"either the linkage is wearing out, at the riveted L-bracket on one end, or the bushings in the linkage arms at each end are shot. A good used linkage might be $10 at a junkyard- nwe bushings are a couple bucks each at the dealer or FCP GRoton."

The bushing where the rod attaches to the trans lever is gone. However, woudn't i still be able to find reverse by slowly moving the shifter through its normal movement. somewhere between park and neutral. Also, why would neutral act like first gear. One more interesting piece of the puzzle found today. When slowly moving the shifter from park to rev., the car drives forward and you can hear and, feel in the shifter, the sound of what i would describe as, a gear turning and something rubbing lightly against the teeth. Sadly, I do not have much knowledge of the inner workings of transmissions.


Park - acts normal

Reverse- acts like park. the first day of problems, reverse tried to creep forward until you stepped on the brake then acted like park

Neutral - runs as if in first gear

Drive - normal

3rd - normal

2nd - normal

1st - normal

If this is a ZFHP22 tranny as Rob suspects (identified by the shift pattern
P-R-N-D-3-2-1) - then I have a question for you: Have you recently revved your engine to high RPMs while in Park or Neutral ? Say when jump-starting a car perhaps ? Because if you have - that's the easiest (and fastest) way to destroy the ZFHP22 transmission (see article). Ask me how I know.

I spent $1400 on a rebuilt one from Volvo 8 years ago (I didn't know about the brickboard then) - but have treated it deferentially since and it's worked great (so far). Not sure whether Volvo fixed the high-rpm-in-park problem when building mine, but I make sure never to race it in Park or Neutral.

Noel
'85 740 Non-Turbo with ZFHP22 tranny

It is my sons car and i hope he didn't because i had already warned him of that problem.

I think, if I had read a little more closely, I would have noticed that this was an early 740. The shift pattern itself should have made me pay more attention...
It's a ZF22 transmission isn't it? You have no "OD lockout" button, but rather D-3-2-1 on the shift lever. Well, I *hope* that your problems are confined to the linkage, or adjustment of the linkage, but in reading over what you wrote, I think there's something much worse. It's bad news, and the fixes for it are both tough choices.
The ZF disintegrates internally- I haven't seen the pieces but its been described to me as a spline on an intermediate shaft stripping out of it's gear teeth. The fix is a rebuild, and people I know with these have been quoted $900 for that work, in addition to the labor of removing and installing the trans. For a Ford Taurus owner, that's a normal occurrence- Volvo people don't expect such problems!
The cheaper fix is to get a good used (junkyard) 88+ automatic, the AW70 (AW71 from a Turbo is fine too) and do the swap. You would also need the complete shifter and linkage, and at least the front section of driveshaft- I'd get the whole thing. You'll need the overdrive relay as well, though that can be bought new or used separately.
Even with all these parts, I do not think you'll come close to the rebuild price of the ZF. The AW should essentially never need a rebuild, and good units are cheap and available, unlike the ZF.
All in all, I'd only consider doing this if the car is worth keeping. If it's very rough, it might be a good parts car for your next one. Sometimes whole cars can be bought for less than one of these repairs...
--
Rob Bareiss, New London CT ::: '87 244DL/M47- 234K, '82 245T/M46-182K, '84 242DL/AW70-100K, '89 244DL/AW70- 212K and I miss my: 86 244DL 215K, 87 244DL 239K, 88 744GLE 233K, 88 244GL 147K, 91 244 183K

Have a 1987 turbo wagon parts car from a friend that ran fine until it overheated (blown headgasket). Is this also the zf22 trans?