Some of you may remember last summer when I tried to take my, then new to me, 1995 945 from Kentucky to Maine. I got 50 miles out of town and burned an exhaust valve. I had to limp home on 3 cylinders and get my 1983 diesel Benz to do the trip.

So, I’ve been driving the Volvo since early fall, and I decided to try it on another trip. This time I was going to Port St. Lucie Florida to check on/clean up my mother’s condo so that she can sell or rent it.

I was just running around town picking up some stuff for the trip, and hadn’t actually left town this time when the Volvo went down. Of the six or eight Volvos that I have owned, this one has been the only hard luck car.

This time it seems to be the automatic transmission or torque converter failed. Here are the symptoms. I drove about 4 miles and then parked it for about an hour. The transmission was working perfectly just like it had for the past 7000 miles. When I returned home with it, it seemed like it was not shifting into 4th gear. I later realized that it was in 4th, but that the torque converter was not locking. When I got home and put it in reverse, I had no reverse. There were no noises, but reverse felt the same as neutral. I drove the 4 miles back again to pick up the Benz. On that drive I noted that the electric switch to shift in and out of 4th (overdrive) does still work, and I verified that the torque converter is not locking.

So, does this sound at all familiar to anyone? I kind of suspect the torque converter, except I have no idea if that could cause the no reverse problem. Alternatively, I thought maybe a port has plugged or a valve has stuck. However, I have never had an autobox apart, so these are uneducated guesses. Sorry, but I did not have enough light or patience to properly check the fluid level, but the stick was plenty wet when I pulled it out.

I’m packing the Benz this morning for the Florida trip, so there will probably be some delay before I can respond back, except that I will check in just before I pack the computer. I hope the Benz does as well on this trip as it did on the Maine trip.

Charley