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Let me stress again... I don't know that it's a ZF tranny -- somebody else who's more familiar with earlier Volvos can better answer that question. Werick's post above indicates that the ZF was used in '86 non-turbo cars. Is yours a turbo or not?
Here's what I can tell you about the ZF tranny:
It was used in BMW cars and Land Rover trucks at least throught the mid-90s (maybe still being used). And it has a terrible reputation for longevity/durability. You do not want to buy a used/automatic BMW or Rover with 150K miles unless you can confirm that the fluid has been drained/flushed every 20K miles. Even then, I'd have to think long and hard about it. What's a shame is that neither BMW nor Rover called for this short an interval for their tranny fluid. If they had, the trannies would likely have lasted longer and they wouldn't have the reputation they do -- plus customers would be much happier.
The most widely known failure of these trannies comes when they are revved in neutral -- apparently this is something that's required for emmissions testing. ZF equipped cars are now exempt from this part of the emmissions test because testing facilities kept cooking the transmissions.
The consensus seems to be that the ZF is an incredibly smooth, nice driving transmission. But not a very strong one. The AW trannies -- like the one in your '89, and in my '93 -- are not particularly smooth, but they are tough as nails. I've heard of guys on this forum who have swapped out a perfectly good ZF tranny in favor of an AW, simply because they knew it was just a matter of time until it crapped out on them. To me, that seems a little extreme, but in your case, you are removing the tranny, and you have a doner. I'd go ahead and swap over to the AW. Again, if indeed you have a ZF in your '86.
Good luck.
Jeff Pierce
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'93 945 Turbo (201K miles), '93 945 (140K miles/I maintain for a family member), '93 945 Turbo (sold w 145K miles), '92 Mercedes 190E (174K miles), '85 Jeep CJ-7 w/ Fisher plow (225K miles), '53 Willys Overland w/ Fisher plow (sold to a loving home)
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