Ihatespeedbumps Posted October 27, 2015 Report Share Posted October 27, 2015 It is no secret here that I've been highly critical of 01-02 5 cylinder models due to the high rate of transmission failure. So then I bought an 01 V70 T5, must be crazy right? Found the car on CL for cheap and despite the "transmission service required" message the vehicle is in pretty good shape, especially the interior. Having repaired many of these early transmissions, I thought I would start a thread and document a not only the repair success, but also any failures that may arise. Having fixed MANY of these when I worked in the shop I am trying to bring a DIY repair to those that may have one of these early transmissions. The early AW55-50/51 suffered from a few issues, most being the valve body design and the "neutral function" that was installed from the factory. The neutral function placed the vehicle in neutral when stopped to increase fuel economy. What we learned was that it didn't work that great and prematurely wore the 1st gear clutches. Volvo remedied this by providing a TCM update that removed this function.On to my 01 V70 T5. Upon pre purchase inspection the vehicle had a DTC for "neutral function control." Most of these early model vehicles got a TCM update early in life, but this one had not! First order of business was to get the TCM updated. Symptoms prior to udate were, delayed P to D engagement, harsh 1-2 shift, harsh 2-3 downshift, harsh lockup function and intermittent TCC slippage. Fortunately for me my former employer was nice enough to get me setup up with a TCM update at a VERY good price. FYI the TCM update is part of the 2.0 software update. Shift quality was drastically improved after the TCM update. Symptoms after update were harsh 1-2 shift (hot only) and slipping TCC at highway speeds. I intentionally drove the vehicle a few weeks after the update to properly document pre and post issues. Vehicle in question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ihatespeedbumps Posted October 27, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2015 So at this point you are asking yourself, what are we going to do to fix this thing? Well, valve body replacement is always an option. It's expensive though, at least a $1k if you DIY and no guarantee of a fix. The aftermarket has provided an excellent solution for us though! Rostra has developed long snout SLU, SLT and SLS solenoids to resolve most shift quality issues with the AW55-50/51 transmission. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ihatespeedbumps Posted October 27, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2015 Below are the necessary steps to lower the front portion of the subframe and remove the transmission pan for solenoid replacement This job can be completed in your driveway without a liftrst step, remove the two bolts for the right side engine mount. Second, the front engine mount bolt will need to be removed. Next, there will be 3 10MM bolts that need to be removed. First is from the PS line underneath the throttle body (not pictured) second is the ground strap cable and third is a harness bolt at the front of the subframe. Next step is to drain the fluid via the drain plug. MAKE SURE to measure what you drained. I failed to mention that prior to this repair I made sure the fluid was a the correct level. You will notice the drain plug is magnetic. You will want to clean all debris before re-installing. Clean Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ihatespeedbumps Posted October 27, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2015 Next, pry loose the PS and EVAP line clips. Next remove the lower torque mount.Next, you will need to support the engine/trans from either the top or bottom. Since I don't have an engine support I decided to do it with a jack and block of wood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ihatespeedbumps Posted October 27, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2015 Time to lower the front part of the subframe. You will only need to take the front two bolts loose, leave the rears in place. Air tools are REALLY helpful for this job. Subframe lowered. Next, you will need to remove all 9 Torx T40 trans pan bolts. You may need to wedge a flat blade screw driver in between the pan an trans to get the pan off. Next remove the 10mm pressure line cooler hose.Then remove the transmission chassis ground. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ihatespeedbumps Posted October 27, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2015 Then remove the transmission line cooler bracket bolt near the dipstick tube.Now that you have the pressure side cooler hose unbolted cap it off and push it to the side. Then remove the return line from the top of the trans pan.WWith the trans pan now removed we can see the SLS, SLT and SLU solenoid we are replacing with the updated design. The SLU solenoid is secured with an 8mm bolt. It also holds a bracket for the upper VB harness.A break down of the SLU bracketry. Old solenoids on left vs. long snout new solenoids on right. Please note the Rostra solenoid kit comes with a new bracket for the SLS and SLT solenoids, you will need to use the new bracket with the longer snout solenoids.Next we are going install a new transmission pan gasket instead of chemical gasket. It's much cleaner and eliminates the risk of getting RTV anywhere you don't want it. I do apply a VERY thing layer to the backside of the gasket to hold to the trans so I don't have to fight it while installing the bolts. Before re-installing the pan double check all of your electrical connections, even S1-S5 solenoids to ensure you didn't accidentally pull them loose when removing the pan.You will need to clean to orignal chemical gasket off prior to installation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ihatespeedbumps Posted October 27, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2015 After you have installed the new solenoids, make sure all your connections are good and re-install the trans pan. You will need a second jack to lift the front portion of the subframe back up and install the subframe bolts. Word to the wise, you might need to negotiate the right side engine mount when re-installing the subframe. Next you will need to flush the fluid via the lower cooler hose. Helpful tip, if the level is correct before you start working you only need to replace what you remove. I use old washer fluid bottles to measure what I take out what I add in. There are a variety of different fluids you can use, but Mobil 3309 is the OEM stuff and is pretty reasonable from Amazon. on the P2 models you need