased.
 
Donald said:
I like the Magnefine inline transmission filter. Mainly because when I opened them up there was little in the media section but the online magnet was covered in metallic paste. That tells me that the magnet is the most important part of the filter. The spin on filters don't have the magnet.
Click to expand...
The last time I had a setup like A14 posted - I put the MagnaFilter between the mounting base and an XG16 filter - later on dropping the filter size for a finned aluminum slip over …
 
That is a very nice looking Volvo! It's good the shop listened to your son and the car is back on the road again. It sounds like you know the car quite well and have kept it very well maintained.
 
Astro14 said:
Let me start by saying, that if you find a good, honest mechanic, you should keep them. But even the best can make a mistake, and how they handle that mistake is essential to my definition of good. So, let’s talk about what happened.

My son’s car is a 2001 Volvo V70 with the Aisin Warner AW55 automatic. I bought the car in 2019 with 70,000 miles on it, and went through it nose to tail. Timing belt, water pump, hoses, radiator, vacuum lines, aftermarket down pipe and exhaust, front and rear brakes, calipers, hoses, complete suspension, including Bilstein struts, shocks, balljoints, tie rods, control arms, strut mounts, spring seats, and some engine work including spark plugs, coils, wiring, injectors (Thanks @Trav ), throttle body rebuild, turbo compression bypass valve, turbo control solenoid, boost hoses, complete PCV system, new camshaft and crankshaft seals, transmission work, including a new GM valve body (with some solenoid and wiring changes to make it work) and external cooler, filter, and thermostat, and then wheels and tires, with an additional set of winter wheels, and a host of other stuff I’ve probably forgotten.

I gave it to him as a college graduation present in 2019. So, let’s just say, I know the car pretty well.

View attachment 201699

So, a little while back, he texts me thinking he has a power steering fluid leak, because he sees fluid on the ground by the left front wheel. His guess is good, however, that’s right where I mounted the external filter.

image000000.jpeg

image000000.jpeg


See the setup, here:



IMG_7363.jpeg

IMG_7363.jpeg


IMG_7364.jpeg

IMG_7364.jpeg


IMG_7365.jpeg

IMG_7365.jpeg

So, he takes the car to his local shop, and drops it off before leaving on a trip. When he gets back, they’ve found that the leak was the filter itself, which had rusted in the harsh Vermont winters of salt and snow, and they’ve fixed it, new filter, top off fluid.
Click to expand...
It sounds like you put a ton of money into it in 2019. I assume he appreciated the car but guys that age probably want a sporty car not a station wagon. I did when I was 22.
 
Donald said:
It sounds like you put a ton of money into it in 2019. I assume he appreciated the car but guys that age probably want a sporty car not a station wagon. I did when I was 22.
Click to expand...
Well, while I understand what you’re trying to say, I would suggest that I do know my son, well, and he does like his car very much.

In fact, a few months before he got it, he and I talked about potential cars after graduation, and he wanted one exactly like his sister’s 2002 V70 T5 turbo wagon, extolling the virtues of a wagon for an avid skier and musician. He had been driving that wagon while living and working down here and really liked the 2002 V70 that she ended up getting.

This particular car has upgraded brakes, with cross drilled rotors, a stainless downpipe and cat back, along with an R model manifold and a complete set of Bilsteins.

He has taken some delight in surprising BMWs and other “sporty” cars on the back roads of Vermont, who can’t keep up with the heavily modified turbo wagon, driven by someone who knows the roads.
 
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Had our 2017 Tahoe chime in with trans overheat this summer …
Parked overnight with wrecker in the morning to be on the safe side
(we pay insurance for the wrecker option) - was not familiar with the problem or the shops available - but after an hour on the internet it sounded like the cooler bypass … Picked an 8 bay trans shop …
Talked to them: “you want us to gut the valve that’s a good place to start” - Does it ever leave Texas?”
No - Gone 2 hours later - $200 - and it stayed cool the balance of the summer …
 
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