Transmission Fluid fill

Does anyone know the proper fill point for ATF fluid in the V70XC?  The ATF dipstick is the only obvious place I can see and it is both a real small tube and real hard to get to.  I like to drain the pan and top off the fluid every 20K miles or so, over time this keeps the fluid fresh and you don't need to go in for a total system flush and fill.  Also does anyone know how to disconnect the ATF lines from the radiator?  It looks like you are supposed to just pull straight back on the round plastic connector, but I am afraid to break it.  Mine is a 2001 model.

BTT

[Ron3KL]

Volvo specifies most of its newer automatic transmissions as "non-serviceable items". That why they make the dipstick etc so inaccessible. They don't recommend fluid top ups or flushes.

That's the official line anyway.

When I was having transmission problems in my 850 the dealer did eventually do a flush and refill, even though they weren't supposed to, to see if it would help (it didn't).

[Ron3KL]

Since I wrote the above post this morning I have been reading up the topic over at OzBrick 850 (http://au.geocities.com/ozbrick850) and Volvospeed (http://www.volvospeed.com).

Of particular relevance are these pages:
Ozbrick - 850 ATF Flushing Notes and Index (http://au.geocities.com/ozbrick850/atfflushindex.html)
Volvospeed - 850 S/V/C 70 Transmission Flushing (http://www.volvospeed.com/Repair/Transflush.htm)

I haven't found anything more up to date i.e. 2001 onwards or specific to the XC.

But the bottom line seems to be that Volvo got it wrong about regularly changing the ATF and that's why dealers are now doing it. A lot of 850 owners like myself appeared to have low distance tranny failures. Wish I'd known that before...

That's why I was looking into it - a lot of the car makers advertise 'lifetime' or 'extended service interval' BS on critical items like oil and ATF fluids.  This is marketing crap since they know most new owners don't keep the car anyway after the 2-3 year lease runs out, or they trade it in after 3-4 years.  I think you are crazy not to change the ATF after 30-50 K miles maximum - my plan is to 'top off' with ~2 L of new fluid after draining the pan.  This way you don't have to get raped by the dealer for an outrageous flush and fill price (although Volvo's special ATF for the XC won't be cheap either.)  I think the total ATF system takes 7-8 L of fluid, but if you change part of the fluid on a regular basis it does help a lot.

I also use synthetic motor oil and change every 5K - recommended 7500 miles is a joke with conventional oil if you want 200K out of your engine.  Want to know why Volvo engines last so long?  Compare 7 quarts of oil in a 2.4 L engine vs. Ford/GM who would use 4 qts max.  Plus Volvo has an oil cooler!  I hope Ford keeps their cost efficiency experts away from Sweden.

Meanwhile I wait for my Dodge Durango back from the dealer with a BRAND NEW trans after 44K miles.  (changed the ATF at 35K&#33http://xc70.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif Wonder why Chrysler is advertising their extended warranty - - Hmmm, why advertise it if people don't really need it - - - looks like more Toyotas and Volvos in my new car future.  Haven't gone wrong with them yet.  Oh well - I'll visit the dealer to order the fluid - I'll ask them if there is a better fill point than the dipstick, maybe I'll bargain a flush and fill out of them instead.

I have the same question about the viscous coupling fluid - that stuff must take a beating, and I wonder if it should be replaced before too long.  I think that is a silicon based synthetic fluid, but everything will break down eventually, especially under high shear/friction conditions like the AWD systems dish out.

[Art]

Our XC has just surpassed its 80,000km warranty and we now find ourselves in uncharted territory with our first Volvo. Everything from a mechanical standpoint seems to be in excellent operating condition and have experienced no major problems to date. Looking through the service information records, I noticed that Volvo subcribes the ATF be changed every 52,500 miles/84,000km on vehicles only used for towing. Since our XC is/has not been used in any such situations, what is everyone's opinion on the appropriate change interval for non-towing vehicles, or is there even one? http://xc70.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/confused.gif

As Jeff pointed out, an ATF flush and refill is rather pricey. Dealer quoted me $384.00 CAD and didn't mention anything about the towing issue. Apparently, the geartronic ATF is particularly expensive.

