HELP repair of Volvo 740 GLE Automatic Gearbox and Torque Co

[valerneVolvo]

Hello Enthusiasts, First time here but searching for a garage that can repair my 1987 Volvo 740 GLE Automatic transmission and torque converter.
Looking for garage that specialises in 1987 Volvo 740 repair of transmission and torque converter.

Car is located near Dover Kent, and will have to be trailored. Former mechanic and garage is retiring. Thank you. P.S. I don't want to scrap what is a brilliant 740 in very good condition with approx 97,600. Still mot'd till Aug, but no longer drivable

[360beast]

It will be much cheaper to get a used replacement and fit that.

[Forrest]

A general garage would be able to remove the transmission. Typically, they would then either send it off to a specialist for repair or fit a good, reconditioned or second-hand replacement.

I had this done once, not a Volvo, many years ago and the repairs cost a few hundred pounds.

If your 740 has the ZF transmission, which is perceived as fragile due to the fact it is easy to abuse it, then it may be possible to get it replaced with the AW transmission which is generally perceived as fairly tough. Details here.

https://www.volvoclub.org.uk/faq/Tra...sionZF-AW.html

I've deliberately chosen my wording carefully since each transmission has its fans and the only one I've been responsible for destroying personally was an AW71.

Good luck getting it sorted out.

[valerneVolvo]

Hello again, Thank you all for your
advice. I am not sure where in Kent is a
Garage that could commission the work.

I would appreciate finding out some recommended
Garages that would in your opinion do a good job in installing a replacement auto gearbox.
As the car is a 1987 Volvo 740 RHD I'm not sure what whether it is "fragile" or not. Thanks!

[valerneVolvo]

Thank you. Forgive my ignorance, but would the replacement have to come out of an old 740 Petrol Sutomatic 2.3? Thank you. Is rebuilding by garage te expensive option. Thanks.

[Paulk]

There are a few automatic transmission specialists in Kent (according to Google) may be worth getting a quote from them?

I haven't used them personally so can't recommend any I'm afraid.

[john.wigley]

What, exactly, is wrong with your transmission, 'valerneVolvo'? Does the car not drive at all? Is the fluid brownish/black in colour and smell burnt? It should be bright red and 97K is a very low mileage for this to happen. We have had cars go to well over twice that mileage without problems.

Have you tried flushing the gearbox through with fresh fluid first before considering replacement or a rebuild?

Auto gearboxes can be rebuilt, but it is very expensive for a number of reasons. 1. Few people have the necessary skills, knowledge and equipment required to do the job. 2. It is a very heavy and complex bit of kit and the slightest error during reassembly can be disastrous. 3. Then there is the cost of spares, which will only be known once the box is stripped and assessed for wear and/or damage.

As others have said, above, a good, second-hand unit will be by far your cheapest option. It will also stand a better chance of long-term reliability, especially if it is treated to new fluid and the quality maintained.

A 'box known to be in good working order taken from the same model as yours would obviously be favourite, although it may well be possible to use 'boxes taken from other Volvos such as 2 series or 9 series cars. Others with more model knowledge than I will be able to advise.

If you were in the Midlands I could probably help you with a referral, but I'm afraid that I have no knowledge in Kent. Again, someone more local to you may be able to help.

As you say, it does seem a shame to scrap an otherwise sound motor-car, and I wish you well in your efforts to resolve the issue.

A final point to note is that the ATF cooler integral with the radiator can fail internally with catastrophic results arising from cross- contamination of the ATF and coolant. It is rare, but it happened to me. Has this happened to your car perhaps?

Regards, John.

[360beast]

I know someone who might have an AW70 gearbox, I'll ask him.

[TomSaintJames]

Evening all, I have had a similar issue in the past - I have installed a 2.3 940 turbo engine in my 1988 740 hearse and was planning on using an AW71L, however either the box was broken initially (unlikely) or ot was broken on intallation as the engine wouldn't turn more than 90 degrees with it in neitral.
To cut the waffle, I enquired about a gearbox repair and was quoted over £2000, I also looked around for another good used box, there were none available. So I went down the manual conversion route (M90).

The good news for you Valerne volvo is that I have a 60,000 mile AW70 sitting undercover that I need to sell, it was a lovely smooth box and the only negative was an intermittent overdrive which I believe is an easy fix, the solenoid seems to be a very common culprit.

As others have said, any garage should be able to remove and install a transmission, I would enquire locally and see what you find. Let me know if you might be interested in my AW70. As a note these were fitted to most early n/a 2.0 and 2.3 cars, IIRC the ZF was a rarer option, the only ZFs I've seen were in TDs and a late, facelifted 740.

[J liddy]

Originally Posted by Forrest

A general garage would be able to remove the transmission. Typically, they would then either send it off to a specialist for repair or fit a good, reconditioned or second-hand replacement.

I had this done once, not a Volvo, many years ago and the repairs cost a few hundred pounds.

If your 740 has the ZF transmission, which is perceived as fragile due to the fact it is easy to abuse it, then it may be possible to get it replaced with the AW transmission which is generally perceived as fairly tough. Details here.

https://www.volvoclub.org.uk/faq/Tra...sionZF-AW.html

I've deliberately chosen my wording carefully since each transmission has its fans and the only one I've been responsible for destroying personally was an AW71.

Good luck getting it sorted out.

Hi interesting and honest comments from forest. And as another chap said the ZF was common in the diesel autos same as my car .I have just past 304000 miles in my turbo diesel I have not abused my car at all in last 24 years so its served me well