2006 V70R automatic 6speed transmition 2nd gear jumpy

[psv]

Hello there,

I am a happy owner of an automatic V70R 2006 model which I bought new and have been religiously servicing at the official dealer ever since.
It has 42k miles and is driven carefully, albeit mostly in the city. I have been putting the gearbox to N while waiting at traffic lights or when stuck in standstill traffic.

As of late, the 2nd gear has been giving me trouble:

After the car is driven a bit, especially when in traffic/idling, the automatic shift from 1st to 2nd gear happens with a thud when not accelerating hard.
Also, the shift from 2nd to 3rd gear feels like it is lagging and there is an increase of RPM and as if there is limited engagement.

Furthermore, when decelerating, either just before or as the car comes to a stop, the same thud is felt.

The weird thing is that when the car is driven on the freeway, even for a long time, those symptoms are either not there, or are very mild. It its after driving in the city traffic after a while that they become acute and as you can imagine extremely annoying.

The car has been maintained at the dealer every time and has not been abused or maldriven.

Any suggestions/help/pointers would be very much appreciated.

Best,

P.

[John_C]

Sounds like a gearbox fluid change should be your first step. AFAIK even on the R it's regarded as sealed for life so it will never have been changed, nine years on it's probably a bit tired.

[reesky]

1) Dump and replace the fluid a few times (2-3)
2) Reset shift adaptations (unlikely to have any effect, but worth a go) and update software (may help)
3) Have valve bodies looked at - these cause valves to stick (ultimate cause is old "sealed for life" fluid) and the sort of bump you are describing. This eventually leads to clutch failure etc.

[marcb]

Originally Posted by psv

the automatic shift from 1st to 2nd gear happens with a thud when not accelerating hard.
Also, the shift from 2nd to 3rd gear feels like it is lagging and there is an increase of RPM and as if there is limited engagement..

Is it fairly smooth if you accelerate fairly fast? I find that the gear changes can be hesitant if driving slowly between 1 to 3 or 4 along say a road with speed humps. I presume yours is a Geartronic – I find locking it into 2 or 3 max is a better experience in 20 or 30 mph zones with humps, of which we have many round our way.

But changing the gearbox oil is recommended here.

M.

[oragex]

Although it's surprising for such a low miles car, it could be that the fluid overheated and lost it's properties. Drain it from the box (if you have a drain bolt right at the bottom of the box) or, easier, disconnect the upper trans. cooler line to the radiator and run the engine until it starts to pour bubbles then refill with the same amount; I believe it takes only 3039 type fluid. Repeat this until you remove about 10-12l of used fluid. Not a bad idea to have it also software reset at the Volvo dealer.

Just don't delay. It will cause permanent damage. Keep from putting it in N at stops, that's what caused the older Volvo transmissions to fail.

[psv]

thanks guys.

Can anyone suggest a good specialist that can could fix my V70R ailing transmission please?

Many thanks,

P.

[DSB Cheshire]

These have very good reviews on the forums, and are used by several MB indys...NW based but have UK courier...note I have not had need to use them but worth a call.

http://www.garageswirral.co.uk/

Originally Posted by psv

thanks guys.

Can anyone suggest a good specialist that can could fix my V70R ailing transmission please?

Many thanks,

P.