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Frank--the advice you received on changing out the tranny oil is sound. Do it. I just bought a 97R wagon with 50K on it. I noticed the second day of driving it, that it started to shift a little rough as I came to a stop at a light. Most times yes, sometimes no. But it was there. Also, there was a definite bump when you shifted from park into drive or into reverse. I pulled the tranny dipstick and the oil was reddish brown and stunk. If you've got all those miles on that tranny and it is shifting rough, I would definitely change it out and replace with Mobil 1 ATF immediately. The oil will set you back about $5.50 a quart and you will have to hunt for it. Try NAPA and then if that fails, a bulk distributor. If you're driving a turbo, definitely switch to Mobil 1 engine as well. Wal-Mart has some exclusive on five-quart containers of Mobil 1 and it is unfortunately the cheapest place to buy it. 10-30 is the all around best grade, 5-30 the next best if you're in cold country. Wal-mart does not stock Mobil 1 ATF, though.
Flushing the transmission is simplicity in itself. Get an empty milk jug, and mark exactly with a black marker pen two quarts on the side. Disconnect the tranny hose at the top of the radiator on the passenger side. It has a clip that holds it on, and it will take a pair of needle-nosed pliers spread it open to spring it apart to get the hose out. Buy about three feet of 1/2" inside diameter clear plastic hose. Push the male end of the hose you disconnected into the end of the plastic hose and insert the other end in the jug. Get a long slender funnel (another Wal-Mart item) and insert it in the dipstick opening of the transmission. Get someone to hold the jug. Get in the car and start the engine. Don't get paranoid about oil shooting out of the disconnect in the radiator. It won't. It's all from the hose into the jug. Shift the lever back and forth from park to reverse to drive, etc., and watch the jug fill up. If your helper sets it on the battery, you can easily see it from inside. Will take about fifteen or so seconds. Turn the engine off as soon as it reaches the two quart mark. Two quarts is about when bubbles will start to appear in the line, but to keep things accurate, I only pump out two, and then add two. You won't get three out of the transmission, so don't try. Empty the jug into a bigger container, and then add two quarts back via the long slender funnel. Be careful that the funnel doesn't pop out of the dipstick hole as you're filling, like mine did. Bit of a mess, so be careful. Shift the gear shift lever back and forth each time you pump out two quarts to empty the different compartments within the transmission. Leaving it in park all the time won't do it. To do a good job on an engine that hasn't had the fluid changed in a long time, flush with twelve quarts, or two half cases, as it is usually sold. If the transmission fluid is really dark and smelly, I would flush twelve quarts of Dextron through it first as Klaus on this BB suggested to me, belatedly, as it only costs about a buck and a half a quart, and then flush with twelve quarts of Mobil 1 ATF. Check your brakefluid as well. Look at the reservoir. If the fluid is amber to dark, change it asap. And only use Volvo brakefluid. Though it's Dot 4, not all Dot four fluids are compatible with each other, like engine oils are. Play it safe on that one. Dick
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