V50 G/box : - Not Flare but something else...

NobbySideways · May 16th, 2018, 21:18

Hi there, I've been reading through this forum and it seems really excellent, lots of great knowledge. However whilst I've read a bit about autobox Flare (revs rising during a gearshift?) I experienced something with a V50 I've just test driven in London and I'd like to confirm a few things... I did try a search first.

Car was a 2.4d automatic. 2008.

When I drove it up the road it drove well and pulled fine. However on one specific gear change (and only between these gears, I think 3rd to 4th but can't confirm) it would do something unusual. The revs would rise as expected whilst you accelerate, there would be a pause, the gear would change, then it would pause at that RPM before carrying on. It was like pressing pause in the acceleration, I can't explain any better than that. The gearbox didn't show any sign of slip (the revs didn't sharply rise or similar), but the pause was noticable and it was just on changing between one set of ratios, but did it more than once. The car otherwise drove normally.

We need an auto as I've one leg, but I don't want to buy into a lot of expense. Can anyone advise please?

Thank you.

ripstandem · May 16th, 2018, 23:59

If unsure shop around, a failing transmission could be a money pit. If you really like the car get a proper inspection done. Ask the seller to set cost against purchase price, if inspector advises not to buy pay him and think what a new transmission would cost, this may ease the pain a little.
I think it would be dificult to diagnose a vague problem from a short test drive.
Good luck.

NobbySideways · May 17th, 2018, 13:25

Thank you. I think I feel a little intimidated by the amount of issues that seem to occur with these gearboxes. I really wanted a V50 but I don't feel comfortable with the risk as I'm not very flush with cash.

Thank you for your kind advice

btjtaylor · May 17th, 2018, 14:20

What I would do is drive another car and see what it's like comparatively, its hard to say from your description if its faulty or just the behaviour of the box.

Bear in mind these cars were sold with 2 different types of auto gearboxes attached to diesel engines - the 4 cylinder 2.0d cars have a Ford-sourced "powershift" double clutch model whereas the 5 cylinder (like 2.4 D5 you mentioned) has a more traditional auto branded "Geartronic" by volvo. I've seen more mention of expensive problems with the powershift rather than geartronic but ultimately if its not been well maintained either can be a problem. Ask when the transmission fluid was last changed, from memory I think it should be done at 60k.

NobbySideways · May 17th, 2018, 16:12

He said it hasn't been changed in his memory and he has had the car for 30k miles. If this is the more conventional box then maybe its less to worry about. As you say I need to see another one in action to confirm.

NobbySideways · May 17th, 2018, 16:56

Some further reading suggests that what I might be feeling is in fact the torque converter locking up, which apparently only happens in 3rd and upwards. It certainly didn't feel like slip.

I may go have another look tonight with the words Caveat Emptor ringing in my ears.

Thanks for all the excellent advice. Out of interest I found this old thread which details the same issue:

Volvo Forum Archive

btjtaylor · May 18th, 2018, 12:23

From reading that thread, I think if its not happening at full throttle, its just a "quirk" of the box of sorts. Did you notice if it did it when you boot your boot down, I wonder was it only at "normal" driving throttle positions? To be honest every auto i've ever driven has had some quirky behaviour like this, even brand new ones! Like I currently have an 18 month old 520d as a company car and it sometimes hunts around for gears/revs at 30mph when at partial throttle.

NobbySideways · May 18th, 2018, 15:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by btjtaylor

From reading that thread, I think if its not happening at full throttle, its just a "quirk" of the box of sorts. Did you notice if it did it when you boot your boot down, I wonder was it only at "normal" driving throttle positions?

It was really only when booted. The rest of the time it behaved perfectly normally. I did buy it in the end so I'll give it an ATF flush anyway as I doubt its ever been done.

