Thanks to everyone who offered tips on the ATF flush post that I made yesterday. I have completed the flush successfully. However, I have learned a couple of important things by making mistakes. Since this can be a very expensive way to learn, I thought that I should swallow my pride and share my experience with others.

First of all, the procedure for flushing the fluid is written up very well, with pictures, at OzBrick (google it). However, I must have suffered from a moment of dislexia. I drained the motor oil instead of the transmission fluid.

Let me be clear: the transmission cooler input line enters its cooler at the drivers side top corner, the oil cooler input line enters its cooler at the passenger side top corner. These two lines are identical in appearance. The photos in the procedure are very clear; I just screwed up.

I had just changed the motor oil prior to the transmission flush with Mobil 1. When I began the transmission flush, I saw that the fluid was brown. However, it was getting late in the afternoon and my light wasn't very good, another mistake and I know better. I ran the motor until I saw bubbles, shut the car down, and added 2 quarts of transmission fluid. I restarted the car, and immediately got bubbles again (because, of course, I was draining the motor oil instead of the transmission fluid.

The next thing that happened was I noticed that transmission fluid was being pumpd out of the dipstick tube and onto the ground. I stopped what I was doing and made my third mistake. I realized that I had the wrong line hooked up, but incorrectly assumed that I was hooked up to the transmission cooler outfeed. So, I hooked up the drain to the correct line and completed the transmission flush with much better results.

After checking the fluid level,I backed the car off the ramps, left it idling to warm up the transmission fluid and cleaned up the mess in the driveway.

I pulled the car back up to the garage to finish wiping down the front air dam (I'll be cleaning fluid off of the front of the car for the next several months) when I heard what sounded like a lifter starting to tick. I quickly shut down the motor and rechecked the oil level - nothing on the dipstick! I immediately recheck the capacities in my manual to reassure myself that I had added the correct amount of oil. Then I realized that I had pumped most of the motor oil out of the motor.

I checked with you guys to verify my mistake (thanks MadeInJapan for your prompt response last night!). So, I added the necessary motor oil and quit for the night.

This morning, I double checked all fluid levels, still heard the lifter, and decided that the lifter had probably collapsed, but the restored oil pressure/volume might pump the lifter back up. So, I said a prayer and made a quick drive. Much to my relief, the lifter quieted and the motor sounds like it always did (smoother and quieter with the fluids changed, though). The transmission shifts very well and has a more solid feel to it.

So, I'll keep an eye on the old girl for leaks and make sure that I didn't break any seals. And, I'll keep an ear out for that lifter as well. Lastly, I just hope that I didn't do any damage to her. I let the car idle while low on motor oil (I believe between one and two quarts was the minimum, based on the fluid in the flush bucket when I realized my mistake) for no more that 10 minutes. I also never let the transmission run dry; rather, I overfilled it. Again, it never ran for more that minute at a time for a total of no more that three minutes while overfilled.

Comments, please?



--
Ten Sleep 1980 245DL 1995 850 Turbo

Comments, please? Well to be brutally honest you might want to consider paying to have someone work on your car. The bottom end might be ok but unless you drop the pan and take a look at the bearings you will probably never know. You say that based on what was in the pan it had 1-2 quarts left in in, well how many quarts did you put back into it to bring it up to the correct level. That is your indicator of how much you pumped out. Having seen a few vehicle towed back into dealerships with drain plugs that have fallen out and other things that cause them to loose their oil I can tell you the damage happens fast. I have seen them swept under the carpet and I have seen people pull pans to find that the crank and bearings were toast. Ran it for 10 minutes with low to no oil in it, huh? I remember seeing a tech change the oil in a car, forget to put oil back into it, fire it up and rev it to 2500 RPM for a no load smog test. Yep, he smoked the motor in that car. As I recall it was a 94 or 95 940 turbo with less than 15K on it. If I were in your position I would just drive the darn thing and if a problem developes down the road then so be it otherwise you are looking at dropping the pan to take a look at the crank and bearings. If you really had 2-3 quarts of oil in it and can verify this and it really only idled for less than 10 minutes you will probably be ok. Pardon my skepticism but in my business you hear these sugar coated stories all of the time, you know the one that goes "I only drove it a mile to get it off of the freeway, how can the engine be barbequed in that time" Hopefully for you no permanent damage was done and in the future you might want to consider a competent Volvo independent repair shop.

Mark

Hi Mark,
A little harsh yesterday? Yeh, I know he probably drained all of the oil that the oil pump could get and that could be a real problem. Anyone who reads OZbrick needs to keep in mind that he is an Aussie and right and left are backwards to us.
If the bearings are a little thinner today than Sunday, he just won't get his 200,000 badge.
My real concern is that he ran the engine "until he saw bubbles in the line". He should have stopped at every 2 quart interval, bubbles or not. If you empty 4 quarts of ATF at one time, you will destroy the tranny.

Klaus
--
(V♂LV♂s 1975 164, 1995 854T, 1998 V70R)

Harsh? Well maybe just a little but mostly just realistic. I've seen engines seriously damaged doing less that what he did. I'd hate to see the guy do serious engine damage trying to save himself a buck on maintenance.

On the flushes I have always hooked up my gear, poured two quarts into the trans, fired the engine up and poured in the other two quarts while I pumped out a gallon of old fluid. Do this three or four times in row, until it flows clean and clear, and you are done.

Mark

Now that your oil and atf levels are correct, are you going to flush the tranny? We all make dumb mistakes. It makes us smarter.

Klaus
--
(V♂LV♂s 1975 164, 1995 854T, 1998 V70R)

I think you'll be okay...just make sure all of your fluid levels are right. You can use a piece of hose and syphon out what is over-filled. I'm glad you didn't put ATF into your engine. A little probably wouldn't have hurt but a couple of quarts and it could have been really bad news. I've done dumb things too, so don't feel bad. Just glad it wasn't a big mistake.
--
1998 S70 T5 Emarald Green Metallic, 2004 V70 2.5T Ruby Red, Previous Owner of Black '94 850 Turbo Wagon. My cars have been running so well lately they've got me worried.

Once I drilled a hole in my spare tire of a 1968 chevy Impala, mounting air shock lines.

once compression tested a b230ft withthe butterfly held open with a cable tie...forgot to remove it when i started the car.....they sound pretty loud at 6000 rpm!

(red face)

Back in the 70's, a future "mechanic" at a local high school's auto mechanics class (not me for a change) removed the carb from another students car and took it into the shop for rebuild. Forgot to leave a note to that effect on the steering wheel. The owner later jumped in and fired her up (literally). It started right up with no carb and there it sat with pure gas pouring into the open holes in the intake manifold. DOn't know how many rpm's it reached before flying to pieces.

glad it wasn't me

Back in the 70's, a future "mechanic" at a local high school auto mechanics class (not me for a change) removed the carb from another students car and took it into the shop for rebuild. Forgot to leave a note to that effect on the steering wheel. The owner later jumped in and fired her up (literally). It started right up with no carb and there it sat with pure gas pouring into the open holes in the intake manifold. DOn't know how many rpm's it reached before flying to pieces.

O.K. this sounds fun. I once, back in the day, was burning a few with some friends while changing my firebirds oil. Well to make a long story short and further proof of why they call it dope; I thought all was well until after pouring in the last quart of oil. My friends were laughing so hard because there was a big puddle of oil on the ground. I had forgotten to put the drain plug back.