xc90 auto will not engage into gear

[danscotland]

hi,all ive never posted before but read lots of others problems that ived had!! i can not find this problem!!
i have just completed an engine swap in my 2003 xc90 auto its starts and runs fine. a lot better than the old one did! although i still have engine service required and airbag light on but im assuming this is because ive had bumper off etc. my vida has stopped working due to windows updates so once i get it reinstalled i might get something from that
the problem is it will not engage in gear mechanically it works if i put it in park i cant move the car. if i put in it neutral i can roll the car about, am i missing something!! is there a relay or fuse? has anyone had this problem before?
there is one spare plug/connector left over on the radiator harness it runs over the rad fan one plugs into the turbo boost valve and the maff and the vacuum boost thing on the air box the one left is a 2 pin socket type is this maybe something to do with my problem?
any help much appreciated my poor car has been off the road since december!!

[Tannaton]

Hi Dan....

What engine is it - I'm assuming D5? Did you remove to torque converter and/ or the gearbox when doing the engine swap?

[danscotland]

morning, yes its the d5 engine i swapped my gearbox and torque converter onto the new engine i replaced the torque convertor bolts as directed in the manual id planned on changing transmission fluid but have not done this yet so otherwise untouched?

[Tannaton]

Originally Posted by danscotland

morning, yes its the d5 engine i swapped my gearbox and torque converter onto the new engine i replaced the torque convertor bolts as directed in the manual id planned on changing transmission fluid but have not done this yet so otherwise untouched?

Ok - but did you remove the torque converter from the transmission at all?

The reason I am going down this line is that when you load a torque converter to the transmission - there are two sets of drive splines that need to engage. The process is to load the torque converter to the transmission and push it gently into the gearbox whilst rotating clockwise. You should hear and feel the TC drop onto the gearbox TWICE as the splines locate. When correctly coupled the gap between the bellhousing flange and the top of the torque converter should be very close to a half inch (13mm). The last set of splines to engage are the oil pump drive, so if the TC has slipped a bit whilst you had the box out this might be the problem.

However if this was the case I would expect the box to remain stuck in 3rd gear with no hydraulic power to control changes.

To test if you remove the gearbox oil pipe which goes to the cooler in the radiator and place the end in a bucket - start the engine and see if oil is pumped out, make sure you replace what is lost and check the level. This is not the pipe that comes from the black metal valve body cover - that's the return.

If you had not connected the wiring back correctly I would expect a "Transmission service" message on the dash.

[danscotland]

thanks for your reply, all i did was disconnect the torque convertor from the engine through the starter motor, one bolt at a time! then removed transmission/gear box and put it straight onto new (2nd hand) engine.
i did not take anything off the transmission side.
its work checking if oil pumps out anyway is it?
thinking back to how it went back on the torque convertor bolts did not line up with the flywheel so i had to loosen off transmission bolts a bit and spin the torque convertor plate to line them up, is that normal practise or could i have thrown something out?

[Tannaton]

Originally Posted by danscotland

thanks for your reply, all i did was disconnect the torque convertor from the engine through the starter motor, one bolt at a time! then removed transmission/gear box and put it straight onto new (2nd hand) engine.
i did not take anything off the transmission side.
its work checking if oil pumps out anyway is it?
thinking back to how it went back on the torque convertor bolts did not line up with the flywheel so i had to loosen off transmission bolts a bit and spin the torque convertor plate to line them up, is that normal practise or could i have thrown something out?

Hi Dan, it's quite normal to have to spin the torque converter to align the bolt holes with those on the driveplate, but it should spin freely (put your finger through the starter motor aperture at the front) you should not need to slide the gearbox back to have to do that. If you did - this would suggest the torque converter has shifted outwards and is putting pressure on the drive plate?

If I was you I would check if it is pumping oil first, that costs nothing, I would keep the amount of time that then engine is running to a minimum just in case you are damaging the splines.

You do have my sympathy because I know just how much work it is to remove the gearbox...

[danscotland]

thanks, i will check that first when i get to car. my sister has a nice big workshop that she does not use so i have to travel there first to do any work!!
much to her delight (not!) its stuck there
on a side note Tannaton i used to live in wawne and went to school in beverley!
ill report what happens with the oil
thanks

[Tannaton]

Ok - I would also lift the wheels off the ground if you can to see if they turn - it maybe that there is some drive but not enough to move the car? I still have a horrible feeling that you will be taking the box out again though...

It is a small world - I was working in Letham until June last year!

[danscotland]

Hi, finally got to Volvo, just back in and the result is when I pull the bottom pipe off the cooler No fluid comes out. The dipstick shows fluid lvl fine. I released the nut on where that pipe goes into the gearbox and fluid ran out so there is def fluid available to go into that pipe.
What causes this then? Could this be my problem? Thanks.
I've kept a hold of block and tackle I borrowed ready to take out again lol

[daginge78]

Originally Posted by danscotland

Hi, finally got to Volvo, just back in and the result is when I pull the bottom pipe off the cooler No fluid comes out. The dipstick shows fluid lvl fine. I released the nut on where that pipe goes into the gearbox and fluid ran out so there is def fluid available to go into that pipe.
What causes this then? Could this be my problem? Thanks.
I've kept a hold of block and tackle I borrowed ready to take out again lol

Did you ever fix this mate?