Took in the 1991 940 wagon (267,000 KMs) for the spring maintenance about 10 days ago, which included fluid flushes. On the second day, the spring temperature having dropped to just above freezing overnight, it took about 1.5km of driving before shifting hard from 2nd to 3rd gear, revving like crazy at 35kph. Drove straight to the garage where they said a cable was kinked. It happened again the next day, drove straight back again. This time the kickdown cable was adjusted. This improved it slightly, so that it would kick into 3rd gear after a shorter warmup, and it does not repeat on a warm start. (So of course it did not duplicate at any time while at the garage yesterday...)It also seems to improve when the weather is warmer.

I read the advice in the transmission maintenance section of this board on kick-down cable adjustment and changing fluids to deal with late shifting. This was helpful but I wonder if the fact that the problem does not occur when the engine is warm, is relevant. I would really want to avoid a $1500 tranny job if I can. I think I have the garage convinced to try just replacing the cable and flush the transmission fluid again to get rid of any new dissolved guck after the first fluid change. They get major tranny work done at specialist shop. My only other option is to get an opinion from the dealer service dept. (Ugh!) Any advice would be much appreciated.

Dear mon,

Good p.m. and may this find you well. Your post raises a few questions:
(a) When was the tranny last completely flushed (i.e., all fluid replaced, versus draining the pan's contents, which are about 1/5 of the total)?
(b) When the tranny was last flushed, was Synthetic ATF used, or regular ATF?
(c) Is the ATF a pale rose red, or is it dark red, or is it brownish/black?
(d) Is the ATF clear, or it is cloudy/milky?

If the ATF is off-colour, i.e., not rose red, it is well overdue for a complete flush. This will take about 12 quarts of fluid: the AW71 tranny holds 9 quarts, so 12 quarts will ensure that all old fluid is removed.

If the ATF is cloudy/milky, that is a sign of water infiltration. That suggests a leak in the transmission oil cooler. This cooler is part of the radiator, on the passenger side (USA/Canada models). When this cooler fails, the radiator must be replaced. Flushing the tranny removes any trace of water. Water in a tranny attacks the glue, used to affix the clutches. Glue failure = clutch failure = tranny failure.

I'd reflush with Synthetic Fluid. If that - and a kickdown cable adjustment and/or replacement - does not put things right, find a good, low-miles, used tranny.

Do not have a rebuild job done. That's a waste of money. AW-71 trannies fail so rarely, that you can get them from a salvage yard, for short money (US$300). The salvage unit will need to be flushed twice: first with "Wal-Mart" ATF (Dexron III Mercon) - for 1,000 Km or so - and then with Synthetic ATF (e.g., Mobil 1).

Hope this helps.

Yours faithfully,

spook

Thank you Spook. That WAS very helpful.
So, the fluid looked fine, and they don't think the cable is defective.
In fact since last night it got worse - I had to drive almost 5 km before and after taking the train to work, before it warmed up enough to kick into 3rd.
The mechanic says - it's fuzzy for me, please be patient - something about the valves resealing when it's warmed. He says it will get worse and eventually stop. He will look for a used tranny, or a rebuilt one, and compare prices. Guess I'd better rent a car for a week...