Mary's '04 V70 is shifting strangely. Occasionally, it won't shift out of first. The sequence goes like this: Start. ABS light is off. Drive. Trans won't shift out of first. At about the point she would pull over, the ABS light comes on and trans shifts normally. It never does it for me.

Trans fluid was changed last fall. It is at 2 out of 3 bars in the 'Hot' section of the dipstick. ABS works, but the light is on and off erratically, all the time.

Why is shifting the transmission related to the ABS light ?

Thanks

Greg

Perhaps someone on Matthews lives in the Twin Cities area and has a scanner that works on ABS?
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My back feels better when I sit in a Volvo seat

I am just trying to bump this up to the top of the page.

Does the ABS light/message stay on until the car is turned off? The ABS does a self test at around 15-20 mph and if a sensor is messed up, that will trigger it.

The tranny fluid expands a lot when heated up. Check it once more with a cold tranny on level surface.
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My back feels better when I sit in a Volvo seat

Thanks for the bump.

The ABS light is pretty random. Mary's recollection is that it stays on when the shifting is a problem. Otherwise it comes and goes. IF it is on upon start up, it goes out as soon as the car gets to about 12 mph and then stay off. If it is off, sometimes hitting a bump will turn it on.

I'm starting to wonder if there is a common plug in the wiring harness that contains the ABS and TCM signals. Does the TCM get involved with the ABS ( speed signals, etc. )?

The fluid level should be very close to exactly right. The car was driven about 20 miles before I checked it.

Greg

The speed signal goes through the ABS on its way to the TCM. You might want to check the plug on the ABS, make sure it is clean and not loose. There are a million wires on that plug and it is between the ABS and air filter (my 850 anyway).
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My back feels better when I sit in a Volvo seat

You mentioned a while ago that there was a problem with one of the ABS wheel sensors, was that ever resolved? Did you try unplugging the ABS module and cleaning the contacts and plugging it back in again?

Is it time to trade the V70 for a 2012 Ford Flex? :)

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My back feels better when I sit in a Volvo seat

I had a look at the connector today and it was spotless. The car still acts weird randomly, i.e. speedo stays at 22mph, won't shift, ABS engages on dry pavement until the ABS light comes on and then all is well. Sort of.


Greg

I changed out the bum ABS sensor and that cured the brake weirdness where the ABS could be active at every stop. This is a new issue.

I called Borton Volvo, described the problem, and asked how much to scan the codes. The service manager said 'If the ABS light goes off, it is a voltage issue. If there was a hard fault in the system, the light would never go off.' BTW a scan is $135.

In the mean time the speedo started acting strange. It would 'stick' at say 60 mph (she won't admit to anything faster) even if Mary slowed down or sped up. Now the speedo seems normal, but the ABS light is on all the time and the brakes feel like the ABS is active at times (do-do-do-do).

A scanner, a scanner, my kingdom for a scanner. Well, not really. Mary can drive Xena now that the salt is off the roads and I have most of the quirks worked out. I put a 140 rebuild kit in the master, with a little modification, and found that the no fluid would come out of the front bleeders. The brakes work great, but no go on bleeding the fronts. Rebuilt calipers are on deck for tomorrow.

Back to the V70 for a moment, I cleaned the battery terminals, grounds, etc. and it didn't change anything. I'm starting to wonder if this is a vehicle speed sensor issue.


Greg


Greg

Did you know there is a USB cable for the speedometer?
http://www.volvopartswebstore.com/products/Volvo/2004/V70XC/Wiring-harness/1190231/8694540.html

Don't ask me where it goes!

As for Xena's brake bleeders, couldn't you just take the cap off and fish in a small wire to unplug it? Once it starts to leak out a little, put the cap back on and predeed to bleed the line?
Remember, the car usually sat from November to May - outside.

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My back feels better when I sit in a Volvo seat

To carry on the tradition, Xena sits outside all the time now. It is a car after all, not a farm tractor.

I removed the bleeders, stuck a wire in the hole and still nothing. I have fluid at the caliper fitting, but nothing comes out the bleeders. I talked to Eric at Hi Performance and he thought there was a seal ( I forget the name - transfer passage ?) in the caliper that had given up. They don't come in the rebuild kits, so rebuilt is the only way around it.

I have also replaced to hokey Weber air filter with a custom (that would look a lot better in italics) 14" job from Lou Feger's. The old element was little more than a couple pieces of dirty window screen. The new filter uses a paper element that will stop more than the full sized flies from getting sucked into the carb. The motor is a lot quieter with the bigger filter, but it still buzzes at ~3000 rpm.

Greg

Good to keep the black flies out!! That buzzing at 3K rpm is the throttle linkage, close to the firewall.
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My back feels better when I sit in a Volvo seat

I made a new shaft and rear bushing for the throttle linkage. That buzz was annoying. This buzz is quieter with my hand on the air cleaner. The air cleaner is two 14" spun aluminum dishes, looks good, but pretty light. I'm thinking of putting a layer of fiberglass on the lower half to stiffen it.

Greg