Hi all,

New to the board and new to Volvos. We just bought a 91 745T (automatic transmission) with 166K, and due to lack of knowledge/foresight, ended up with a car that has a DEAD overdrive. Relay, connections, and solenoid have all been checked, but still no 4th gear. Turns out the solenoid is also dead, but the mechanic said when he swapped in a new one, nothing changed.

So, here are my questions.
1) Other than the dead O/D, everything else on the car is mechanically sound/strong. Even the transmission is smooth through the other 3 gears. How reasonable is it to drive this car as a 3-speed, especially since we do not need it for highway commuting or long trips?

2) What options are there for rebuilding the transmission, and what is a ballpark figure in terms of cost?

3) If we choose to swap out the transmission for another unit, what should I look for in a used or remanufactured transmission? Cost? One quick e-mail to a local dismantler got me a quote of $450.

4) Is the AW71L in a 91-97 940T the same as the one in the 740? Does it bolt right on, or does it need modification? I ask because it seems that there's a better chance to get a low mileage unit that way.

Thanks in advance for reading through to the end and for any answers that are out there. Wish I'd found you 2 weeks ago!

Edd

Hi Edd and welcome to the board.
These transmissions are robust and they last for a long time,i would not think about changing it yet.
Is there power going to the solenoid itself?How about fuse #12 (if memory serves).Your mechanic has to do lot of checking yet.Anyway you will find a lot of info in the 700/900FAQ in the feature button above.Click on AW70 transmission,and you will find what you need.
Good luck,welcome to the board again and keep us posted.
George.

Thanks, George.

In response to your questions, yes, all fuses and relays have been checked and confirmed as good. Wiring connections are also good, and power is sent to the solenoid, although the solenoid itself is dead. A replacement solenoid did not activate the O/D, however.

The mechanic diagnosed the problem as an internal failure. He said that the solenoid opened a valve in the transmission assembly that then engaged the O/D gear, but his guess was that the valve was shot and could only be corrected with a rebuild (which they don't do).

Anybody have any thoughts on the diagnosis?

Thanks again, Edd

the AW71 on my 760GLE had broken connections on the solenoid. i resoldered those and it still didn't work. so i just got a switch to hook 12V up to it and that solved it. no more stupid relays and crummy momentary push buttons. my AW71 has 240,000 miles on it.

Hmmm that sounds interesting. Where did you pick up the switch and how did you mount it/ wire it in?

Got any pics or diagrams of what you did?