My sister drives a 1996 850 GLT non-turbo Auto which she purchased at my reccomendation. The car has been very trouble free for the past couple of years and she has taken it from 96,000 miles to about
110,000.
Today she calls and tells me she's just pulled off the road. Check engine is on and the "Up Arrow" (Transmisison light) is blinking. I had her restart the car but nothing changed, so I had her turn the car off, run the shifter back and forth 3 or 4 times, and start the car. The transmission light went out but check engine remained on. She was on her way to class but was already going to be late for that, so she decited to go straight to the dealer and have them shuttle her to work.
Dealer has been very good in the past, so I didn't have any ill feelings about her going to the dealer. I thought about reccomending an independant, but since she was somewhat distressed didn't want to have her driving around town looking for the mechanic.
I figured it was the shift position sensor, especially since running the shifter through the gears cleared things up. Dealer says we need a new transmission and wants $3,300!!
What do you guys think? We're taking it to 2 more transmission places tomorrow.
I have a 94 Turbo 850 and from time to time the same thing happens, plus the transmission locks in thrid gear in "limp home" mode. Turning off the engine for a few seconds has always brought the transmission back to full operation and the lights turn off in their good time. The dealer has always said that it's a transmission code that doesn't recur (until the next time) and if that's all that happens it's not worth trying to track down the problem. They've certainly never suggested replacing the transmission. Of course your cause may be different, but I suggest not doing anything about it and seeing what happens.
This is actually the second time it's happened. First time was right after she got the car.
I am thinking it's just a Swedish electrical gremlin, or the transmission missed a shift or something and it made the computer panic. Just to be safe dropped it off at a Transmission place this morning. I drove it to the transmission place and it seemed to drive just fine. I parked in the wrong spot after we got there and had to move the car, by then Check Engine had turned itself off.
Oh well, they offer free diagnostics so, seeing as it's there and all, might as well see what they say. I'll have to look over her maintenance records -- if the transmission hasn't had a flush maybe we'll have them do that as long as it's in there.
I've got exactly the same problem, only my 1996 850 has only 63,000 miles on it.
I got the flashing up arrow/check engine light/limp home in third 3 times in one week. I found that it works better in "economy" mode. If I switch from "economy" to "sport" the problem will appear within a mile or so of normal driving. I took it to my mechanic, who read out a "Solenoid B Malfunction" code and sent me to his favorite tranny shop. Tranny shop said "we can't work on that model" and sent me to the dealer. Dealer says I need a new transmission for $3200.
I did some checking, on the WWW and telephone, and here's what I learned. If you find the right Volvo mechanic (clearly not the dealer, at least not my dealer), he can possibly replace the solenoids without even removing the transmission from the vehicle. Other than that, nobody seems to rebuild these beasts. You have two choices, buy a new one from the factory for $2200, and pay someone $1000 to install it or buy one from a salvage yard, for $500-$1000, and pay someone $1000 to install it.
I tried to see about buying the solenoids, thinking I might just wing it (what've I got to lose?). But Volvo doesn't sell them. The only part my dealer sells is "Transmission - $3200" Not to mention that I'll probably need to replace some gaskets between here and there.
So, I'm screwed. Why? Our old Volvos were great cars .I had a '76 262 while my wife had a '78 264. Both beautiful cars, both went 20 years and over 200Kmiles (the 264 went to 375K). Then I had an 87 240 while she had a
89 240. Both good cars, not great like the 260s but neither ever needed a $3200 anything. Of course those were all RWD manuals. Now we both have FWD automatic '96 850s. Is it the just the automatic that sucks? or is it the FWD series? Should I just blame Ford and move on?
Meanwhile, though, (and now I'm getting to the point of the post), the problem is intermittant so the solenoid isn't burned out, but I can exacerbate the problem by switching to "sport" mode so it's probably not a loose wire. I figure there's a chance that the solenoid is just wedged with a bit of gook or perhaps just gooied up from years of neglect. I requested that the dealer power-flush and replace the fluid. That was almost a week ago and the problem hasn't recurred yet, but I haven't had the guts to switch to sport mode yet. Maybe if I keep my fingers crossed, never switch to sport mode, and get it flushed every year it'll keep working. I guess I'll never take it on a trip. Someday it'll flat-out give up and then I'll have to have it towed to the dealer and pay the $3200.
I'm never buying another automatic, and probably not another Volvo.
The thought just crossed my mind as I was reading this- when these cars came out a little over ten years ago the automatic was featured as "filled for life." Of course, this is nonsense, a lot like wearing the same paid of shoes forever. Admittedly, this is an eight year old car, but it is one a long line of automobiles in a tradition of longevity.
Your post vindicates my belief in owner-maintenance and exchanging information online.
Please write back after a month or two and tell us if the problem has or has not occured.
My 1994 850T had a mimilar problem a couple of months ago. I was driving down the freeway in Houston when the arrow light came on and the transmission stuck in 2nd or 3rd gear. I pulled off the freeway and had the car checked the next day and the problem didn't show up. The next day on my way to work it happened again and I made it to the dealership. The gear selection switch on the transmission was replaced along with the switch on the gearstick and that solved the problem for me. A couple of hundred dollars instead of a couple of thousand for a new transmission. Apparently the car was designed with a 'get you off the road/home' in mind and this worked for me.
Star Volvo in Houston treated me very well and their diagnostic technicians recognized the problem straight away.
If you really need a solenoid, they are available separately from the dealer - you just need to find one with a parts department that's willing to look them up. My friend that runs a Volvo-Mercedes specialist independent garage changes them all the time.
Probably it's the pnp (aka neutral safety) switch. This can cause all kinds of trouble codes for the transmission (flashing up arrow), and can cause the transmission computer to "ask" the fuel computer to turn the check engine light. Once the problem is gone, the up arrow will turn off after the next start, and the check engine light will turn off on the start following 3 complete checks of the system without the problem returning.
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