Andypick
Hi
Ok it seems a good idea to change the transmission oil but I cant get a specific oil change for the 2003 XC90 2.5T , only a 2004 but his has a different gearbox and filter and I think this is the GM trans and 2.9 engine.
I have bought a 2003 filter and gasket but on this Aisin gearbox I can'y find the filter ?? is there one ?
Car has done 235k and it has the Aisin ( Japanese ) gearbox and apparently " fill for life " ?? There is a 24mm drain plug at the base of the gearbox and a yellow stick on the upper side for access ? is there a fill level hole too ?
I'm looking for a basic oil change procedure please ?
Thank you Andrew
timbo
Filter is internal so you cant change it unless you pull the gearbox apart. Best bet is to warm up trans fluid with a short drive and undo the 24mm and measure what you drain, top up with the same amount (through yellow dipstick tube) you removed and repeat this process 3/4 times depending how clean it comes out on the 3rd drain.
Canoe
This is what i did on my camry.
I dropped the oil out of the pan. Man, black as.
Then put in 4 liters of fresh TF,
I drained the pan, because if you just put in new oil, as it comes out, then you have diluted fluid in the pan, when what you want is new stuff geting pumped around into the rest of the tranny.
So right from start, its not diluted, but fresh stuff from the pan.
Then drained out 3, then put in 3. (leaving one liter always in the pan)
Repeated this, till id used 12 liters.
Oil color HEAPS better,
Changes better. When first going from park to drive, it doesnt "thump" anymore. Nice and smooth.
Probably do this again in 12 months.
Also put in Nulon tranny additive. This made the tranny a lot smoother last time i put it in over a year ago.
Glad i did the whole thing, considering how black the TF was!
I did this with someone helping and it took ten minutes.
On my own, probably 15mins.
Andypick
Cheers guys , i'm going to do the ATF change this weekend along with a few other jobs it needs : )
Canoe
Thought Id update what happened.
I dropped the oil out of the pan. Man, black as.
Then put in 4 liters of fresh TF,
I drained the pan, because if you just put in new oil, as it comes out, then you have diluted fluid in the pan, when what you want is new stuff geting pumped around into the rest of the tranny.
So right from start, its not diluted, but fresh stuff from the pan.
Then drained out 3, then put in 3. (leaving one liter always in the pan)
Repeated this, till id used 12 liters.
Oil color HEAPS better,
Changes better. When first going from park to drive, it doesnt "thump" anymore. Nice and smooth.
Probably do this again in 12 months.
Also put in Nulon tranny additive. This made the tranny a lot smoother last time i put it in over a year ago.
Glad i did the whole thing, considering how black the TF was!
Canoe
Andypick;c-161443 wroteCheers guys , i'm going to do the ATF change this weekend along with a few other jobs it needs : )
let us know how it worked out.
There are some good videos on this, on youtube, which i followed.
Ex850R
Take note, the other method I have had done at the shop is to take off a cooler line hose and pump out an amount with car running,stop,fill,repeat until clean. I've done my car both ways and the missus with pan drop complete fill. Both better. I used penrite in both.
Now, Mark at berry motors had his xc90 done by another shop and the gearbox imploded.
If you stir up particles it can cause failure or what I think they call "shocking" with new fluid and it causes it to fail. I expect for that to happen it would be on the way out anyway....
Others have used nulon atf and had good and bad.
Penrite is good for us.
Canoe
Ex850R;c-161450 wroteTake note, the other method I have had done at the shop is to take off a cooler line hose and pump out an amount with car running,stop,fill,repeat until clean. I've done my car both ways and the missus with pan drop complete fill. Both better. I used penrite in both.
Now, Mark at berry motors had his xc90 done by another shop and the gearbox imploded.
If you stir up particles it can cause failure or what I think they call "shocking" with new fluid and it causes it to fail. I expect for that to happen it would be on the way out anyway....
Others have used nulon atf and had good and bad.
Penrite is good for us.
With Marks tranny, you have no idea how it was done...and therfore the reason it "imploded".
If you do not leave one liter of ATF after each drain, air gets sucked up into the tranny...or, as you say, small debris is sucked up into the tranny if you drain it completely.
Which is why i drained my oil 100% through tranny sump, THEN re-filled before the first "flush" with engine running. BUT always left a liter in the sump.
So unless we know the method used in Marks tranny, we cant say for sure why the tranny failed.
If air gets in to system, does it self bleed? Dont know. Hence the reason you make sure you leave one liter in the pan. The method you used, is the method i used...and had no dramas.
Andypick
Hmmmm ok getting a little confused, how would you know you left a litre in the transmission ? or you just guessing/approximating ?
Not got onto transmission change yet : ) Engine mounts , MAF and Temp coolant sensor change today : )
BTW Penrite is a great product and I'm happy to use it but exactly which ATF ?? there are many
Canoe
Andypick;c-161459 wroteHmmmm ok getting a little confused, how would you know you left a litre in the transmission ? or you just guessing/approximating ?
You find out how much the sump holds. If it holds 3 liters, only pump out 2.
timbo
@Canoe Considering that there is a number of areas that dilution will occur eg: trans cooler/torque convertor that hold at least half the total trans fluid, and that the "sump" is on the front side of these gearboxes, not the bottom like a camry, youre just confusing people.
The easiest process is to drain it at the 24mm bolt and measure what you get out, then refill it drive it around a little and repeat the process 3/4 times
Canoe
timbo;c-161479 wrote@Canoe Considering that there is a number of areas that dilution will occur eg: trans cooler/torque convertor that hold at least half the total trans fluid, and that the "sump" is on the front side of these gearboxes, not the bottom like a camry, youre just confusing people.
