Why won't trans shops touch my 2000V70XC

[nortons]

I was hesitant to use Magnefine due to concerns about bypass function. I had no idea how much crap would be filtered out of trans. fluid. The inline spin on filter seemed to make more sense to me for these reasons; 1, It would be much easier to get replacements from local auto parts store. 2, The Pure One has the filtering ability to screen out the smallest size particles of any commercially available oil filter. I did look up specs on filtering capacity for Magnefine at the time, but I forget what they were. I remember that the Pure One was comparable. 3, Cost. the Magnefine was $16, if I remember correctly. The Pure One was $10 and I figured that I might be changing it repeatedly until problem was resolved. 4, I swished a fairly strong magnet in stinky, nasty, black goo that came out of trans. and very, very little stuck to it. There was a lot of metallic looking particles, but most looked like brass or aluminum that are not magnetic. Drove car for around 45 minutes or so without any problems with transmission, no lights on dash, no stored codes.
New problems with ignition lock assy., though. See thread "$200.00 for a key? Are you nuts?" elsewhere on this site.

[nortons]

Added Pure One inline filter to line from trans cooler after drain/fill 3 times with fresh Dexron. Changed first filter after about 50 miles. Filter was noticeably heavy= full of debris? Fluid still pretty dirty, shifts quite hard 1/2 when cold, but after 5 minutes or so run time, smooths out, shifts normally. Got code for shift solenoid "A" blocked mechanically. After filter change, cleared code, has not returned, but still shifts hard when cold.
HOWEVER, fuel economy readout says MPG 10 to low 12s and now getting ABS and TRAC lights coming on and codes for EVAP blocked/no flow. (Sorry, don't have list of codes at hand) Found drain hole by fuel filler plugged with dirt, cleared hole. Removed fuel cap to check condition of gasket= looks AOK, but a shot of silicone and a wipe clean seems to have done the trick. For ABS/Trac light, code said L or R front wheel speed sensor, so removed both front wheels, (some jackass must have put 250ft lbs of torque on wheel nuts! and wheels have been on so long they welded themselves to hubs. This car sat for at least a year before PO got fed up with astronomical repair costs and dumped it off on me! No wonder I got it so cheap!), made sure calipers weren't dragging by moving pistons in and out a couple of times, cleaned everything up, remounted tires and cleared codes. (PO had dealer replace front calipers, pads, rotors just before trans problems, but long period of sitting meant lots of rust). Went out for road test and did "Italian tune-up" as we used to call it when I worked for BMW, by running it it hard and doing a good series of 10 or more 70mph panic stops as hard as possible without lockup. Lights gone, mpg up to 12=14mpg. More work to do!

[maniagokm]

I'm going to go out on a limb and say after reading this thread, that your car had motor oil poured into the tranny. I've seen badly burnt tranny fluid before, but never black (except never changed rear end oil). That said, if your "cheap" buy has been similarly abused all over, you ought to replace all the fluids - 80w90 in the angle gear and Haldex oil in the rear end. Those two are just ticking time bombs if you dont.

Also of note, the 50-42 seems to over heat tranny fluid at regular intervals. So I installed a tranny cooler many miles ago and it has helped. Still flush and refill about every 50k tho...

The idiot who posted the sawdust line ought to be excommunicated from this website.

[nortons]

No, no motor oil in transmission.
UPDATE:
After about 2500 miles
After drain/fill 4 times and installing in line spin on filter =
Trans works OK most of the time but shifts hard when cold on 1/2 shift. Owners manual says DEXRON III fluid, so that is what I'm using. Valvoline HIGH MILEAGE at $17gal, NOT $$$$ Volvo or Toyota synthetic.
On a number of occasions the flashing arrow and "Check Engine" light, (I despise using "secret code" abbreviations!), came on and codes were all PO1618 or various solenoid stuck off codes. All seemed to be related to excess "gunk" in fluid, so after allowing car to sit for a few hours to allow gunk to settle, drain/fill was done with fresh fluid and a new spin on filter cartridge. Each time the filter would be noticeably heavy which I took to mean it was doing it's job to filter out contaminants. INNOVA 3160 OBD scan tool was used to read codes and clear after service. Car would be OK for 100 miles or so. When codes returned they were different each time, all relating to solenoids being stuck, but PO1618, (which I have read here on this site indicates sludge and goo), returned 2-3 times.
Trans has failed and lost all drive after about 30 miles which made for scary and exhausting time for wife and I pushing it off a very busy road . Let sit for 20 minutes or so and it would go into "limp home" mode for 3-4 miles then lose drive. Once home, another drain/fill was done along with a new filter and codes present were cleared.
Each time, fluid was black and dirty, but Lucas "Trans Fix" was used a couple of times which will cause black fluid.
Car is drivable, codes pop up less and less, shifts are improving, but it still is not "right" MPG is terrible= 12.5 to 13 or low 14mpg, city/suburban driving.
I'm thinking that internal clutches are just too far gone. Will try last ditch effort of professional trans flush at reliable trans shop.

