Volvo Transmission Fluid Flush 

Yes! Thank you for this, pinned it for others to see. I ended up adding another half quart afterwards on level ground, so it is important do check on a level surface.

Came here to ask about this. I figured it had to be level for that measurement.

What are the part numbers for drain bolt and washer? Thanks

I had the same issue. Glad this worked for ya!

Are you pulling off a different line for the flush or have you come up with a different flush method? Genuinely curious what you're doing differently.

​@@garrett_turbod For this particular transmission, most people just drain out whatever will come from the drain plug (I think ~3.5-4qts for this transmission), then add what came out plus about 1 qt extra, idle and shift through the gears for a couple minutes to mix up the fluid. Repeat that a few times, then bring temp to 50-60C then drain off the excess through the center screw of the drain. A "partial" fluid change can be done with as little as ~4qts with this method. A more thorough change that gets the fluid looking transparent pink again takes more like 15qts. Pulling the cooler line and idling as you demonstrated is a way to get a couple "dirty" qts of fluid pumped out more directly, so that there's less dirty-used fluid in the system to try to "dilute" out using the process above. Your technique will achieve a higher ratio of "new" fluid for the number of qts used in total, however, one might argue that the hassle of doing it this way, including the possibility of needing new 0-rings for that seal, or new clip, and trying to figure out a way to connect hoses, and all the extra potential mess if a hose comes off or the collection bottle falls over, isn't worth the hassle compared to just mixing a few more qts through on the process described above using the drain and fill ports on the transmission.

@@mdocod Sure, a drain and fill is another acceptable way of changing fluid.

I understand what you're saying, the logic makes sense. This procedure is what the Volvo service manual suggests. I'm not certain as to why this is, maybe as a preventative measure to ensure no air is pulled into the pump?

Same engine/trans. For me it came out of both.

You can but wait until everything is at room temperature, then measure the fluids. You want to account for thermal expansion

Likely yes, but I'm not familiar with the S40's

It's been a while since I've done this process so I think the video is a better resource. Looks like drain the trans first, then fill back up and then flush it.

The vehicle was in park, yes.

I don't have VIDA also. I just reset the TCM with my OBD scanner after I'm done.

7 liters

Yes. A drain and fill works just fine as long as you're measuring the fluid quantity that came out.

@@garrett_turbod thanks very much for your reply I've wanted to know this for a long time now ,good video bud , I'm glad I found it now .

@@garrett_turbod thanks bud that's what I will be doing

1/2 OD tubing. No connectors. Watch what I did in the video. It's just a slip fit, not pressurized. Just slip it into the female connector.

Meh, trade off is having to replace the clutch. And realistically, 90% of people don't change their fluid and don't have any issues.

Kinda agree...been a manual shifter all my life... for various reasons just gone for a used Xc90 V8 Volvo automatic... and the ATF is a bad colour! The stuff I am seeing and reading here on YT is doing my head in! "Must do this" "Must do that" "Must use Genuine Volvo/Aisin" " Spec JWS3309" Give me (And everyone else) a break. The same boxes are used in Mercs & BMW's to name but two alternatives. When is someone going to have the guts to stand up and say: 99% of ATF's on the market are compatible with every gearbox.... Or...If not: Explain? I just spent over $150 on an ATF "Synthetic" to do a flush on my recently acquired Xc90 V8...Aisin Box.... Needs 7lts.... I buy 12.... It's made by Petro-Canada... "Volvo Approved" ...up to a point.... "May not give the same MPG as that specified by Volvo"..... Oh.... FFS! It is going in!

@@garrett_turbod Replacing the clutch is simple compared with this nightmare! Interestingly: "90% DON'T change the fluid and have no issues"? Can you qualify that...with any references/links?

@@patagualianmostly7437 Replacing the clutch is easy? Sure mate...

I believe it was connected to the oil cooler up top, though don't think any oil is going to come out from there since the thermostat hose is disconnected.

2nd hose goes on the transmission connection where you took off the hose from. Fluid will come out of that port too.

Also wonder.

@@KarlssonnsKlister flushed my car 1.5months ago, think it's 12mm innerdiameter. I'll controlmeasure and post here again. Bought the hose on Bauhaus for about 50sek.

The black hose is in the other side of the connection. So I put a hose in each side of the removed connection because I didn't know where the fluid would come from. The black hose wasn't necessary.

You don't like inline 6 Volvos?

You're in luck, it isn't. The future of cars will be electric motors with exactly ONE rotating internal part, bolted directly to a compact, single-speed reduction gearbox. No complex Rube Goldbergesque multispeed transmission with half a dozen or more gears, and hundreds of precision parts, servos, sensors, actuators, or torque converters. Few hoses, no emissions sensors, and little generated heat in normal power installations. The entire "power unit" takes up about 1/5th the volume of space of a conventional engine and transmission - less compared with the gargantuan dinosaur V8 systems. I really enjoy tinkering with my 2011 C70 T5, but I absolutely love the sublime simplicity and reliability of my 2019 Kona electric, and my 2024 Ioniq 5! No lag acceleration with "thrust" you can feel in your shoulders as the seat is driving you forward with full torque from 0 rpm.

Not a stupid question at all. First of all, the procedure is to warm up the fluid to check the level, not necessarily mix it (however it does happen). In an automatic transmission like this one, the torque converter is what couples the transmission and engine. So, while the wheels are not spinning, the torque converter within the transmission coupled to the engine side IS spinning and creating heat as a result of the fluid friction between the spinning and non spinning turbine. Having the vehicle in drive and brake torquing puts considerable load on the transmission thus creating heat.

@@garrett_turbod Thank you for your reply to my question. Most helpful. This is the next job on the list. My car is now at 70 k. You would not happen to know why i have to insert my key twice on every occasion would you. The fist attempt the car hardly ever starts. On the second attempt it starts every time. I have tried foot pedal combinations and battery changes, but nothing. It does make you panic for a second when you are far from home, but on the second insert it comes to life with zero concern. ( This is my last question I promise ;-) Thank you.

@@elmafudd9703 Mine does the same sometimes

Transmission flushes are pretty widely debated thought the Volvo community, many will say it's unnecessary and that their car has 300,000 miles on it without an issue - others claiming they flush often... I believe in regular maintenance regardless of driving habits or mileage. With this being said, Volvo doesn't suggest an interval for fluid flushes while other manufacturers (such as GM) who use the same gearbox suggest 60,000 miles. I would stick to 50-60k for flushes and use the Volvo or Aisin brand fluid.

@@garrett_turbod Thank you very much for help!

Just to add something that might be useful: ZF recommends changing the fluid for the 8HP every 8 years or 80k km, so take that as a point of reference. Even though your car may not have 60k mi, the fluid should be changed after certain amount of time because its performance reduces over time. I know this is the TF80-SC but it is some useful info.

Aisin (tranny manufacturer) says flush after 60k km (40k miles)

It's Vida.

Link in the description

Appreciate the feedback. It's been a while since I've looked at the procedure in VIDA; when I made the video I followed the process from VIDA. The process indicated to remove a specific amount of fluid at a time to prevent the starvation of fluid.

meh, there is no load on the trans. It should be fine for a few secs

Indeed, the level should be set with the car level.

Thanks for the feedback.......

No Mikael: With the engine stopped the oil level increases as the Torque Converter drains. The level plug gives the correct level with the engine running after the final fill. But it should be off the ramps & level when doing the final fill, with oil above 50°C. (Confirmed below by GP MFG....answering "Hey Sporto")

The transmission has a pump in it which circulates the fluid. If the engine isn't running, the amount of fluid in the transmission will be much higher than if it's running. This means if you set the level with the car off, the fluid level will actually be too low.

That's correct. No need to worry, it won't cause any damage. This is the Volvo service procedure, follow it and you won't cause damage.

@@garrett_turbod Thanks for this great video.

Yes you are correct. No need to observe trans temps if oils are measured correctly taking thermal expansion into account

TF-80SC

@@garrett_turbod Thank you Garrett. Do you know if these trannies, ie TF-80SC and AW55 50, follow same procedure and specs?

@@alexmessina3383 sorry I do not know that. Look up "Mathews Volvo site" on RU-vid. They have a video about your transmission

Appreciate that/ thanks!

The fluid counter is used in the transmissions on board diagnostics. It determines fluid degradation due to high temperatures, high loads, etc. If not reset, it's possible your transmission will have faults as it doesn't realize the fluid has been replaced.

@@garrett_turbod Thanks for the response! So this implies the physical operating characteristics of the transmission changes over time based on fluid viscosity or degradation? Geeze! Any idea how these changes are made? I guess the counter is not just informational for maintenance decisions?

@@dragonrider837 That's a great question, I doubt these transmissions are THAT sophisticated but you never know

I purchased the DICE module from eBay. It's a knockoff but it works fine. VIDA can be found on swedespeed. There's a few write-ups which also contain the software.

I use the VIDA VM from volvodiag.com/. They also have downloads that you can do a full local installation, which is a huge PITA as he mentions in the video. Using the VM was simpler for me. I converted it to run inside VMWare Workstation, but Virtualbox (what the image is designed for) should work fine too.

@@garrett_turbod I was lucky enough to get a genuine volvo VIDA for pretty cheap off of a SwedeSpeed member, so I can use Bluetooth with it :)

When the car in up in the front, the fluid is angled in the gearbox. So, either pull the plug out on level ground OR lift the rear of the car as well.

There's no filter

@@garrett_turbod there is but inside gearbox. To change it u have to disassembly whole gearbox :(

As far as I know, no.

@@garrett_turbod tks

⁠@@naboleiausa273it does and it is hidden behind the differential, so even if you take off the valve body you won’t be able to replace the filter… that’s a boomer

1/2" OD

Good question. I assume an Allen head.

So it is it seems

Yep. This has been mentioned by many. The top comment has been pinned with my response outlining this mistake.

Most modern cars no longer use dipsticks. Any new American car that I've seen uses a "sealed" transmission, meaning the manufacturer believes it never needs to be serviced....

The only way I do.

Still gotta maintain what's on the road guy.

Also... Electric cars are not maintenance free

Not sure how my waist has anything to do with your money. In all seriousness though.. many people including myself disagree. It's your opinion and I respect that.