The easiest process is to drain it at the 24mm bolt and measure what you get out, then refill it drive it around a little and repeat the process 3/4 times
The area you refer to, is it a "sump" or reservoir from which oil is then pumped to other parts of the tranny?
timbo
Its certainly the sump
Canoe
timbo;c-161483 wroteIts certainly the sump
So instead of trying to dilute all areas, start with one part that can have pure new oil.
Andypick
Ok cheers guys. Will drain , fill same , drive and repeat. :)
Penrite oil but which one ? There’s a few.
Thank you ??
timbo
Brand doesnt matter too much what ever full synthetic multi-trans fluid you can get in 10litres
Andypick
Ok thanks guys for the advice : ) much appreciated as it allowed me to tackle the job with a level of confidence.
I did the Automatic transmission fluid change and glad I did it was brown like my Grandma's gravy : ) without the lumps !! bless her.
Simple process for anyone considering it, I have to stress I'm no trained mechanic (purely DIY ) and maybe my simple destruction's below maybe a little flawed but I think it may help someone with a 2003 XC90 with the Japanese manufactured Aisin automatic transmission. Youtube has the 2004 XC90 and its very different.The Aisin tranny is supposedly maintenance free......me thinks not !
So, I drained the Automatic Transmission Fluid ( ATF ) from the 24mm drain plug at the base of the gearbox/sump and almost 4 litres came out and it was very brown : ( , I drained it into a drain pan that gave me a rough guide to the amount that came out. You could always pour it into a empty 5l oil container to see how much you have removed. But what you take out you replace the same amount.
Replace the 24mm drain plug and filled using an oil funnel, one at least 30cm long makes it easier and preferrably with a detachable flexible spout as the filling hole is down amongst hoses. I poured the new 4L of ATF straight into the filler hole indicated by a yellow dipstick about the size of a two dollar coin. Its situated about 10cm in front of the radiator unlike the 2004 XC90 where its at the rear of the engine again only what I watched on the youtube video that shows an ATF change.
Drove the car around the block for around 5 minutes and repeated the process above 4 times until the transmission fluid was "almost" like the new fluid. I debate you would get it absolutely the same colour with this method ?? stand to be corrected there.
Once I had completed this you can then measure and adjust accordingly to the markings on the yellow dipstick. Interesting to have this indicator on a supposedly maintenance free gearbox : )
After the ATF change the gear shift is smoother and the slight initial pull from take off has been eliminated and it does appear quieter ? could just be me. The gearbox wasn't bad to start with this procedure was purely a maintenance precaution for me. There appears to be no adverse effects of performing this fluid change.
I used Penrite Multi vehicle Automatic transmission, Full Synthetic.
On another note I purchased a 2003 XC90 filter online ( there are two different ones ) and it does not fit the Aisin box, I think its for the GM gearbox. So if anyone needs one PM me.
Hope this helps
GaBXC
The marketed so-called "maintenance-free" transmission is based on their calculated vehicle life of 5 years (we all know cars lasts longer than that!)
There are two methods used changing the tranny.
The drain & fill method (the one you did) and the Gibbons method.
The drain & fill is the easier method but it doesn't clear all the dirty away and only dilute it.
The Gibbons method (remove the hose from the oil cooler, starting and stopping, etc) is more thorough and can remove all the old oil - hence why it is the method found on VIDA. (Imagine a pipe, where you push the old liquid out by replacing it with newer liquid). If done properly, you can completely flush out all the old oil.
Problem is, it is more technical and you would need a VIDA Dice or a diagnostic tool to check the oil temperature when checking the tranny dipstick as it would be overfilled/underfilled by the end of the procedure. I've replaced heaps of tranny fluids on different volvos and I always use the Gibbons method as I have the required tools.
By the way, the proper way to check he dipstick is to run it to a certain temp (80C, if I am not mistaken), stop at a level surface, run the shifter through all positions, stopping for about 5 seconds each place, then check the dipstick level WHILE THE ENGINE IS HOT AND RUNNING! (I know, it's a bit of a hassle. I didn't come up with this process) . This should be on the top line marker.
This is why I'm loving the 6-Speed TF80SC on my D5! You just run it at a certain temp, then remove a drain plug at the bottom. It drains it to the proper levels.
alcraig
GaBXC The marketed so-called "maintenance-free" transmission is based on their calculated vehicle life of 5 years (we all know cars lasts longer than that!)
There are two methods used changing the tranny.
The drain & fill method (the one you did) and the Gibbons method.
The drain & fill is the easier method but it doesn't clear all the dirty away and only dilute it.
The Gibbons method (remove the hose from the oil cooler, starting and stopping, etc) is more thorough and can remove all the old oil - hence why it is the method found on VIDA. (Imagine a pipe, where you push the old liquid out by replacing it with newer liquid). If done properly, you can completely flush out all the old oil.
Problem is, it is more technical and you would need a VIDA Dice or a diagnostic tool to check the oil temperature when checking the tranny dipstick as it would be overfilled/underfilled by the end of the procedure. I've replaced heaps of tranny fluids on different volvos and I always use the Gibbons method as I have the required tools.
By the way, the proper way to check he dipstick is to run it to a certain temp (80C, if I am not mistaken), stop at a level surface, run the shifter through all positions, stopping for about 5 seconds each place, then check the dipstick level WHILE THE ENGINE IS HOT AND RUNNING! (I know, it's a bit of a hassle. I didn't come up with this process) . This should be on the top line marker.
This is why I'm loving the 6-Speed TF80SC on my D5! You just run it at a certain temp, then remove a drain plug at the bottom. It drains it to the proper levels.
Can I come around to your place and we can flush my tranny together? I'll bring the fluid and the beer,