[JRL]

Soloniod (s) SHOT
You never read is is "sludge and goo"

[nortons]

I've read a LOT of posts on this site and any other Volvo forums I could find and the PO1618 code has been said a number of times to possibly indicate contamination. This is in line with what is happening with this car=contamination or debris, likely from worn clutches.
Replacing solenoids was on the list of things to try, but Volvo OEM solenoids are expensive at $150+ each. A seller on Ebay offers an aftermarket set of all three for $130 or so. Feedback seems overwhelmingly positive; further research on these solenoids from this supplier shows happy customers. Reading from the ROSTRA site, (yes, I know that their solenoids are for the 5 speed trans, not the 4 speed in my car and won't work for me), they talk of drain holes in the body of their solenoids to allow fluid to flow through preventing build-up in the solenoid body. Sounds like a good idea and solution, to me.
Can the solenoids in my AW50-42LE 4 speed be cleaned and re-used, once removed from trans? If not, replacing mine with the aftermarket solenoids for $130 seems like a good alternative. After a proper flush, that is.
Can anyone offer first hand reports on their personal experience with these aftermarket solenoids?
The car does work OK for short periods, (100 miles, approx.) after drain/fill and filter changes, and is actually improving as miles go by. Mileage is poor, about 12.5-low 14s, city/suburban, likely due to slipping clutches, solenoid/shifting, but often will work very nicely for days on end, so maybe Ill get lucky with avoiding trans replacement/rebuild for now.
I bought this car to fix and "flip", and hopefully make a few bucks to pour into my '83 242 Turbo/5.0 V8 resto project, so I'm trying to fix it without spending too much money. That said, I don't want to sell a POS to some poor sucker, either. If I fix it, I want it to work.

[pdlarson]

Sorry I don't have any comments on the trans, I can be blasted for a useless post that has nothing to do with your problem.

""Check Engine" light, (I despise using "secret code" abbreviations!)"
Nothing secret about that one, CEL/MIL is as well known on automotive forums as LOL or TTYL is to people who text a lot. I have no complaints about spelling it out or about good grammar. As for me, I will NOT be spelling out whatever PVC stands for anytime soon.

I hope you get the trans fixed and have a profitable flip without having to sell a dud to some poor soul who will then hate Volvos. Please report back with how it turns out. Good luck!

[nortons]

See thread "AW50-42LE trans parts source found!"

[BEJinFBK]

See thread "AW50-42LE trans parts source found!"

aka:
http://www.volvoxc.com/forums/showth...s-source-found!

[nortons]

No, I didn't "fix it" as I had thought.
Wife and I nearly got killed pushing it off the road. I have flushed/filled a number of times using the "Gibbons Method" also drain/fill. Each time,fluid was black and stinky, but afterwards, codes cleared, trans would work fine for 100 miles or so. Realized additives are mostly detergents/cleaners and that explains black fluid.
After another flush, all seemed OK, so a drive out to the salvage yard for more Volvo parts, (I'm wearing a groove in the pavement on US12), was in order; 95deg F, A/C blasting and once again, after about 15 miles at 40-55mph, dreaded flashing arrow and Check Engine light comes on. Limp home in short hops at 20mph to not overheat it, scary in rush hour traffic.
Codes have been; P1618, (wire, trans to ECU), PO751, (shift solenoid "A" perf. or stuck off), PO756, (solenoid "B" perf. or stuck off), PO740, (torque conv. solenoid circuit) Notice a pattern?
LOTS of sludge at each flush, but now finally staying sort of red, but I have pulled the plates and insurance and put them back on the Dodge Caravan that this thing was supposed to replace.
Trans shop says $3300 to fix trans, replaced trans in Dodge Caravan last year=$2100. Ahhhh, the joys of Volvo ownership!