Woe is me, and thrice woe!

[enzoneo]

V70 Ph1 Classic Auto in for MOT today. 1 advisry - rear tyre low tread so get 2 new rears put on. Thats all that needed doing. I asked my garage man to replace front discs and pads, which he duly did BUT BUT also asked him to 'gibbons' the auto box !!!!!!!!!!!!! Previous day got 16L of Volvo ATF (the real deal) plus O rings - £240 the lot - gulp!

Garage man did the 'gibbons' on the autobox - no worries even had almost 4L of ATF left over ..................... BUT now the box is misbehaving. I think it is what you guys refer to as flaring in 2nd gear ie almost b****y impossible to engage as she revs her heart out but eventually engages and off we go with nice smooth gear changes - much better than before. However having only gone 1 mile the Uparrow auto box light is lit and the EML also. return to garage and he reads the codes as 0100 control module faulty signal (from Autobox ECU) and P1618 and P1670 from Engine ECU. Resets the coeds and away I go off home - lo and behold both lights are on again after 4/5 miles and I think its in LIMP mode. My generic code reader shows P0785 (Shift timing solenoid???) and the reader is able to erase the codes and both lights are now extinguished. Suppose I should take it for a spin and see when they come back.
Can anyone shed any light on whether my autobox is fubarred or whether some electrical connection is maybe dicky??

[Chris_Rogers]

Have you checked the fluid level, engine running & in park?

[enzoneo]

Good point. No was assuming my garage man had done all that and have no reason to doubt him but I'll go and check it. Just been on another run and got both lights up again by stopping and engaging the W button (assuming this starts in 2nd gear) and got a big clunk and both lights back on. Code was 0811 but erased it and off she goes but still with 2nd gear 'flare'.

[RiPsTa33]

Like Chris said, get the car up to temperature then with the engine running move go through the gears one at a time giving them 5 seconds each finnishing in park and then check the fluid level. The dipstick has a hot and cold side.

[thetroublemaker]

Sounds fluid based issue to me, or some residue has been dislodged and has messed up a shift solenoid.

Alas, this box has internal solenoids as opposed to an external valve pack, so if this cannot be restored by fluid change (maybe another flush needed sorry to say) and CORRECT level filling then the case has to come apart. Which means box out

http://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/for...38920&p=185380

[enzoneo]

Originally Posted by thetroublemaker

Sounds fluid based issue to me, or some residue has been dislodged and has messed up a shift solenoid.

Alas, this box has internal solenoids as opposed to an external valve pack, so if this cannot be restored by fluid change (maybe another flush needed sorry to say) and CORRECT level filling then the case has to come apart. Which means box out

http://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/for...38920&p=185380

I am inclined to agree with the above and since I know 9 tenths of
FA about the internals of my autobox I have decided to limp to Mackies in Glasgow on Tuesday for them to assess it and then I'll decide what to do with it. Obviously if its TOO expensive then that will be it but if I can sort it for less than £1500 I'll be relatively happy

[rudi dudi]

I've never understood or can see the point in this 'Gibbon's method"..All it seem's to do is create problems and in my opinion is just stupid letting the box run dry.
A lot less hassle and grief to just drain out a little via the sump plug every few thousand miles and replace exactly the same quantity as drained.

[enzoneo]

Originally Posted by rudi dudi

I've never understood or can see the point in this 'Gibbon's method"..All it seem's to do is create problems and in my opinion is just stupid letting the box run dry.
A lot less hassle and grief to just drain out a little via the sump plug every few thousand miles and replace exactly the same quantity as drained.

At this point in time I am inclined to agree with you but yesterday I thought otherwise - c'est la vie.

[rudi dudi]

Good luck with it anyway, hope it turn's out ok.

[TurboZutek]

The Gibbons method does not let the box run dry. You are supposed to put ATF in (through the dipstick) at the same rate that it comes out. If you don't, well, good luck!

The Gibbons method is good if you want to flush everything at once, including the torque converter. You might want to do this if the ATF is burnt or if the wrong ATF has been put in. It's also handy if you suspect debris (metal contamination) is loose inside the box.

A partial drain and fill is useless in those situations and even doing several in a short space will not get out everything hiding in there.

With that said, it has its drawbacks and it's NOT appropriate for every situation. High mileage vehicles that have never had any ATF maintenance should use the gradual drain and fill method and I'd also recommend lab analysis before doing anything: £30 or so will tell you with laser precision how much clutch pack has dissolved into the oil.

As for this problem, if it IS solenoids or the internal loom then they can be replaced without too much hassle. You have to drop the subframe a little and find someone with dis-locatable wrists, but once you have that it's a two hour job and very straightforward!

Looking at your codes though, it could also be a wiring fault from the autobox to the TCU (in the computer compartment on the left of the engine bay). I'd have the battery out, eject the TCU and ECU, reseat them and then go over every connection to the autobox and the throttle position sensor with a fine tooth comb.

It's easy to nudge the wrong connector while flushing the fluid.

If that doesn't help the loom inside the box might have had it. They are not very good (being made of fairly cheap wire and common spade connectors, all sitting in ATF) and can fail in this way.

Chris...