Guide: Changing the gearbox oil

[v40alex]

This is a simple job, you will need

2 litres of gearbox oil
A drain pan (washing up bowl)
24mm socket, ratchet and breaker bar
Funnel and about 1 metre of 15mm hose (standard hosepipe)
Jack and axle stands
Optional namby pamby gloves and kneeling mat

Take the car out for a quick run to warm up the oil and allow it to drain more easily. Jack up and axle stand the car, if you love tarmac put a dustsheet or similar underneath to prevent oil spreading about.


This is where we're going in.


Here is the plug at the bottom of the gearbox that you need to remove, you might also need to remove the guard tray if yours isn't broken like mine. It needs a 24mm socket and make sure your drain pan is underneath before the plug comes out!
EDIT: Dancake made a good observation below - make sure you can loosen your filler plug (see further on) before removing the drain plug! Thanks Dan


Remove the plug. Ewww, gunky.


Lower the car back to level to allow the rest of the oil to drain, give it 20 minutes or so (cup of tea time)


Jack the car back up


Retrieve your drain plug and washer (I found my washer in the drain pan), make sure they are in reusable condition


No 1 replace the drain plug, tighten to 35Nm. Don't forget to wipe up the ejected oil.
No 2 is where the fill plug is, on the other side of the gearbox opposite the higher nut in the pic


Remove the fill plug, you need to go right under the centre of the car to reach this. I used a breaker bar to crack both the plugs, going in from underneath is much easier as you don't really have the space to loosen the plug going in from the top.


Lower the car again and get your filling mojo on


Look down here


You'll see the gearbox in front of the power steering rack


Insert hosepipe into the filler hole


Like this (view from underneath the car)


And pour. Add 2 litres of Volvo's finest


Remove your hose and replace the filler plug, there's enough space to tighten this up from the top, again 35Nm.


Job done. Have to say it hasn't made my gearchange any less notchy, but running is definitely a bit quieter. I got just 2 litres out and it was as black as diesel engine oil so glad I did it (at 148K).