Thanks for all the help,
Jon

May 16th, 2018, 21:18	#1
NobbySideways New Member Last Online: Apr 8th, 2019 08:33 Join Date: May 2018 Location: Salisbury	Not Flare but something else... Hi there, I've been reading through this forum and it seems really excellent, lots of great knowledge. However whilst I've read a bit about autobox Flare (revs rising during a gearshift?) I experienced something with a V50 I've just test driven in London and I'd like to confirm a few things... I did try a search first. Car was a 2.4d automatic. 2008. When I drove it up the road it drove well and pulled fine. However on one specific gear change (and only between these gears, I think 3rd to 4th but can't confirm) it would do something unusual. The revs would rise as expected whilst you accelerate, there would be a pause, the gear would change, then it would pause at that RPM before carrying on. It was like pressing pause in the acceleration, I can't explain any better than that. The gearbox didn't show any sign of slip (the revs didn't sharply rise or similar), but the pause was noticable and it was just on changing between one set of ratios, but did it more than once. The car otherwise drove normally. We need an auto as I've one leg, but I don't want to buy into a lot of expense. Can anyone advise please? Thank you.

May 16th, 2018, 23:59	#2
ripstandem Member Last Online: Mar 4th, 2024 19:49 Join Date: May 2011 Location: halifax	Plenty more fish in the sea. If unsure shop around, a failing transmission could be a money pit. If you really like the car get a proper inspection done. Ask the seller to set cost against purchase price, if inspector advises not to buy pay him and think what a new transmission would cost, this may ease the pain a little. I think it would be dificult to diagnose a vague problem from a short test drive. Good luck.

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May 17th, 2018, 13:25	#3
NobbySideways New Member Last Online: Apr 8th, 2019 08:33 Join Date: May 2018 Location: Salisbury	Thank you. I think I feel a little intimidated by the amount of issues that seem to occur with these gearboxes. I really wanted a V50 but I don't feel comfortable with the risk as I'm not very flush with cash. Thank you for your kind advice

May 17th, 2018, 14:20	#4
btjtaylor Junior Member Last Online: Nov 13th, 2023 13:43 Join Date: May 2018 Location: Derbyshire	What I would do is drive another car and see what it's like comparatively, its hard to say from your description if its faulty or just the behaviour of the box. Bear in mind these cars were sold with 2 different types of auto gearboxes attached to diesel engines - the 4 cylinder 2.0d cars have a Ford-sourced "powershift" double clutch model whereas the 5 cylinder (like 2.4 D5 you mentioned) has a more traditional auto branded "Geartronic" by volvo. I've seen more mention of expensive problems with the powershift rather than geartronic but ultimately if its not been well maintained either can be a problem. Ask when the transmission fluid was last changed, from memory I think it should be done at 60k.

May 17th, 2018, 16:12	#5
NobbySideways New Member Last Online: Apr 8th, 2019 08:33 Join Date: May 2018 Location: Salisbury	He said it hasn't been changed in his memory and he has had the car for 30k miles. If this is the more conventional box then maybe its less to worry about. As you say I need to see another one in action to confirm.

May 17th, 2018, 16:56	#6
NobbySideways New Member Last Online: Apr 8th, 2019 08:33 Join Date: May 2018 Location: Salisbury	Some further reading suggests that what I might be feeling is in fact the torque converter locking up, which apparently only happens in 3rd and upwards. It certainly didn't feel like slip. I may go have another look tonight with the words Caveat Emptor ringing in my ears. Thanks for all the excellent advice. Out of interest I found this old thread which details the same issue: Volvo Forum Archive

May 18th, 2018, 12:23	#7
btjtaylor Junior Member Last Online: Nov 13th, 2023 13:43 Join Date: May 2018 Location: Derbyshire	From reading that thread, I think if its not happening at full throttle, its just a "quirk" of the box of sorts. Did you notice if it did it when you boot your boot down, I wonder was it only at "normal" driving throttle positions? To be honest every auto i've ever driven has had some quirky behaviour like this, even brand new ones! Like I currently have an 18 month old 520d as a company car and it sometimes hunts around for gears/revs at 30mph when at partial throttle.

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