New to my 960 - immediate gearbox issues

[CB11ACD]

After buying the car sight unseen from Facebook (I know, great start) I arranged transportation of the car from the south coast to the midlands. To say it took some time is an understatement, it arrived at 1am, ONE A M! It arrived, parked it on the drive and I went in to sleep.

This morning I thought I would take a look around at what I bought, go get some fuel, a phone holder (so I can satnav my way to the vaccination clinic) and drive it back before setting off.

It drives quite nicely, very comfortable, slight squeeking from the rear suspension but nothing to worry about. The car shifts nicely through all of the gears and is overall quite a nice comfy place to be. A few issues I noticed quickly. The exhaust is blowing (but I knew that) and the steering felt like there was a bit of play but not enough to be of any concern. The sunroof has been sealed with tape and the electrics can cut out if you turn the key too far (the seller left me a note about that). For the price paid it is about what I was expecting.

I made it all the way to Morrisons (where I got out and took some pictures).

https://imgur.com/LUEB1Eh

https://imgur.com/IWzGNW2

Then it all went wrong.

The gearbox wasn't very happy, stopping at a light with the footbrake on it kept wanting to lurch forward, I had to put it into neutral to stop it. The car also shook side to side quite a bit. This was annoying but still drivable, so I carried on, about 500 yards when I lost my speedometer. uh oh. Then I seemed to loose power steering and engine power although the engine was still running. Hazards on and limp to a layby/service station. At this point I was about a 3 minute drive from home, then 20minutes to the vacination clinic. my appointment was in half an hour.

A quick google of the flashing upwards arrow on the dash showed that it was in limp mode, the gearbox lights where cycling through W,S,E so I assume there is some sensor issue with the gearbox, computer got scared and put the car in limp mode.

I decided to drive it home, not far but all 50mph main roads with roundabouts. I managed to limp it to the home, parked on the road and borrowed my wifes (rather more modern) Kia. I made it to the clinic about 1 minute late. phew.

Returning home, there were more issues (possibly related). I wanted to back onto the drive however the car kept stalling in reverse. I managed to get it onto the drive but it put up a bit of a fight.

So thats my entrance to the forum. I have done a bit of googling and this seems a common issue? Either a sensor on the side of the gearbox or the TCM? I have tried cycling through from P to L on the gear lever about 20 times with the car on but not engine with no luck.

I didn't pay a whole lot for the car so I don't mind putting in a bit of cash to get it running well. I have ordeded an OBD2 reader to get some codes.

The car is a 1996 960 Estate 2.5 Auto.

[griston64]

Might be worth double checking on here but I'm not sure that reader will work. I know it doesn't on 940's of that era. They are not quite OBD2

[krismorgan]

Originally Posted by griston64

Might be worth double checking on here but I'm not sure that reader will work. I know it doesn't on 940's of that era. They are not quite OBD2

Obd2 works on my 95 960 and i did change the gear change sensor on my 93 960 when i had the flashing arrow on it.

[Laird Scooby]

Something appears to have put the engine in Limp Mode. You may find you still have the built-in code reader on the passenger side inner wing near the bulkhead. It's a bit too erly to use a generic OBD-II reader as well so you may need to buy one from Loki_the_GLT on here.

https://www.volvoclub.org.uk/faq/EngineOBDCodes.html

That links to how to access the codes and how they might be different to generic OBD-II codes.

[CB11ACD]

It does have OBD2, as I have just plugged the reader in. However none of the apps are picking up any codes.

I did buy the cheapest reader, but I thought it was standardized so shouldn't matter.

Bigger issue for me now is the engine is really struggling to run with intimitant missfires. Spark plugs look pretty black so will get some new ones and a filter.

[griston64]

It's an OBD2 socket but an OBD2 code reader doesn't work

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by CB11ACD

It does have OBD2, as I have just plugged the reader in. However none of the apps are picking up any codes.

No it doesnt! It might look like an OBD-II socket but it isn't!

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

It's a bit too erly to use a generic OBD-II reader as well so you may need to buy one from Loki_the_GLT on here.

As i said earlier ^^^^^..............

Originally Posted by griston64

It's an OBD2 socket but an OBD2 code reader doesn't work

Also as Mark just pointed out ^^^^^

The best thing you can do is forget everything you think you know about cars and listen to the people on here - that might sound harsh but Volvo have their own peculiar way of doing things and even on new Volvos, generic OBD-II code readers DO NOT WORK!

As for your intermittent misfire, add 0.5L of Carlube ATF-U to the engine oil. That will fere off any sticking tappets (even if they don't sound rattly) and help clean the engine, free off sticky piston rings, revive oil seals etc.