[Raynald]

In the owner's manual, Inspection of transmission fluid is due at 84,000 km . Mine was replaced at 68,000 km (didn't own the car yet at this point http://xc70.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif), only because body valve replacement under warranty. The placement of the AT dipstick (under the car) is probably a clue. I suppose there's no "exact" life span of the fluid (climate, towing or not, driving habits, etc.), thus requiring inspection by a trained eye.
In the past, I've never had any problem with automatic transmission with my Pontiac (98k), Honda (210k) or Toyota (127k), sticking with scheduled maintenance. I hope it'll be the same with my Volvo.

[cschmelz]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Guest @ June 25 2002,09:48)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Does anyone know the proper fill point for ATF fluid in the V70XC? The ATF dipstick is the only obvious place I can see and it is both a real small tube and real hard to get to. I like to drain the pan and top off the fluid every 20K miles or so, over time this keeps the fluid fresh and you don&#39;t need to go in for a total system flush and fill. Also does anyone know how to disconnect the ATF lines from the radiator? It looks like you are supposed to just pull straight back on the round plastic connector, but I am afraid to break it. Mine is a 2001 model.[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
[QUOTE]

Just pull back on that connector-trust me, it is the only one--It does have a little locking device that should be obvious

As far as the fluid, there IS NO PAN to drain, so don&#39;t try to drop any sort of pan you see....There is absolutely no way to change the filtration either...

So what to do? I now drive a V70R with 6spd so I don&#39;t have to deal with this, but my 2002 S60AWD was a different story. At 35k I used the volvospeed.com method-basically you remove the lines going to the transmission cooler (bottom line is the output of the tranny) you attach a rubber hose and put the other end in a large oil container...You then run the car in park and let the transmission fluid pump pump fluid out of the tranny and into the container-every 3 quarts or soI would stop the car (turn off) and then top the tranny back off (through that hard to get to dipstick) repeat...Most recommendations are that you use fill with 125-150% of the total volume (you keep diluting the old stuff with this method, so you need to flush MORE than the full volume to get a good exchange) but you can get a 80% or more fresh fluid mix. Pretty easy method overall

I agree with everyone else, that &#39;lifetime fills&#39; are a bunch of marketing bulls**t-while modern lockup trannies don&#39;t get anywhere near as hot as they used to, the fluid is still contaminated with water, clutch-plate parts, metal wear and the tranny filters don&#39;t really do crap, so I completely agree with 20-30k flush/fills

What to fill with however? Volvo requires their &#036;10 a quart &#39;special&#39; fluid, though it isn&#39;t clear what is so &#39;special&#39; about it--nothing else is recommended, but the previous Asin-Warners used Dextron...I filled my S60 with Amsoil universal synthetic ATF and the car drove as well or better than before, plus it is a very good stable synthetic fluid. I sold the car to my father, but will be doing an interval used oil analysis next time I see them this summer.

I will probably install a Magnetic filter to the ATF cooler line next time I see them as well, available from IPDUSA

http://www.ipdusa.com/Images/categories/FrontWheelDrive/magnefinefilter.jpgIPDUSA (http://www.ipdusa.com/ProductsCat.aspx?CategoryID=386&NodeID=275&RootID=629)

[jmoser]

Thanks for all the feedback, IPD also confirms that the radiator connection is a &#39;quick disconnect,&#39; was told to just squeeze tabs and pull but have not tried it yet.

Can&#39;t believe the Dipstick is really the only fill point, but IPD also confirmed that.

I have a Technical Service Bulletin that goes to great lengths to specify the particular Volvo spec ATF to use in my 2001 XC, so I am a little leery about substituting.

You are right about no trans pan, but I am pretty sure I saw a drain plug in the rear of the trans case. It is mounted horizontal (like the oil drain plug.) It would be a lot easier to drain the &#39;pan&#39; that way. I guess I will check the right size OD of the ATF dipstick tube and go get some tubing to rig up a funnel extension.

I was thinking about the in-line filter also - if I have to cut the hose anyway then all you need are 2 barbed fittings to connect your drain and fill tubes.

Maybe I will try and get some ATF info from Aisan directly - would be great if I could use the same Mobil 1 Dextron 3 synthetic that the rest of the free world seems to find acceptable&#33; http://xc70.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif http://xc70.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif