Hello All:

1967 Volvo 122S Wagon. This is embarrassing to admit but the important thing is to solve the problem. I checked the archive and found nothing of help; I find it hard to believe that this has not been covered before so maybe I am doing something wrong.

Some background: New York City kid, new owner of 122 with standard 4-speed (no overdrive), limited experience driving a stick, just a few friends' cars and a Formula Ford on some autocross days.

Anyway, as I have been learning the nuances of driving stick I was told that if the car is rolling you should avoid first gear entirely and just slip the clutch in 2nd. I have always found it a bit difficult to engage first once the car is moving, not just in "Virginia" as we call her, but in all standard-transmission cars. I do understand the concept of matching revs.

Anyway, Friday night I roll up to a friend's steep driveway in 2nd and slip the clutch as I work my way up. The driveway is not terribly long, but quite steep. At the top, smoke was coming out of the engine bay and the temperature needle was up near the top. Pretty stupid, I know. I was revving the engine quite high but it was all over so quickly that the incident was over before I knew it. Okay, next time I will stop the beast, throw it in first and do it the right way. That is what the damn gear is for in the first place.

Anyway, open the hood, not much smoke, examine the head gasket area, no blowout of oil, etc. I asked my friend who was with me (and quite honestly coached me on my boneheaded move in the first place) "did I just burn out my clutch?" His reply: "It does smell a bit clutchy." Yes, he is a Brit.

We restarted the engine and sure enough the temperature gauge dropped to its normal place. I drove home at the end of the evening without further incident and drove start-and-stop all day Saturday, around 40 miles, without any problem whatsoever.

Sunday morning, after driving around 5 miles I started having difficulty engaging first gear (or any gear other than reverse) from a complete stop. Far fewer difficulties engaging the gears on upshifts when rolling although not entirely free of trouble. Downshifts felt a bit rough as well.

We were able to get home and I am going out right now to check the transmission fluid level. The clutch master cylinder level is fine. Here are the questions:

Based on my tale, what do you suspect is the problem? I fear I know but want to check all avenues.

I checked the Clymer manual and it recommends using engine oil in the transmission. Is this what everyone else is using?

The clutch fluid looks a little darker to me than in the past. Is it possible that I boiled it and there is air in the line? The clutch pedal still feels pretty firm.

Any tips on the search engine of the archives would also be helpful. Everything I saw was for 200-series and later.

I sincerely apologize for the long post but I hope the detail helps to narrow down the problem.

Cheers,

Jeff Pucillo