V40 Auto Fluid

[bouncingbobby]

Volvo does not reccomend or allow for a Auto gearbox oil change in its service shedule. My car has now done 147,000 miles, surely the oil must be changed at some point?

Has anyone out there changed their oil?

[scotsgent]

A search will bring up plenty of postings on this issue, try 'auto transmission oil change' or similar.

Most enthusiasts do indeed change their oil at 100k or thereabouts.

I changed the atf in my V70 at 100k and will probably continue this regime at 50k intervals.

Do some research in terms of the correct oil for your box, some folks use Amsoil or other premium atf's, but they MUST be compatible with your motor.

You will find plenty of posts on how to do a complete flush and change yourself, its not difficult. The Amsoil stuff is around £10 a liter I think and you might need 10/12 to do a proper flush, this is expensive, but in terms of protecting your box is a worthwhile investment.

If you take it to a garage make sure they actually flush ALL the old stuff out and not just drain from the drain plug and then top up, this will only remove about half the atf in the system and is a pretty useless method, a proper flush and replacement is the only way.

Doing it yourself is the ONLY way to be sure its been done properly. In any event, purchase the oil yourself, the garage could put any old stuff in, your auto-box is very, very sensitive to the correct type and grade, get it wrong and the box is a write-off!

In theory, you can check the quality of your atf by the colour and an absence of a burnt smell, (its cherry red when new, but brown or black with mileage) but in fact judging colours and smells is all a bit subjective. At the mileage your car has done I would say it is definately overdue a flush and change.

Cheers, Terry

[milster]

changed mine and it made the shifting a lot smoother, I ended up with regular castrol dexron III, I got a 10 litre box from ebay for 50 I followed this guide from s40 concepts.

http://s40concepts.net/forum/index.p...t=0#msg_120024

[mharriso]

Like milster i also used the guide on s40concepts, with a few tweaks...

I used castrol Dexron III rated i think it was TQX?? Used 8 litres or x2 tubs, cost 30 quid for the lot.

I also considered amsoil despite the cost, then i get in touch with a few professional transmission specialists, they recommended standard dexron III unless you have a highly tuned car or do a lot of load carrying or live on the side of a mountain.. ie. e extended heavy use, otherwise they sais you wouldn't see any real difference for the premuim.

Following the flud change the car does shift a little more smoothly, bu the biggest difference i noticed was it shifted more readily, as if it was sensing the road conditions more accurately....

All in recommened and takes about an hour.