2014 v60 D5 geartronic flaring

[dhr90]

Couple of times briefly last year, but much more significantly today I’ve had an issue when driving at a constant 70mph where the car would start to gradually lose speed, both on throttle and adaptive cruise control (no vehicle in front). Either gentle or fully depressing the accelerator will cause the engine revs to rise, and the gearbox jumps down to gear 5 or 4, but it struggles to gain any speed, or if it does, it does so very slowly. As if something is slipping or holding it back.
Today on the M4 it happened on and off, it would clear itself then come back every few minutes. A gentle dab of the brakes had no impact. At one point I went off at a junction and was able to accelerate hard down the slip road back on to the motorway, and a few minutes later the fault returned.
No lights appear on the dashboard or messages.
The fault did clear after stopping and switching the car off for 5 minutes and didn’t return for the subsequent 100 miles. I put my hand close to the wheels when I got out and couldn’t feel any heat radiating which makes me feel it is not a brake binding on.
Currently the car is at about 76k miles. Mainly it’s used gently, maybe every 3/4 months I might try to accelerate hard or use sport mode as a bit of an Italian tune up to clear anything out. Not noticing any smoke in my mirrors anyway.

Car is booked in for a service and MOT on Wednesday at a Volvo specialist , but hoping for some ideas prior to that? Is it a sign the “clutch” is on the way out? To my knowledge it’s not had a transmission fluid replacement before I owned it some 4/5 years and 35k miles ago.

[SnineT]

If the clutch is on it's way you'll be able to smell it, it's acrid and like rotten eggs but being an automatic it doesn't have one.

What you describe sounds like the torque converter is on it's way however this normally manifests its self when pulling away which does feel like a slipping clutch.

All isn't lost though, you should get the oil and the filter changed and hope it's low oil that's doing it anyway, older boxes with pan filters tend to block up which then starves the box of the oil hydraulics that it needs.

[Clan]

Originally Posted by dhr90

Couple of times briefly last year, but much more significantly today I’ve had an issue when driving at a constant 70mph where the car would start to gradually lose speed, both on throttle and adaptive cruise control (no vehicle in front). Either gentle or fully depressing the accelerator will cause the engine revs to rise, and the gearbox jumps down to gear 5 or 4, but it struggles to gain any speed, or if it does, it does so very slowly. As if something is slipping or holding it back.
Today on the M4 it happened on and off, it would clear itself then come back every few minutes. A gentle dab of the brakes had no impact. At one point I went off at a junction and was able to accelerate hard down the slip road back on to the motorway, and a few minutes later the fault returned.
No lights appear on the dashboard or messages.
The fault did clear after stopping and switching the car off for 5 minutes and didn’t return for the subsequent 100 miles. I put my hand close to the wheels when I got out and couldn’t feel any heat radiating which makes me feel it is not a brake binding on.
Currently the car is at about 76k miles. Mainly it’s used gently, maybe every 3/4 months I might try to accelerate hard or use sport mode as a bit of an Italian tune up to clear anything out. Not noticing any smoke in my mirrors anyway.

Car is booked in for a service and MOT on Wednesday at a Volvo specialist , but hoping for some ideas prior to that? Is it a sign the “clutch” is on the way out? To my knowledge it’s not had a transmission fluid replacement before I owned it some 4/5 years and 35k miles ago.

That sounds like an engine lack of power issue not a gearbox issue. when did you last change the fuel filter?

[SnineT]

Originally Posted by Clan

That sounds like an engine lack of power issue not a gearbox issue. when did you last change the fuel filter?

Good call.

If it starts cutting out you may have a relay going bad, I had one go on a Cavalier many moons ago and a Vectra shot a MAF which resulted in some mixed performance before it shut the whole car down.

[dhr90]

Had a service and MOT on Wednesday, they read the codes at service and thankfully there was one corresponding to the time of the issue on Sunday. Exhaust gas temperature sensor ECM P054400 and 208464. Something to get fixed in good time.

[darroch]

Do your auto fluid anyway. It is time.

[dhr90]

Originally Posted by darroch

Do your auto fluid anyway. It is time.

I’ll be making some calls about that this week. Thanks.