here is how I fixed my clunky 55-50SN

The vast minority · Jul 31st, 2017, 16:38

Boring bit first:
What follows worked for me, If you follow what I did and do it yourself then you do so at your own choice and at your own risk I’m not responsible for you or your car.

Welcome to my gearbox fix. If it helps one person then it was worth writing it. I have a V70 with Asian Warner 55-50SN in a 2001 registered 2002 model year v70 Petrol non turbo 170 BHP. 127,000 miles when I bought it 2 months ago one owner car, (now over 129,00) full main dealer service history until 2014 then nothing at all for 3 years. I bought this car at auction for a hobby to mess about with and tow the caravan with if it was up to it.

I suspected the car had never had a fluid change on auto-box/transmission until I got it. the auto oil stank and was filthy. it looked like engine oil from a diesel it was that bad. Other signs of neglect were blocked PCV and the small problem of the worlds worst oil leak that sprayed onto the exhaust…. These issues had to be fixed before I could solve the clunky box but provided clues in how the car has been maintained in the last few years. Simply put, not at all!

Driving uphill, the box would bump on downshifts, coasting to a junction it would bump when throttle was re-applied. With VIDA I confirmed that this was all 4 to 3 downshift bumping. by placing the TCM in “display mode” I also had a nasty bang into reverse when I got it that was bad enough to make me plan parking so I wouldn’t need to reverse it. This bang never happened cold, the downshift bump didn’t happen from cold either.

A full flush is the only way to treat a box like this In my view, feel free to disagree with me. kill it or cure it, it had to be done as the oil was shockingly bad. Diluting it just with sump dumps and refills would have been a waste of time and money and would have ruined every drop of new oil very quickly as it was so bad. Thus I bought 20 litres and used it all in the well documented gibbons method. Oil was sourced in Darlington from Smith and Allan. 20L drum ATF 3309 £79.66 including VAT supplied from stock, collected in person. That isn’t supposed to be an advert but it is useful info so I included it.

After the flush things were better, the reverse clunk was now intermittent and “gentler” but still there. Sporadic flaring occurred a few times in the first few miles but quickly settled down, the real problem though was still there. The 4 to 3 downshift. I changed lots of things just in case, torque control arm, engine mounts, examined drive shafts/CV’s and so on, but in the end it was obvious the clunk was the change from 4 to 3 still there under load and when changing down on approach to junctions after a spell of coasting or decelleration.

I added Lubeguard red which further smoothed out the reverse clunk but it never went away completely so I did 500 miles with it in and did another full flush of the system with another 20 litres of oil. I now have beautiful cherry red ATF to be proud of.

Still here? great, I now have the cleanest ATF in the county and decided to drive it for the rest of this year to see if continued to improve but all the while I “knew” I would be stripping the valve body out to fix it for good. I even said as much on another thread and I explained that I didn’t think there was any chance of an “adaption” working but would give it a go

But, I tried something else, after the second flush I reset the ATF timer as one should and then, as an afterthought I deleted the old adaption that presumably has for years been building its memory to work with the old crud that passed as oil. Thats all I did, delete the adaption. I didn’t re-adapt, I just de-adapted if you can call it that which I guess takes the box back to its childhood and makes it think it is 2002 all over again.

I didn’t even go for a drive, I had no idea of the significance of what I had just done. Next day, taking it for petrol before towing the caravan on a weekend away it was immediately obvious something had changed dramatically, the box just feels better in every area, it WILL NOT clunk, it won’t flare other than the intended feathering between gears, it isn’t hesitating into reverse , it doesn’t bang, it is just as it would be from new, the transformation is absolute. Previously to avoid up hill clunks I began to drive in 3, if the car can’t go up to 4 it can’t clunk back to 3. Thats all different now. Put it in D and drive it, anywhere, any style. steep hills with caravan, approaching junctions then back on the pedal, same for solo driving, fast or slow, heavy foot or light foot. It is totally fixed and all for deleting the older adaption. When we consider why this might be we should look at what the previous adaption was doing, It was attempting to compensate for wear in the components. Given that the oil is, as far as volvo is concerned a non-service item and therefore a component of the transmission then their own advice of resetting the previous adaption if any component is repaired or replaced might be the clue here!

So, if you have a clunk, consider changing your oil with a full flush, reset the timer and clear the old adaption out. In my case there has been absolutely no need to run a new adaption, it all just works perfectly.

Al

Georgeandkira · Jul 31st, 2017, 17:10

All that goodness for ~£160 in fluid, some LubeGard (red), 2 18mm washers and some reprogramming. nifty

The vast minority · Jul 31st, 2017, 17:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by Georgeandkira

All that goodness for ~£160 in fluid, some LubeGard (red), 2 18mm washers and some reprogramming. nifty

Chuckle, yes, it leaves one feeling rather smug. Ive got a car that ive invested £1468.78P in which includes the purchase price and lots of little fixes and it is like new now. Obviously my time has been free of charge to myself
Car is in fabulous condition and ready for another 100K miles.

