2006 Xc90 gearbox oil change

[Harvey81]

Hi all I’m trying to find out about doing a gearbox oil change on my 2006 Xc90 D5 with the 6 speed auto box some say it has a dipstick others say it doesn’t so I’m confused as I was looking to drain the oil via the dipstick with my electric oil pump can anyone shed some light on this?

[GenericVolvoDriver]

This video covers the TF-80SC oil change process: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAb9p8Wph-M

How the level set plug works:
https://youtu.be/EAb9p8Wph-M?t=241

[Harvey81]

Brilliant thanks so I have to have a laptop to do the change?

[GenericVolvoDriver]

Yes, you need some way to read the transmission fluid temperature to set the level correctly. A DiCE + VIDA is a great investment. You might be able to do it using an OBD2 Bluetooth adaptor + a smartphone on the cheap, but the guaranteed way is using VIDA. If I would you I'd invest in VIDA given how useful it will be vs something like this: https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/fo...ic.php?t=43270

[XC90Mk1]

Originally Posted by Harvey81

Brilliant thanks so I have to have a laptop to do the change?

No you don’t (I have VIDA). You remove the engine under shield, air box and maf sensor and open the t55 torx on the top. You then remove the t40 from underneath (it’s an integrated level plug). Drain it into a pan. Use a cheap measure jug to see how much has been removed and replace it, just ensure that you remove fluid at ambient temp and replace at ambient temp. Don’t forget to drain out the 17mm plug also.

Drive a couple hundred miles and then repeat 2 to 3 times for lovely clean fluid.

If you have a problem then get the car level, start it up and idle it for 35 minutes. I reviewed the gear box temp via Vida and it took around 40 minutes to get to 52c. It would not go higher than this even after 10 or so minutes, I think the box would have to be in use to reach over 60c (upper limit for setting level.

drain level). Obviously the engine has to be running when you set the final level.

Ensure you have a
Spare aluminium drain plug gasket
Spain o-ring for the t55 fill plug
Spare o-ring for t40 integrated plug.

I believe your fluid is jws3309 which is a high friction fluid to assist in lock up in the aw transmission.

This is a great forum but there is a lot of ‘lore’ round here most of which can be ignored. I have undertaken this task and now have a wonderful smooth gearbox. I drove without resetting adaptations to experiment and it made no difference after I did reset. Having Vida Dice is great but not essential.

[Harvey81]

Thanks 😁

[GenericVolvoDriver]

Originally Posted by XC90Mk1

No you don’t (I have VIDA). You remove the engine under shield, air box and maf sensor and open the t55 torx on the top. You then remove the t40 from underneath (it’s an integrated level plug). Drain it into a pan. Use a cheap measure jug to see how much has been removed and replace it, just ensure that you remove fluid at ambient temp and replace at ambient temp. Don’t forget to drain out the 17mm plug also.

Drive a couple hundred miles and then repeat 2 to 3 times for lovely clean fluid.

If you have a problem then get the car level, start it up and idle it for 35 minutes. I reviewed the gear box temp via Vida and it took around 40 minutes to get to 52c. It would not go higher than this even after 10 or so minutes, I think the box would have to be in use to reach over 60c (upper limit for setting level.

drain level). Obviously the engine has to be running when you set the final level.

Ensure you have a
Spare aluminium drain plug gasket
Spain o-ring for the t55 fill plug
Spare o-ring for t40 integrated plug.

I believe your fluid is jws3309 which is a high friction fluid to assist in lock up in the aw transmission.

This is a great forum but there is a lot of ‘lore’ round here most of which can be ignored. I have undertaken this task and now have a wonderful smooth gearbox. I drove without resetting adaptations to experiment and it made no difference after I did reset. Having Vida Dice is great but not essential.

You're totally right on not needing VIDA - the only risk is that if you spill your fluid and aren't sure how much you took out or pour the fluid at a different temperature vs you drained it, you might make a mistake.

For someone doing the process for the first time it's really nice having the diagrams and exact steps. I'm an EE, and working on my cars (plus restoring) is my hobby. One time while changing fluid on one of my TF-80SC cars I thought I had the level set correctly (measuring how much I removed and refilling, dripping out of the level plug when first starting the engine cold) upon doing the 50*C check no fluid at all came out of the level set plug. My guess is an air pocket worked its way through the transmission heat exchanger in the radiator when I was using VIDA's transmission change method via the cooler line. Upon letting the transmission cool and removing the level plug again, of course, no fluid came out due to the fluid condensing. I ended up adding an additional 0.5L before the fluid started to drip out of the transmission level set plug cold. Did I need VIDA to catch this error, no, however having the procedure right there step by step caught the error. XC90MkI's probably really good at this process and doesn't make any mistakes. Between my two TF-80SC's I'll probably make the mistake again.

Something I neglected to mention is that you should use VIDA to reset the fluid counter. The TCM tracks (and uses the information) how many harsh shifts / heavy loads your transmission goes through. http://www.timthurber.com/volvo-xc90...-80sc-6-speed/



XC90MkI also reminded me of another point, if you use a transmission funnel and a long wobble extension, you can remove the fill bolt without removing the MAF - it makes the VIDA procedure of cycling through the gears faster as there's less to re-assemble each drain and fill.

I don't replace my top fill washers, under inspection with my stereoscopic microscope, it looked like it never even crushed. I've had no leaks on either TF-80SC.

Here are the part numbers if you need them:
Volvo Trans Drain Plug Gasket - Genuine Volvo 30713220
S60, S80, V70, XC70, XC90
Volvo Part #: 30713220
GM Part (for GMs with TF-80SC's): 93183574

Volvo Trans Drain Plug O-Ring - Genuine Volvo 1233068
XC90
Volvo Part #: 1233068
GM Part (for GMs with TF-80SC's): 93183578

[Harvey81]

Thank you to both of you for all the info I’m actually a qualified mechanic but I no longer do it as a job 😂 but I’ve never done one of these before so the best place to ask is on here where many people know a hell of a a lot more than me and after googling I wasn’t anymore confident as one video tells you something and another tells you something else, I’ve just ordered the oil off flee bay 8L of JWS 3309 for £42 what a bargain!!! Will this be enough oil?

[GenericVolvoDriver]

That's a great deal! You might not get it all out. I use 13L (about 120 CAD) when I follow the VIDA instructions, this guy used 12 following the VIDA method http://www.timthurber.com/volvo-xc90...-80sc-6-speed/

Using the cooler drain method you dont end up mixing any fluid in the transmission from what I read on VIDA.

I usually buy my fluid from a Toyota dealer in bulk cases - its the cheapest way to get the fluid I've found in Canada. Toyota T-IV = 3309, Type WS = Volvo AW-1 (for gen II TF-80SC transmissions past a certain build date... thinner fluid for better fuel economy and uses a synthetic base oil for longer service intervals).

[Harvey81]

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?m...2F302425199026

That is the oil I’ve brought that also is a Toyota oil I believe, I’ve tempted to use the method of pumping the oil out using the cooler hose but I’m worried that once I’ve disturbed the hose seal it may leak?? What do you think of the idea of using a electric drain pump that I’ve used to drain my engine oil through the dipstick would I be able to draw out oil through the filler hole like people do on the earlier Xc90’s through the dipstick? Just a idea 😂