Transmission flushing at home: Really easy, really effective

[volvoshad]

I used avlube.com for my ATF change a few months ago, and was very satisfied with their service. The price can't be beat - less than some Dexron III. Mobil 3309 is not available in any of the parts stores in my area, so this was a no-brainer. Remember that you will likely need to use more than a case to achieve really clean ATF, so you may want to order more than a case and split the remainder with a fellow P2 Volvo owner.

Does anyone know if the "Mobil 1 Synthetic" is JWS 3309 compliant? This is widely available in my area, but I avoided because I was not sure that it would be acceptable for the A-W tranny.

[BillAileo]

Mobil does not claim that Mobil 1 Synthetic ATF meets the JWS 3309 specification. http://www.mobil.com/USA-English/Lub...thetic_ATF.asp.
A fluid meeting JWS 3309 has special friction modifiers that are essential to the life of our AW transmissions. Do not use anything in them that does not meet JWS 3309.

Bill

[mrtippy]

Because I could never find any statement on the Mobil website claiming that their Mobil 3309 was a synthetic I have assumed it was not. However, after I noticed that IPD's online listing of Mobil 3309 describes it as a synthetic I asked IPD about the basis for that assertion and they promptly responded with a message stating:

"Yes, the Mobil 3309 ATF is a full Synthetic oil. Mobil is the OEM supplier for Volvo."

I don't understand why Mobil doesn't include this assertion on their web information....

Bill

I think that this might be more speculation than fact, however any large ATF supplier with a JWS 3309 product has probably sent a salesperson to Detroit and or Gothenburg... It is common for OEM's to multi-source or sole source, for that matter. But my money is on Castrol:
http://http://www.volvocars.com/sale...lAdvantage.htm; they've got Volvo's commitment and the product: Transmax J. Which is not sold in the western hemisphere (hmm, why not...?); and apparently not at retail elsewhere.

[volvoshad]

I concur with MrTippy, as nowhere on the bottles of Mobil 3309 in my garage or on their website do they claim that this is a full synthetic. Do you think that they would not market it as a full synthetic if it were? And if Volvo's product is claimed to be synthetic, then it cannot be Mobil 3309, at least not the consumer product that is available.

I noticed something in the August issue of ipd's Minimailer. The "Mobil 3309" that they have pictured is Mobil 1 Synthetic ATF, not the mineral based stuff in the blue bottle that I used for my recent ATF change. This may be the source of some of the confusion. I don't think that these two products are equivalent.

Unless you can provide written information from Mobil, Volvo, Aisin-Warner, etc., I think that it is highly unlikely that Mobil 3309 is synthetic or OEM. That said, I used this a few months ago with great results.

[toma nova]

I just flushed the tranny yesterday: 2002 V70XC with 76,000 miles, first flush (mea culpa).

I made sure the engine and tranny were hot, up onto the ramps, and drained the pan through the drain plug. 3.5 quarts (3.3 liters) of hot brown fluid. Smelled OK, but horrible color. Very small amount of shavings on the drain plug, no noticeable "pieces".

3.5 quarts of Mobil 3309 into the filler tube. About 2 miles around the neighborhood, shifting through all five gears, reverse a couple of times, a few minutes idling in neutral, all to ensure a good mix of old and new fluid.

Repeat drain, fill, and mix: 3.25 quarts (3.1 liters) each of the second and third rounds.

I'm very happy with the results and time / effort / cost required. I'll use the Gibbons method in 25k miles to see if I can force more old out with less mixing.

Fluid ordered from avlube.com. Get a tranny funnel with the flexible tip - I had a long straight one and got a little drippage down the filler tube.

Overall, much easier than dropping a pan, changing a filter, and wearing half the fluid (ala GMC Sierra). I only wish I had done the first change eariler.

Thanks for the tips and encouragement.

Tom

[ArtSmart]

I concur with MrTippy, as nowhere on the bottles of Mobil 3309 in my garage or on their website do they claim that this is a full synthetic.

First of all, I think it is strange how battles rage at different volvo forums about sytethicity of this ATF. I was just reading posts on another forum about this issue and people there got as far as calling each other names. It does seem probable that Castrol TRANSMAX J is an OEM supplier for VOLVO. However, they don't claim that it is a fully synthetic fluid either. Here is a discription of it from CASTROL website:

A premium part synthetic automatic transmission fluid, developed specifically for use in Japanese vehicles.Formulated with synthetic base stocks and innovative additive technology, Castrol Transmax J has outstanding cold flow properties for responsive gear change and high component protection at start up.

[NCVolvoXC]

Toma Nova,
Thanks for the update on the alternate method. This topic hits close to home when I took the 02 to the dealership this last time, the service manager suggested I get a tranny flush. I said sure. Yet when I went in the same day to pick it up, they hadn't flushed it since the flush machine was not working. I asked how that worked, offering a service knowing that it couldn't be provided. BTW, my local dealer is weak on service. They need to take a walk down the street to the Lexus dealership and spend the day learning about service.
Anyhow, I'm a handy guy and this seems to be a simple enough task. Thanks everyone who has lended their expertise and thoughts to this thread.

[ArtSmart]

I know it is kind of a stupid question but where is the transmission drain plug? Is it under the plastic cover (skid plate)? Do I need to take it off to access it?

[volvoshad]

Remove the splash guard. The bolt looks like those in this thread:

http://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/cha...pic.php?t=8767

MadeInJapan's car is an S 70, but the drain plug on my '01 XC looks the same. Good Luck!

[ArtSmart]

Thanks! One more dumb question. Does anybody have a link for a aluminium seal ring? Is it the same that is sold at IPD for oil drain plug?