Do not need help immediately. Would appreciate advice regardless.
I have a 2003 V70 Volvo station wagon. I like it. It likes me. Except when I accelerate after a left-hand turn. Then it loses power like the engine fell out. RPMs jump to about 4000, speedometer drops like a rock, engine guns like crazy, we slow down, then there’s a jerk as something drops back into place and we slam forward at whatever speed the engine thinks we should have been going the whole time. Happens about once every two weeks. Doesn’t happen at any other times.
Took it to mechanic, who said he can’t tell anything wrong, and of course, nothing happened on the test drive. Fluid seems good, but mechanic says that it might be the wrong type, but he doesn’t know if that would cause the problem. He can change it, but doesn’t guarantee that it will fix anything. Asking him what MIGHT cause the problem resulted in roughly the same look as if I had asked him how to solve the Riemann Hypothesis.
So… before we have to take the damn car to the transmission specialist or to the dealership (we’re very broke) any ideas from the bright people of the Dope?
Interesting. I don’t think I have ever heard a complaint exactly like this one on a Volvo trans.
First off, does it only happen in a corner or is it after you leave the corner and are headed straight ahead again?
How much throttle are you using when you have this happen? Full?
If yours an AWD for FWD car?
Look in the center stack below the A/C controls, do you see a button marked STC or DSTC?
Do you get any flashing warning lights when this happens? Are there any warning lights on while driving?
Has your mechanic checked the condition of both drive axles and both the inner and outer CV joints?
BTW remind your mechanic that Volvos use synthetic trans fluid. NOT dexron.
Has he scanned the system for fault codes? If so what codes were retrieved?
Has he looked at the condition of the motor mounts?
Get me some answers, and I can suggest somethings to try so you can nail this down.
-Rick
Ok, in order.
Happens after the corner after we straighten out.
Throttle - about 3/4. Once happened at half, but normally I’m pushing it a bit.
Front-wheel drive, no STC or DSCT.
No warning lights at any time, no fault codes when the mech looked for them.
Drive axles and CV joints checked? - husband is thinking no. Same for motor mounts.
Mechanic thinks that people who owned the car first or the used car place we got it from might have used dexron accidentally when they changed/cleaned out the fluids. He didn’t have any way to tell immediately whether it was wrong, but since we just bought it a year ago, he thought it might be a possibility.
Should we ask mechanic to check the axles, CV joints, and motor mounts? If so, what are we wanting him to look for?
Maybe your transmission fluid level is correct, but it’s not getting into the transmission on turns. The filter screen can be plugged or the pickup tube in the pan is loose or cracked so it picks up air on turns. It would be smart to have the transmission serviced with a view to inspecting the pickup mechanism.
If the engine is revving and you are in gear and not moving, you are likely doing severe damage to the transmission in that period. Maintenance is cheaper.
I forgot to ask, turbo or non turbo?
NO STC switch? Unusual, but possible. Most of V70s had either STC or DSTC.
Is there any indication of the car having been in an accident?
If Dex was put in the trans by mistake, it would shift hard pretty much all the time
Here is what I think your mechanic should check to rule out things other than the transmission:
Axles are they secure in the transmission and are the CV joints good (both inner and outer)
Motor mounts The two main mounts, the nose mount over by the crank pulley, and the upper torque mount. If any of these look bad, change them. All of these items will wear, and could cause the engine to shift position.
Is the gear cable / gear position sensor on the transmission adjusted correctly?
Front subframe mounts good?
Have him check for evidence of a prior accident. In particular, look at the transmission cooler lines to see if the hard line part is kinked or restricted.
Let me know what you find.
-Rick
We’ll check those out then. Thanks. Will let you know what happens next!
And I’m with you about the fluid - it really seemed like he was just reaching for something to try so he could feel like he’d done something. At least he was honest that he was reaching!
Not to derail the thread or anything, but what’s with people dropping “I” from sentences? [del]I[/del] noticed this occurring frequently about last year.
I dunno about everyone, but personally I blame resume-advice givers. All of the ones I saw when I was changing jobs a few years back were insistent that you never use the word “I” in a resume, and that you should instead just start your sentence with the verb.
According to them, that makes the resume more “action oriented” and more “other focused”
In other words,
“I will let you know what happens next” is passive and all about me me me.
“Will let you know what happens next” is active and puts the other person first.
I hadn’t realized that it had crept into my regular writing, but it must have made an impact.
Ok so it has STC.
Does it have a turbo or not?
Does the traction light ever flash when the problem occurs?
Are you sure?
Normal operation for STC is to cut engine power when traction is lost on a front wheel. On some of the earlier systems this reduction of engine power can be severe and dramatic.
You can probably reproduce this reduction by doing the following:
Find an empty wide intersection
Starting from a complete stop at the crosswalk floor the accelerator
Turn left (hard) onto the other street.
As the left front tire loses traction the engine power will be reduced.
Now press and hold the STC button until the STC off message is shown.
Repeat the test and you will spin the tire with no reduction in engine power.
Is this what you are feeling?
I suspect that you are experiencing a combination of the normal STC function coupled with a CV joint/axle/motor mount issue.
You will have to have your mechanic check it out to be sure as I can’t quite see your car from here.
Let me know what you find.
-Rick
Not yet - husband has been wretchedly sick this past week, so we’ve been stuck at home - him in bed, and me doing endless loads of bedsheets and towels in the laundry.
I’m hoping to try that trick on the drive home tonight after work, so I’ll let you know if anything happens with it.
Tried the turning-and-accelerating trick on the way back from work every day this week, and it hasn’t recreated that feeling - Yesterday, it did do the STC thing, which is more of a … letting-go feeling, rather than a … “Cap’n - we’re losing power!” feeling. (Hate trying to use language to explain car movement.) It did “hiccup” once for a second, but that isn’t the same as what I’m trying to get diagnosed.
On the other hand, it hasn’t DONE that stupid loss of power thing since about three weeks ago at all, so it could just be behaving itself because I’m paying attention.
It’s going to the mechanic again on Monday and we’re having him check the CV joints, axles, and motor & frame mounts. If he doesn’t find anything loose, then we’re going to the transmission person for checking of sensors and gear cables.
Yay for stupid intermittent car problems that never happen around a mechanic.
Thanks for the help so far, and if I need more advice, I’m totally resurrecting this again!