Ill try and resist the urge to sell and start the next project as this is such a lovely car now.

Al

v7024 · Jul 31st, 2017, 17:45

mate you got keep her, have you tried the engine braking since doing it..

The vast minority · Jul 31st, 2017, 17:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by v7024

mate you got keep her, have you tried the engine braking since doing it..

Yeah, I'll probably keep, the number plate cost me much more than I've invested in the car although I have had caravan dealers asking if I'll sell it to them.

Ref engine braking, I've put it into 3 from 70mph just to test it and it drops down with the sweetest of actions to provide braking. I also still put it in 3 towing the caravan on downhills and even into L when required as per yesterday on very steep hills. All performs perfectly I'm so pleased to report.
Al

v7024 · Jul 31st, 2017, 18:10

sounds a mint job mate engine braking is kind to car brakes lol...
Thanks
Andy

Georgeandkira · Jul 31st, 2017, 18:36

Now that you're an expert; go to the auction house again and get another. Spruce that one up and sell IT.

I, just this minute, finished replacing the battery in my 11 year old MacBook Pro. It was a hand-me-down from my brother-in-law. As soon as I can figure out how to reset the clock I'm hanging out a shingle.

The vast minority · Jul 31st, 2017, 19:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by Georgeandkira

Now that you're an expert; go to the auction house again and get another. Spruce that one up and sell IT.

I, just this minute, finished replacing the battery in my 11 year old MacBook Pro. It was a hand-me-down from my brother-in-law. As soon as I can figure out how to reset the clock I'm hanging out a shingle.

makes for a good idea right there. Ill have a think on that one. Cheers

Good luck with the MacBook. splendid machine.

luggsey · Jul 31st, 2017, 19:52

IMG_0076.jpg

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lubegard-Pl...ords=Lubeguard

S60D5-185 · Jul 31st, 2017, 20:07

[QUOTE=The vast minority;2303818]
But, I tried something else, after the second flush I reset the ATF timer as one should and then, as an afterthought I deleted the old adaption that presumably has for years been building its memory to work with the old crud that passed as oil. Thats all I did, delete the adaption. I didn’t re-adapt, I just de-adapted if you can call it that which I guess takes the box back to its childhood and makes it think it is 2002 all over again.

So, if you have a clunk, consider changing your oil with a full flush, reset the timer and clear the old adaption out. In my case there has been absolutely no need to run a new adaption, it all just works perfectly.

Al[/QUOTE

That sounds interesting and something I may try on my 2005 XC70

Which control module in Vida/Dice covers the auto box please?

