I’ve spent hours looking for what is wrong with my transmission and calling around, just to get mixed answers.
I finally found this forum and hope to get some insights on what is really going on.. since everything I read, everyone I speak to (transmission repair guys) has a different theory.
First a few things about the car…
V60, 2011 model, TF-80SC, D3 engine, 163 hp.
Currently at 240kkm. First small oil change (4 L) was done at 140kkm. I bought it at 200kkm. At first, after buying the car, I have not observed any issues. After around 2000 km, the car started shifting badly and changes between PRND were starting to feel like slight bumps. I called up a Volvo mechanic and was advised to do an oil change. So we did the change, 12 L in total, fill and drain in intervals. The mechanic said that the oil was really dark and smelled like it was pretty burned.
After the change, for about 1000 – 2000 km, the shifts were slightly better and PRND bumps were not so obvious. Then it started again.
I went to another Volvo mechanic that did another drain and fill with around 12 L of oil. We also reset adaptations and upgraded TCM software.
Again, for first 2000 km, the car was feeling A LOT better. Shifts were almost perfect, I almost could not feel PRND bumps. And then it started doing it again…
After about 30kkm, the shifts are still “rough” and PRND bumps are still there.
1-2 shift is the worst. 2-3 shift is also pretty bad. 3-4 shift is occasionally rough but most of the time it’s fine, you can just feel a slight flare of 100 RPMs. 4-5 and 5-6 shifts are fine but you can also feel the slight 100 RPM flare.
When driving off after waiting at an intersection, you can also feel a hard bump when gears engage. This does not happen, if I let the car roll of for about 1 – 2 seconds before pressing the gas pedal. Same happens if I’m driving in 2nd or 3rd gear in a column without the gas pedal pressed. After I accelerate, I also feel a hard bump when gears engage.
What I noticed between 4-5 and 5-6 shifts… when for example I’m driving behind a truck at around 60-70 km/h, I usually have to release the gas pedal and the transmission seems to go into “neutral” after a while, at least it feels that way. When I want to accelerate again, overtake the truck for example, by pressing the gas pedal again, RPMs will jump from 1000 to 2000 quickly and the transmission flares for up to 3 – 5 seconds at 2000 RPM before it locks again into the gear.
1-2 shift feels rough and like it slips, in adaptation mode, the computer could not register a “good enough” shift for it and wouldn’t even light the orange info icon at all.
2-3 shift is a little bit better, but it slightly hesitates. It seems like it locks, then unlocks and then finally locks again within 1-2 seconds. 3-4, 4-5, 5-6 are usually fine but you can feel a slight bump and a 100 RPM flare as described above.
However, when driving between 80 – 100 km/h, you can hear a whistle in 6th gear, and only in 6th gear, at the specified speed.
Also, when shifting from 1-2, you can hear a sound like a turbo whistle for about a second or two, but it isn’t the turbo, the sound is coming from the transmission.
I recorded a video yesterday during control module adaptation, so you guys can see what is going on. Today, I also recorded a few graphs of RPMs and solenoids, if anyone has any idea what is going on from those graphs.
I would really appreciate some help since I’m getting mixed information. Some mechanics say I should only change the valve body… and then there are others that says I have to rebuild the whole transmission for various reasons.
What is it? Is it the valve body, torque converter, bad clutches? Thank you for any insights.
Graphs attached.
Best regards,
Dave