Then reset your fault codes and give it an Italian decoke, reset the codes again and take it for a normal drive. Read the codes when you get back from that one and see what you've got. Also worth checking the air filter is clean and eventually the fuel filter too. When you come to do an oil/filter change, after draining the old oil and refitting the sump plug, before adding the 10W40 semi-synth, add 0.5L os ATF-U then top up to the correct level with 10W40. I do this on both my beasts and not only have i got rid of almost all oil leaks but get more power and economy (usually, i have a slight problem in another area on my 760 but that's for another thread) from both and they have also both improved year-on-year for emissions.

Once you've done all this, the codes will hopefully provide some clues.

[Piet22]

From MY96 the 960 and V90/S90 had the Motronic 4.4 engine computer which is fully OBD2 compliant (although compared to modern cars limited in functionality). This was necessary for Volvo to keep selling the 960 in the USA. The 940 did not receive this upgrade and consequently sales of the 940 in the USA were terminated in 1996.

If your 960 has a OBD2 connector in the console near the handbrake it has a Motronic 4.4 engine computer that should respond to a generic OBD2 reader. Is is possible to read and reset diagnostic error codes and read live data from the Motronic.

Below is a picture of an OBD gauge in my V90 that shows live readings of coolant temperature, battery voltage, speed and fuel consumption.



The transmission computer of the 960 does not yet have OBD2 functionality. It is possible to read and reset diagnostic error codes and read live data from this computer but only with the Volvo System Tester, the Windows program Vol-fcr or the Icarsoft Vol I and Vol II diagnostic tools.

Note that the transmission computer needs a speed signal from the speedometer and if it does not receive this signal it goes into limp mode. It is therefore possible that there is nothing wrong with the transmission in your car and it only responds to the lack of signal from the speedometer.

[CB11ACD]

Thank you for all of your help so far.

Regarding the OBD2, I was told by another 960 owner that they used a "generic cheap bluetooth" OBD2 and an app and it worked for both transmission and engine.

Moving on. I fitted new spark plugs and air filter (oils will be done shortly, I just wanted to get it to idle first). No improvement. The old spark plugs were very black so I was hoping it would work. I unplugged the MAF sensor and it jumped into life. Well it ran like an engine without a MAF sensor. I even drove it around the block!

So a couple more questions, what are the best shops for Volvo parts in the UK? I'm struggling to find a MAF sensor that's in the country.

Second, would this be the likely cause of the limp mode? It came out of limp mode when the MAF was unplugged, so I am assuming so. Would this mean the gearbox switch is fine?

Thank you again for your help, I am listening/learning but obviously have conflicting sources of information.

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by CB11ACD

Thank you for all of your help so far.

Regarding the OBD2, I was told by another 960 owner that they used a "generic cheap bluetooth" OBD2 and an app and it worked for both transmission and engine.

Moving on. I fitted new spark plugs and air filter (oils will be done shortly, I just wanted to get it to idle first). No improvement. The old spark plugs were very black so I was hoping it would work. I unplugged the MAF sensor and it jumped into life. Well it ran like an engine without a MAF sensor. I even drove it around the block!

So a couple more questions, what are the best shops for Volvo parts in the UK? I'm struggling to find a MAF sensor that's in the country.

Second, would this be the likely cause of the limp mode? It came out of limp mode when the MAF was unplugged, so I am assuming so. Would this mean the gearbox switch is fine?

Thank you again for your help, I am listening/learning but obviously have conflicting sources of information.

First thing to do is check the hose between the MAF and the throttle body for cracks, splits, pinholes or any other leaks including insecure clips on each end. Include the hoses to/from the AICV as well and any breather hoses that come off this hose.

Once you're 200% certain there are no leaks, plug the MAF back in and reset the fault codes in the ECU - if necessary by disconnecting the battery earth for 5 minutes.

Then start it and drive it. See if the fault recurrs. If it does, read the fault codes and let us know but also with it idling, remove the small bore vacuum hose from the Fuel Pressure Regulator (FPR) and put your thumb on the end of the rubber hose. Observe the stub on the FPR to see if any fuel is coming out. If there is, your FPR is goosed.

It could also be a faulty CTS, not sure exactly where it is on the B6304 engine but i'm sure someone can tell you.

While you're checking the hose between the MAF and throttle body, it's probably worth cleaning the MAF as well. Either use MAF cleaner or carb cleaner, i've used carb cleaner successfully on mine. Disconnect the inlet and outlet hoses from the MAF, firstly squirt through in the normal direction of airflow, let it soak then spray the other way. Make sure you get all of the area inside the mesh both ways and after doing the second spray in the reverse direction, set it down to dry with the inlet end down.

If you clean the MAF as a separate job, reset the ECU again before testing.

To summarise, just because the ECU fault codes say it's a certain item, it doesn't always follow that it is, especially if there are more than just one fault present. Also if it's running this badly and the previous owner had an app that worked, why did he not fix it or at least tell you what the app said it was? To me that suggests one of two things - either he didn't want to/couldn't afford to and decided to "punt it out" or the app was giving incorrect results as has already been suggested.