Thanks

Jul 31st, 2017, 16:38	#1
The vast minority Member Last Online: Aug 17th, 2018 16:43 Join Date: May 2017 Location: Thirsk	here is how I fixed my clunky 55-50SN Boring bit first: What follows worked for me, If you follow what I did and do it yourself then you do so at your own choice and at your own risk I’m not responsible for you or your car. Welcome to my gearbox fix. If it helps one person then it was worth writing it. I have a V70 with Asian Warner 55-50SN in a 2001 registered 2002 model year v70 Petrol non turbo 170 BHP. 127,000 miles when I bought it 2 months ago one owner car, (now over 129,00) full main dealer service history until 2014 then nothing at all for 3 years. I bought this car at auction for a hobby to mess about with and tow the caravan with if it was up to it. I suspected the car had never had a fluid change on auto-box/transmission until I got it. the auto oil stank and was filthy. it looked like engine oil from a diesel it was that bad. Other signs of neglect were blocked PCV and the small problem of the worlds worst oil leak that sprayed onto the exhaust…. These issues had to be fixed before I could solve the clunky box but provided clues in how the car has been maintained in the last few years. Simply put, not at all! Driving uphill, the box would bump on downshifts, coasting to a junction it would bump when throttle was re-applied. With VIDA I confirmed that this was all 4 to 3 downshift bumping. by placing the TCM in “display mode” I also had a nasty bang into reverse when I got it that was bad enough to make me plan parking so I wouldn’t need to reverse it. This bang never happened cold, the downshift bump didn’t happen from cold either. A full flush is the only way to treat a box like this In my view, feel free to disagree with me. kill it or cure it, it had to be done as the oil was shockingly bad. Diluting it just with sump dumps and refills would have been a waste of time and money and would have ruined every drop of new oil very quickly as it was so bad. Thus I bought 20 litres and used it all in the well documented gibbons method. Oil was sourced in Darlington from Smith and Allan. 20L drum ATF 3309 £79.66 including VAT supplied from stock, collected in person. That isn’t supposed to be an advert but it is useful info so I included it. After the flush things were better, the reverse clunk was now intermittent and “gentler” but still there. Sporadic flaring occurred a few times in the first few miles but quickly settled down, the real problem though was still there. The 4 to 3 downshift. I changed lots of things just in case, torque control arm, engine mounts, examined drive shafts/CV’s and so on, but in the end it was obvious the clunk was the change from 4 to 3 still there under load and when changing down on approach to junctions after a spell of coasting or decelleration. I added Lubeguard red which further smoothed out the reverse clunk but it never went away completely so I did 500 miles with it in and did another full flush of the system with another 20 litres of oil. I now have beautiful cherry red ATF to be proud of. Still here? great, I now have the cleanest ATF in the county and decided to drive it for the rest of this year to see if continued to improve but all the while I “knew” I would be stripping the valve body out to fix it for good. I even said as much on another thread and I explained that I didn’t think there was any chance of an “adaption” working but would give it a go But, I tried something else, after the second flush I reset the ATF timer as one should and then, as an afterthought I deleted the old adaption that presumably has for years been building its memory to work with the old crud that passed as oil. Thats all I did, delete the adaption. I didn’t re-adapt, I just de-adapted if you can call it that which I guess takes the box back to its childhood and makes it think it is 2002 all over again. I didn’t even go for a drive, I had no idea of the significance of what I had just done. Next day, taking it for petrol before towing the caravan on a weekend away it was immediately obvious something had changed dramatically, the box just feels better in every area, it WILL NOT clunk, it won’t flare other than the intended feathering between gears, it isn’t hesitating into reverse , it doesn’t bang, it is just as it would be from new, the transformation is absolute. Previously to avoid up hill clunks I began to drive in 3, if the car can’t go up to 4 it can’t clunk back to 3. Thats all different now. Put it in D and drive it, anywhere, any style. steep hills with caravan, approaching junctions then back on the pedal, same for solo driving, fast or slow, heavy foot or light foot. It is totally fixed and all for deleting the older adaption. When we consider why this might be we should look at what the previous adaption was doing, It was attempting to compensate for wear in the components. Given that the oil is, as far as volvo is concerned a non-service item and therefore a component of the transmission then their own advice of resetting the previous adaption if any component is repaired or replaced might be the clue here! So, if you have a clunk, consider changing your oil with a full flush, reset the timer and clear the old adaption out. In my case there has been absolutely no need to run a new adaption, it all just works perfectly. Al Last edited by The vast minority; Jul 31st, 2017 at 17:59.

Jul 31st, 2017, 19:52	#9
luggsey The truth is out there... Last Online: Aug 10th, 2021 08:43 Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Barnstaple	Was it this stuff you used? IMG_0076.jpg https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lubegard-Pl...ords=Lubeguard __________________ It's a dogs life! XC70 D5 2006 244K Still chugging! CRV 2.2 2006 216K Reactivated.

Jul 31st, 2017, 20:07	#10
S60D5-185 Me ? Surely Not! Last Online: Apr 5th, 2024 16:23 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: 2007 Volvo XC90 D5 Geartronic. South of Hadrians Wall.	[QUOTE=The vast minority;2303818] But, I tried something else, after the second flush I reset the ATF timer as one should and then, as an afterthought I deleted the old adaption that presumably has for years been building its memory to work with the old crud that passed as oil. Thats all I did, delete the adaption. I didn’t re-adapt, I just de-adapted if you can call it that which I guess takes the box back to its childhood and makes it think it is 2002 all over again. So, if you have a clunk, consider changing your oil with a full flush, reset the timer and clear the old adaption out. In my case there has been absolutely no need to run a new adaption, it all just works perfectly. Al[/QUOTE That sounds interesting and something I may try on my 2005 XC70 Which control module in Vida/Dice covers the auto box please? Thanks __________________ “Do the right thing. It will gratify some people and astonish the rest.” – Mark Twain 😊 2007 Volvo XC90 D5 SE Geartronic

Jul 31st, 2017, 17:10	#2
Georgeandkira Premier Member Last Online: Today 13:03 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Hackensack	All that goodness for ~£160 in fluid, some LubeGard (red), 2 18mm washers and some reprogramming. nifty

Jul 31st, 2017, 17:45	#4
v7024 Volvo nut Last Online: Sep 20th, 2017 19:04 Join Date: Jul 2017 Location: shropshire	mate you got keep her, have you tried the engine braking since doing it..

Jul 31st, 2017, 18:10	#6
v7024 Volvo nut Last Online: Sep 20th, 2017 19:04 Join Date: Jul 2017 Location: shropshire	sounds a mint job mate engine braking is kind to car brakes lol... Thanks Andy

Jul 31st, 2017, 18:36	#7
Georgeandkira Premier Member Last Online: Today 13:03 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Hackensack	Now that you're an expert; go to the auction house again and get another. Spruce that one up and sell IT. I, just this minute, finished replacing the battery in my 11 year old MacBook Pro. It was a hand-me-down from my brother-in-law. As soon as I can figure out how to reset the clock I'm hanging out a shingle.

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