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inoperative transmission "stuck in neutral' 850 1996

Here is the story of what had initially happened:

I went to the local Quick Lube to have the oil changed in my 850 turbo.
While there I saw that they had one of those machines that pumps old
transmission fluid out and new fluid in through the radiator cooling lines, so I asked them to do that. I told them that the lines on the left (driver's) side of the radiator were the transmission cooling lines, but as it turned out they were not, they were the water lines. So when they went to reattach them the brass ferrule that joins the lines to the plastic tank was over-tightened, and was leaking. To remedy this they cleaned the area real good with brake cleaner and then we dripped some super glue onto the area where the brass ferrule joins the plastic tank. We waited for the glue to dry, snugged up the connections a little more, and then started the car and brought it up to operating temperature, and the seal held. I drove it to the hotel, and the seal held from that short 4-mile trip.

Here is the question for the Brickboard:

I suspected that there was still a leak. The coolant level was low
(recovery bottle was empty) and so I got the idea that "just in case"
to put a bottle of the super-duty radiator stop-leak in the recovery tank, and then topped it off with coolant. I brought the car up to operating temperature, and everything appeared fine. Then after one stop, I proceeded on my trip. Six miles later, the transmission went in to "neutral". The selector was in drive but in any gear there was no "go" - the transmission would not engage. I coasted to a safe place to stop and opened the hood, and the recovery bottle was clearly full, and when I opened it the fluid gushed out under a lot of hot pressure. The liquid was gray, meaning the fluid was mixed with the stop-leak. I suspect that the WATER lines that go to the transmission were sealed up by the stop-leak, and that the transmission 'panicked' and went into 'neutral' because it sensed that there was not adequate cooling water circulating through it. The question is, could I flush the cooling system so that there is water circulating through the transmission again, and then the transmission would engage again? The other question is that would just flushing with water clear the passages in through the transmission? If not could I disconnect the radiator connections and clear the lines with a blast of air?








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    inoperative transmission "stuck in neutral' 850 1996

    Thanks for the advice guys. Klaus, as always thanks for the snarky remarks.








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      inoperative transmission "stuck in neutral' 850 1996

      I wanted to give you 40 lashes with a wet noodle, but that is hard to do over the WWW.

      Have you topped up the ATF yet? I know you are on the road a lot and spending $30 to get your oil changed is much easier than DIY and finding a place that accepts used oil.

      A novice that flushes transmissions, or a tech in a hurry, usually forces the fluid through a non-moving tranny at a very high pressure. That can ruin the vanes in the pump, dislodge any dirt, and possibly blow seals inside the tranny. That is why you should either DIY at home (30 minutes) or take it to a dealer/tranny shop.

      The quick lub person should have topped up the overflow bottle, run your car for a few minutes, and recheck the antifreeze level. The stop leak product you added is only good for metal leaks, not cracks in the plastic.

      I hope that topping off the ATF cured your neutral problem. After replacing the headgasket, you don't need any more problems.

      Klaus
      --
      1967 220 belonging to C.A. lives on








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    inoperative transmission "stuck in neutral' 850 1996

    I guess I agree with everyone here in saying that the quick lube place was a bad choice. But not to digress from the problem at hand.

    Everyone is right about the water and transmission fluid in the radiator. They are separate items completely.
    If you were unfortunate enough to mistakenly add water to the transmission I am sorry but it does not sound like you have as you refer to the antifreeze overflow tank.
    If you still had the transmission fluid changed by the quick lube it is quite possible that there is air in the transmission. If this were the case then the transmission can slip and disengage.

    I guess you need to answer and be more specific if we are able to assist you better.








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    inoperative transmission "stuck in neutral' 850 1996

    Mistake #1 - going to an oil change place. They use the wrong kind of filter.
    Mistake #2 - having a highschool kid flush the tranny
    Mistake #3 - using a machine to flush the tranny
    Mistake #4 - using the wrong hose?
    Mistake #5 - making things worse.

    The driver's side of the radiator has 2 reasonably small lines for sending the ATF to the radiator to help cool the ATF. It has nothing to do with antifreeze, the cooler just shares the same physical space.

    When the clown disconnected the LARGE water hose, he dumped a bunch of antifreeze. When he tightened the clamp he supposedly broke the fitting to the radiator? Then you poured in a bunch of stop leak garbage that probably clogged your thermostat?

    Did the tranny ever get flushed? Did you check the level of the tranny fluid with the engine running? Is the arrow flashing in the instrument cluster? Your tranny needs DEX/Merc II or III ATF.

    BTW if you ever pour WATER in a tranny, drive it to the junkyard first to save the towing fee.

    You will need a tranny flush, by an experianced mechanic. You will need a new radiator, from your description. You need a new oil filter. You need to flush your antifreeze amd put in some nice clean antifreeze that is designed for the Volvo engine.

    Klaus
    --
    1967 220 belonging to C.A. lives on








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      inoperative transmission "stuck in neutral' 850 1996

      +1
      --
      1998 V70 AWD->FWD->AWD Turbo 215k+








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        inoperative transmission "stuck in neutral' 850 1996

        Just to further clarify . . .

        . . . you are under a mistaken impression that there are "WATER lines" connecting the radiator and the transmission.

        That is wrong, there are NO water lines between the transmission and the radiator.

        Those lines are oil lines (ATF, to be specific) and there is an oil cooler that lives inside of your radiator. The transmission oil cooler and the engine coolant radiator never mix their fluids, they are completely independent units, except for the fact that they are physically together in an assembly.

        Klauses recommendation about a new radiator (and, therefor, transmission oil cooler) is also correct. I am not sure where you get this great confidence surrounding the use of "super glue," but I can assure you that it is misplaced. You may have been able to survive an operating temperature cycle or two, and a four mile drive, but hit your first pothole and I can guarantee you will be in trouble.







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