to remove the lower line to flush. ***This is the most important step***You cannot properly adjust the fluid level on this gearbox without properly checking the transmission fluid temperature. This requires VIDA or equivalent scan tool! Failure to properly adjust the fluid level correctly will result in improper shifting!! Do not attempt this repair unless you can adjust the fluid level correctly.Below is the chart in VIDA for trans fluid level vs. fluid temp.And finally, fluid level vs. the chart above. After repair you MUST reset the TCM adaptations and do an adaptive drive. I have not done this yet due to time constraints, but I have driven the vehicle and it shift remarkably smooth. I still have the intermittent slipping TCC, but I'm not going to worry since I haven't done an adaptive drive yet. The next project will be installing an aftermarket cooler. Many of the issues with this gearbox are worse when the ambient temp climbs so I'm going to install an external cooler inline with the OEM cooler. Please feel free to ask questions as this thread is updated :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NEU Posted October 27, 2015 Report Share Posted October 27, 2015 Good stuff Josh! And very timely for me as my aw55-51 crapped out last week after 170K+ miles (it was replaced under warranty sometime before 60K). The 9yrs and driven 115K+ miles since I've owned it haven't been easy on it. The last 3+ have been VERY VERY hard as I've had a tune with the 1st and 2nd gear torque limiter deleted from the tune. It was time and I knew it was on borrowed time too. I even got a spare with 150K on it for free just in case...I'm getting mine completely rebuilt with some extras like a slightly higher stall torque converter and an oil cooler. I think these trans get terribly hot and fry themselves to death. Keeping them cool is a good upgrade, even if its just a small rail cooler it's more then what it has currently has which is barely adequate. Volvo has always undercooled its auto trans. I had to add a 740T trans cooler to my old '92 245 with the aw71.That's really good info on the oil temp and level. I've noticed after that sometimes when I'd check my level it would be over the HOT mark (ie after a hot run in Aug). Now I know it should never be above the T. I'm going to have to check out the Rostra long snout solenoids.Again good stuff! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boxpin Posted October 27, 2015 Report Share Posted October 27, 2015 You are a Saint Sir! I am doing this Saturday and have been wondering if I could get that pan out without dropping the sub frame. Nicely written up. I have a couple questions. 1. You mentioned the fluid temp and filling and the need for Vida. Can you go into this a bit more and the navigation through the menu in Vida?2. The flush, I have done a drain and fill but not a flush. Your saying to use the lower return line? Can you elaborate on this too?3. The gasket, where did you get it and do you have a part number?4. Do you see any need for the calibration kit? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxTjou4Jg3s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ihatespeedbumps Posted October 27, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2015 1. Yes, I should have been a little more clear about the VIDA instructions. I'm so used to it I forget others are not. To check trans oil temp you need to go to the diagnostics tab then vehicle communication. Once there select the TCM and you will fine "oil temperature" as one of the things that can be monitored. Once you have the oil temp, compare you level against that of the chart pictured above and adjust accordingly. Improper level will guarantee shift quality issues.2. The flush is easy. On P2 models just remove the lower hose and start the engine. Obviously you'll want to measure how much you are taking out vs. how much you'll be adding in. Since we previously took the drain plug loose, I go ahead and add 5 quarts before I start flushing. While the engine is running you will need to continue to add fluid. I ended up draining 11 quarts before it started to turn bright red.3. Gasket was purchased on Amazon for about $20. The brand was ATP and the P/N was RG-84.4. I've never seen that calibration kit before. Having done probably close to 100 of these, I would say you'll be ok without. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ihatespeedbumps Posted November 2, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 2, 2015 UPDATE: Got around to putting the TCM in adaptive mode and resetting the adaptation. If you are unfamiliar with the process just follow the instructions in VIDA. To get it out of adaptive mode you just need to shut the vehicle off and restart it. This thing shifts wonderfully smooth! I've still got an bump at highway speeds, but I think I've got an ETM acting up. Feels as though it's dirty and it also set a code. Going to give it a cleaning and see if that helps out. Next project will be installing a DIY cooler kit. Stay tuned for udpates! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kampman Posted November 4, 2015 Report Share Posted November 4, 2015 Great thread! Can you go into a little more detail about the benefits of the Rostra solenoids over the originals? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ihatespeedbumps Posted November 4, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 4, 2015 The orginal solenoids were prone to clog with debris and contributed a lot of shifting issues as a result. The Rostra solenoids were re-designed to address these issue by modifiying some of the passages to let debris pass through. They are also a bit longer, my guess it accomdate the larger passages. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boxpin Posted November 15, 2015 Report Share Posted November 15, 2015 Bummed. Spent 1/2 the day and $280 worth of solenoids and oil just to have the problem be worse. Everything else is fantastic, works like new but 2nd to 3rd flare is horrible. Worse than it was before. I have reset adaptations twice. I thought for a minute while I was driving it to relearn again it started to shift just fine and I though yeah, it fixed it but next stop it went right back to flareing again. Did I miss something??????? Old New Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midnight Caller Posted November 15, 2015 Report Share Posted November 15, 2015 From what I understood, the solenoids have a VERY SMALL hex ajusting screw on the rear, for the calibration. Did you mess up with those ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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