Volvo V70 AW55-50SN Gearbox Issues PT1 - Explanation & Garage visit for Oil Change / Lucas Stop Slip

In this video I head off to Horton Cars for a Gearbox Oil change & Lucas Stop Slip treatment to see if I can cure my clunking gearbox in my 2005 Volvo V70 2.5T Auto. Obviously whilst the cameras were rolling it behaved the whole time! Whilst I could of done this first step myself I farmed it out to Horton cars as they previously repaired my XC60, and I wanted to ensure the level etc was set correctly!
Horton Cars - Volvo Sales & Vehicle Servicing:
hortoncars.com/
Base Coffee & Kitchen:
basecoffee.co.uk/

[@StuEvans]

As a Volvo V70 owner I recognised the look on your face

[@comcarclub]

Very enjoyable watch you just prattle on while driving (I like to do so as well but I'm very boring and the opposite of eloquent). Looking forward to part 2. Make it so!

[@johnysmart8545]

my sister had one the v70 d5 version i did a lot of research into these aw55/50,aw55/51gearboxes as hers was slipping, (i stripped hers and rebuilt it(new clutch frictions and solonids,there easy to do, im a ex 40 ton truck mechanic now disabled)) volvo say for life oil but i later found out that "for life" does not mean till the car gets scrapped it means till the next model comes out and the older model is discontinued, so for eg the mk 3 mondeo came out, once the mk4 came out the mk3 was discontinued its the mk3 is counted as a end of life vehicle as ford stop making the mk3, volvo were owned by ford back then. its jws3309 oil you use in those aw gearboxes (i changed hers with mannol oil)and by the sound of yours its the linear solonoids that are sticking (the 3 big solonoids), you can lower the front part of the subframe to get access to them change them, volvo did a upgraded set of linear solonoids (the 3 big ones), buy a new/used genuine set, not a cheap Chinesium new set, then use vida dice to do a relearn (vidadice state oil change/reset for gearbox every 100,000 miles), as it will by jumpy through the gears, the gearbox as its own ecu on the top of the box once you change the linear solonoids but it will settle as you said and are correct its a adaptive box that learns. it will also learn how you drive (if you drive like a old grandad or you drive like 17 year old in a corsa 2.0 with a trainer full of concrete on your right foot) and adjust so you get best fuel economy or preformance depending on your driving style. another thing i found out about those boxes is the oil pump is junk in them they run off the flywheel so every once so often give it a good thrash(high revs) around the country lanes to get the oil pump working that will push fluid at higher pressure through the solonoids and valve body and keep it clear (as there is no filter in the sump, its built inside the gearbox and is only accessable if you strip the box down,i changed my sisters filter when i rebuilt the box), the oil is red its good once it goes golden colour its due changing once it goes black its clutch friction material in the oil its a gamble to change it. it could make it slip more as your then removing the friction material thats suspended in the oil.theres a dipstick in some of those gearboxes its at the side of the battery under the turbo hose (turbo hose is the big pipe its flexible just look down at the left hand side of the battery and move the hose out of the way and you will see it if it has one. it has a yellow handle) hope this helps you,

[@smartbox123tv]

IIRC the Autos always had issues built between 2000 to 2004. This was later rectified by Volvo sometime in early 2005 which solved all the issues. The faults were all rectified by upgraded solenoids & updated software on the TCM. The Old software had the wrong shift points when downshifting causing clunking & excessive wear on the Auto. Every Volvo person knows not to buy a 2000 to 2004 car because of these commonly known Auto issues. I have the same Auto in my 2009 Volvo V50 & the Auto runs fine with high KM. Just flush oil every 60000km which applies to any Auto in any Make or Model (most car manufacturers say a Auto flush is NOT needed which everyone knows is BS)

[@indecisiveauto]

I'm not sure why you chose to write two replies but this one is much more helpful in tone than your other one. Glad to hear the gearbox in your V50 is doing well, I'll assume it's a AW55-51 5 speed and not an early TF80SC, as if it were the latter 6 speed box they had terrible valve body problems when introduced 2006 onwards in P2's as well as problem with internal leaking which caused harsh shifting into drive. It went through numerous valve body revisions before becoming more dependable post 2010. The long and the short of it is - I've done my research, I know the potential problems & pitfalls of that cars that I buy, and I've had 2 full years motoring out of a car that cost me just £1000 which is frankly nothing. Do I think this car needs a box or valve body rebuild by now? Absolutely...I said so in the previous video, everything I try ahead of that will just be a stall to see if I can keep a cheap car on the road for just a little longer. I agree the whole sealed for life thing is absolute BS - I've had three Volvo autos now and had every box serviced.

[@smartbox123tv]

@@indecisiveauto Your entire crap video was based on you stating the Box was wearing out due to lack of fluid changes and you were too ignorant to mention in the video that these early Auto had severe factory defect issues. Your a Joke

[@SimpsonsClassics]

Great video, Although now worried about the future of my gearbox aha

[@indecisiveauto]

I have some news coming on mine - I'm afraid it's not good....

[@SimpsonsClassics]

@@indecisiveauto oh no that’s a shame 😞

[@Teribus13]

I'm with you in not paying monthly for a new car, at least for myself - we'll probably get my wife a much newer car to replace her 2013 SEAT Altea XL. For myself though, older cars hold more appeal. There's none of these stupid collision systems to slam on the brakes needlessly or steer you into a ditch because it thinks you're driving out of a lane, and crucially you don't have the expense of fixing those systems when they break. My V40 is in a sweet spot of being a Euro 6, LEZ compliant diesel which is currently £0 VED (£20 after April 2025) and it doesn't need AdBlue. Unfortunately, it does have a collision avoidance system but otherwise it's not got any of that unnecessary nonsense. And it's manual - no automatic gearboxes to go wrong 😁

[@fhwolthuis]

Nice video. I totally agree with you on how a car should be, I think the same. Technically it should be top. Maintenance too. But esthetically I don't bother too much. Some parking scratches I just sprayed with clear lacquer and the are gone from 2 m distance. Interior should be comfy and not a pigsty but doesn't need to be new (can't be with a dog 😅).

[@riconumerik3962]

Great video

[@TheBlaert]

I had to remove the engine and overhaul it on a lovely laser blue 2000 V70R for a friend. An absolute arse of a job as I'm not a mechanic by trade. Anyway got it all sorted and back in the car and we discovered the gearbox was shot to hell. Turns out the previous owner had the engine out for a different repair and didn't know how to reinstall an automatic gearbox. He had installed it like it was a manual box and ended up destroying it. Engine and box back out. Sourced another gearbox and installed it. It was faulty. Wouldn't shift properly and was noisy as hell. I gave up and the car has been lying in his shed for the past 8 years Why the hell didn't they offer these with a manual gearbox?