Looking at a 2004 S80 T6 that the seller claims needs a new transmission. Have not worked on these cars before. What is the expected life of an S80 transmission? 200k? Are junkyard units reliable? Online junkyards say $500 for used unit, 1.8k for rebuilt.

Also, how hard is R&R? Does the engine+transmission have to come out for the two to be split? Is a lift necessary?

thanks!

Looking at the Haynes manual removing the transmission is a big job. It comes out from underneath. Haynes rates it as 4 out of 5 wrenches so it is doable. They do list some of the torque values.

If you are really interested in this car and have to time and inclination to change the tranny, you could offer $100 per ton for the car. That is about what he will get for it...

Greg

I've never done it but I've read about it - no small task! See the links below. You probably don't realy need all of the special Volvo tools listed. Its for an XC70 but the procedure will be similar. The problem is that since the transmissions on these cars are their Achilles heal, finding a "good" used one is a dicey proposition. Yeah, they can guarantee it, but YOU'RE the one that's going to have to remove it the second time when you find out you got a bad one. Purchasing a rebuilt from a reputable rebuilder might lower the risk but raise the cost. In order for me to purchase a FWD Volvo with a bad tranny, the seller would practically have to GIVE me the car. But only you can place a value on your time and patience. Good luck whichever way you decide to go.

http://www.v70xc.com/0/resources/how-to/pdf/XC70_P2_AW50-51_Trans_Remove.pdf

http://www.v70xc.com/0/resources/how-to/pdf/XC70_P2_AW50-51_Trans_Install.pdf

"...What is the expected life of an S80 transmission?..." Any where from 50.000 to 350,000 depending on how well it was treated - Regular fluid changes, driving it in a sane manner, etc.
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Current rides: 2005 Volvo S80 2.5T, 2003 Volvo V70 2.4NA, 1973 Volvo 1800ES (getting ever closer to road worthiness)

Thanks - Where are the pdf's from? No torque values though. Is the Haynes manual sufficient? Is there a recommended workshop manual?

"...Where are the pdf's from?..."

They're on this web sight:
http://www.volvoxc.com/

Haynes is a "pretty good" repair manual - better than Chiltons in my opinion. Probably nothing beats a genuine Volvo manual.

For our S80 and V70, the only Haynes I could find was the UK RHD version. Still a good manual though. I just open the book and hold it up to a mirror. Just kidding, of course.
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Current rides: 2005 Volvo S80 2.5T, 2003 Volvo V70 2.4NA, 1973 Volvo 1800ES (getting ever closer to road worthiness)

Yeah, I had a Saab 9000 and currently "drive" a '95 940. Both have UK only Haynes. Nothing quite like going into the auto parts store and mentioning a "spanner".

I had a used 2005 T-6 with just over 60k miles when transmission started to go. Sold it as-is. I didn't think it was worth the trouble to fix. T-6 engine gets hot and the electronics are iffy. If you must have it go with a rebuilt trans, or pass on the purchase and save some grief. Plenty of good used without problems like that.

Thanks for the frank opinion. $2900 (asking) seems way too high.

OMG! $2900 is about right for a perfectly good running 2.5T in fairly nice condition.

Examples:

https://texoma.craigslist.org/cto/d/2005-volvo-s80/6294686823.html

https://killeen.craigslist.org/cto/d/volvo-s80/6339043472.html

(Actually the 2003 is probably a 6 cylinder, but you get the idea.)
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Current rides: 2005 Volvo S80 2.5T, 2003 Volvo V70 2.4NA, 1973 Volvo 1800ES (getting ever closer to road worthiness)

Also, the price differential between 2.5l and 2.9l automatic transmissions at online junkyards is incredible. On ebay (for example) the used 2.9l transmissions are $1100 while 2.5 run ~$400. Wonder why this difference exists - just volume/supply?