1989 Volvo 740 Manual Transmission Problem

It could just be a worn transmission - that tends to show up in the lower gears. If it does it less in Winter, you might try a heavier weight oil in the trans.

Inside the transmission: As long as the gear, in this case second gear, runs perfectly true to the mainshaft then when the slider engages the gear during a shift everything lines up and locks up perfectly. As the transmission wears, the bushing that is pressed into the gear and upon which it rides, wears--due to age an lack of oil changes. Once the bushing is sufficiently worn the gear can wobble on the main shaft. Then whenever the gear is unloaded, when you let up on the gas, the teeth on the cluster gear and 2nd gear misalign enough that the cluster gear teeth actually push the gear away from the engagement slider and into neutral. That's what's going on and has been the same in manual gearboxes since they've been installed in cars. The cost effective solution in your case is to pull the trans, replace the clutch and install a new to your car transmission. The price you would pay for second ghear and a trans overhaul would be astronomical.

Bob

Although it is probably inside the tranny, you should check the engine and tranny mounts to ensure they aren't torn in two. I had a 1970 145 that started popping out of 4th gear when I let off the accelerator. It turned out to be that the engine was twisting enough to cause the shifter to bump against the tranny tunnel and pop it out of gear. Lifting the boot over the shifter should give you a view of the action, too.

Mike

Thanks for everyones replies on this problem.

The dealer took the transmission apart, and said the 2nd and first gear need replacing

I am annoyed, since the dealer never indicated that a transmission oil change was necessary in all the 200 K on the car

Thanks to every>Description:

Bob,

Thanks for your reply.

The dealer has taken the transsmission apart, and said the 2nd gear is damaged.

I am furious, since they never told us to change the transmission oil in the time we had it (200K now)

Do you think they were negligent?

What would you suggest doing ?

Do you have a real email where I can reach you ?

Thanks

dlow AT goodmedia DOT com

Interesting, I have a '89 240 with similar miles and never had the manual transmission fluid changed despite it having been serviced by volvo. I presume it is not part of the service schedule?

I find this hard to believe. Unless the car was abused somehow I fail to see how the "second hear is worn" Just how much driving does one do in second gear? I had two Volvos that would pop out of gear ( I do not remember which) and in both cases it turned out that the rubber boot around the shifter stiffened up with time.

Regards,

Boris Mohar

Got Knock? - see: Viatrack Printed Circuit Designs (among other things)

void _-void-_ in the obvious place

Before JD Power survey results became important a 30K service included all the fluids, all the filters, and ignition parts replacement. Once the Japanese cars deleted all service except oil changes for the first

100K or 4 years their maintenance costs on the JD Power survey were miniscule compared to there European counterparts that had always stressed preventative maintenance that included much more prefailure replacement of fluids and parts. The upshot was that suddenly the weighted value for 100K and 3 year ownership pushed the CSI (Customer Satisfaction Index) for European cars to the bottom of the list. In order to bring the maintenance dollars spent to a more competitive level, coolant changes, trans oil changes, and diff oil changes disappeared from the scheduled maintenance list; this cut the parts cost by a little (10%) and the labor cost by a fair amount (20-25%)most places. The oil change interval had been based on a 12000 mile per year usage until 1976 or so then raised to a 15000 mile per year, then 20000 miles per year, now 22500 miles per year and the service interval was based on performing maintence every three months or once every season.

Bob

rdietzatrdgautodotcom

Obviously you've never driven in rush hour traffic in the NE US or California. In DC rush hour starts around 5:30 AM and continues to about

9:30 PM ;)

Bob

The upshot being that you can spend the better part of a commute in second gear. 1st owner lived there. 2nd owner--probably a teenager used second gear to slow down every time they felt racy or feisty (that should cover about 95% of the time) 3rd owner gets a well used car.

Bob

Depends how it's driven. I've seen plenty of well worn syncros in the lower gears, some people are a lot harder on the transmissions than others.