I have a 1994 NA 940 which I bought a couple of months ago. Everything has been working just fine, so far I have only done the usual maintenance: new plugs, wires, distributor cap, rotor. I did see an improvement on my gas mileage after I replaced a busted plug wire, but the thing still feels sluggish, especially after I drive my old 240. The thing that has me worried is that the transmission seems to 'slip' [I don't know how else to put it] when shifting from 1st gear into 2nd; the higher the load, the longer it takes for 2nd gear to fully engage after the shift [when driving with a light foot it shifts ok]. The other thing I have noticed is that if I am cruising on the highway and suddently let go of the gas, the transmission never disengages. This is not the case on the 240, so I am wondering if it is normal on the AW71 with the torque converter.

Regards

I'd do a complete flush as Spook suggests. Be sure to use a Dexron type of fluid.

You may have the locking torque converter. This locks at speeds above 45 mph and doesn't disengage until your speed drops back down to that. On the highway this tranny feels much different than the non-lockup. On mine it sort of feels jerky when I quickly let up on the gas.

Dear Wilhelm,

May this find you well. Do you have the maintenance records? If so, when was the tranny flushed? If you know the previous owners - and they'll talk - try to get the maintenance records. If they don't have them, ask they where they took the car to be serviced. If it was at a Volvo dealer, if you give them the last six to eight VIN digits, they should be able to pull-up the maintenance records. If you offer to cover their copying/postage costs, they likely will send you a copy, especially if you ask them to "white out" previous owner's name/address (they'll want to protect their former client's privacy).

Assuming you don't have and can't get any maintenance records, get the tranny flushed and re-fill with Synthetic.

That may cure the problem. It could also be that the overdrive solenoid is "gummed up" and/or otherwise defective. I believe that this is easily remedied. Others, more expert, will follow along.

Hope this helps.

Yours faithfully,

spook