At the risk of sounding redundant, I have overdrive problems. I have a 1985 240dl with 4 speed manual and 202,000 miles. The over drive will usually kick in if the car isn't thoroughly warmed up, but as it warms up, the OD won't work at all. I have 12 volts at the solenoid, I can feel the solenoid click when it is engaged while parked. I have pulled the solenoid and it checked out OK on the bench according to the test in the manual. I have also changed the tranny fluid. This leads me to one conclusion....a bad OD. I'm not prepared to invest this kind of money in the car cause it is a complete rust bucket and starting to have miscellaneous gremlins pop up. What about this Oil in the tranny thing? I have read that this may fix it. What weight of oil? I have read other people saying definitely DO NOT put oil in the tranny. Why not? Most other auto makers use Oil in a manual transmission, don't they? Volvo experts, I implore you to bestow wisdom upon me. Thanks

The OD rebuild is really quite easy. Just work clean , and as you disassemble it , lay all the parts out the way they come out to aliviate confusion The directions look complicated, not because it is , but because they are very complete, and don't leave you guessing.
Duane definately has the best price on parts (and the right parts too)
You might want to rebuild( internally re-seal ) the solenoid while you're down there ( Duane has the parts for that too, ( I think he's the only one you can get those parts from ) very cheap compared to a new solenoid and very easy to do .

In the absence of low and old transmission fluid, you are due for some work, but not replacing the whole OD. IF you do it yourself, is the vehicle worth about $40 in parts if from me and 4 to 5 hours of work underneath to get your OD back? Adjust that by double parts and the hourly rate of your mechanic if they do it instead. Since your post indicates you took the solenoid off, my guess is a DIY.

Your problem !if not low or old fluid!, the actuating piston seals are starting to fail. Eventually you will reach a point where the OD will "shudder" upon engagement, not work when warm, then the OD will not work at all even though the solenoid and relay are working properly.

You must live where it is warm most of the year? No cold below 20 degrees F? Or have just moved into an area where it is colder than the previous residence. For your OD to just now at that many miles to just start indicating worn seals points to that assessment. Or you are not the original owner and the previous owner had them done. The colder the climate zone, the sooner the seals fail.

If you are in that warm zone where the temp does not get below 20 degrees F, you can use straight 30 weight oil instead of the Type F ATF fluid. Some on the board will recommend a synthetic oil or trans fluid. Your choice. At this point fresh lube is just a delay of the inevitable. How long new/different oil will stave off total seal failure is anybodys guess.

With regards to the why/why not of the oil usage. The OD could care less about what lube is in the system. It is only concerned that it does not foam or become too thin at higher temps.

The trans gears on the other hand are really worried. Fluid too thin and with not enough cling will not stick to the gears or get squeezed out from between the gears increasing wear. Fluid too thick may not get into bearings and between syncros causing wear from lack of lubrication. Too thick also causes hard shifting as well as not flowing during cold operation periods.

See the Features section of the Board and go to the 700/900 FAQs. Under transmission there is a section on OD R&R.

Duane

Correction: 75 mph in fourth is about 3100 rpm, not 3600. Thanks

I'm guessing you hit the nail on the head. I live in Omaha, Nebraska and it's pretty darn cold here right now. I bought the car with 185,000 miles on it and believe that it spent most of its life in Kansas City before it got to me. Sometimes it does shudder when I engage the OD. Here's my next problem. I checked out the OD rebuild under FAQ and it looked like brain surgery to me. If you say it will take 5 hours, it will probably take me 15-20. I will have to try during my vacation next month. In the mean time, will it hurt the car to drive 75 mph in fourth gear. This puts me at about 3,600 rpm. My commute to work demands about 60 miles on 75 mph freeway. Do you think this is safe or should I drive something else in the meantime.
Thanks for your help.
John

Not even close to brain surgery. To change just the actuating O-rings requires removal of the OD. Like changing a clutch only not the weight.

I can do just the actuating piston seals in about an hour and a half. Since this would be your first time, it would take you up to the 5 hours. All the others internally can wait for a while as they do not need the OD off the tranny to replace.

As far as the high revs, daily at that RPM for that duration at those miles would not be prudent IMHOp.

Duane

This sounds like the fourth gear lockout switch. Are you sure the solenoid is engaging when everything's hot?

Your transmission/OD ABSOULTELY needs oil. Without oil it'll burn out in no time. If the oil's low, the OD won't engage, though it usually behaves opposite to your symptoms -- no engage when cold, engage when hot (as the oil level drops to a critical low level). Use 30ND oil or ATF.