High mileage XC90
Discussion
These 6 speed Aisin boxes were used by lots of manufacturers and it only really seems to be in the Volvos that they have a poor reputation.
In the case of the XC90, I suspect it's a combination of lots of factors. The 'box is within 30Nm of its torque capacity on this engine, the car weighs 2.2 tonnes and has AWD. Combine that with Volvo insisting the box doesn't need any form of servicing, and I suspect this is why they struggle. Also the filter is buried inside of the transmission rather than in the pan where it can be changed easily like on a ZF box, so prolonged filthy oil and an impractical to replace filter is also likely to cause problems.
Toyota, and many other manufacturers who use these boxes stipulate a visual check of the oil condition, and replacement if necessary at around the 60,000 mile mark. Volvo say that unless you're towing regularly, it doesn't need any attention at all.
In the case of the XC90, I suspect it's a combination of lots of factors. The 'box is within 30Nm of its torque capacity on this engine, the car weighs 2.2 tonnes and has AWD. Combine that with Volvo insisting the box doesn't need any form of servicing, and I suspect this is why they struggle. Also the filter is buried inside of the transmission rather than in the pan where it can be changed easily like on a ZF box, so prolonged filthy oil and an impractical to replace filter is also likely to cause problems.
Toyota, and many other manufacturers who use these boxes stipulate a visual check of the oil condition, and replacement if necessary at around the 60,000 mile mark. Volvo say that unless you're towing regularly, it doesn't need any attention at all.
The least scary service message popped up on the display last week
Shopped around, and as per usual, Volvo service parts worked out just as cheap as aftermarket stuff. Genuine Volvo oil, air and diesel filters, and 6 litres of the factory fill Volvo 0W/30 ACEA A5-B5 synthetic brew, plus a new sump drain washer for £130 delivered as a "service kit" from a Volvo specialist on eBay.
Volvo seem to go out of their way to make routine servicing as quick and painless as possible. Engine cover just pulls off. Air filter can be slid in and out after pulling off the cover, removing the easily accessible T25 Torx screws on the airbox lid and lifting it slightly (no need to disconnect the MAF or intake trunking, or disturb the ECM bolted to the lid). Oil filter is a replaceable element type in a housing right at the front of the engine with nothing in the way. Diesel filter is just ahead of the offside rear wheel, again with nothing in the way (you only need to put your head under the car). Undo the drain screw and empty the housing of fuel any trapped water, unscrew the housing, pull the old filter off, push the new one in, change the O-ring on the housing (supplied with the new filter), and screw it back on. Key on for 5 seconds or so a few times, you hear the electric lift pump whine and the fuel gurgling as it fills the new filter and primes the system, and you're good.
I used VIDA to reset the service warning, and also reset the oil level sensor after adding the correct 6 litres of oil. While I was in there, I also did a quick scan for fault codes. The ever present (and near universal) code for a borked interior air quality sensor was there, but this was also joined by a new one ECM-2A50 which VIDA told me is occurring intermittently (ie not on every operation cycle), and suggests the DPF pressure sensor its wiring needs some attention. The car is running fine and there are no warning lights on, but I will look into this next weekend. There is a method of testing these sensors, and replacement isn't difficult or expensive assuming you can avoid the fake "Bosch" stuff on eBay.
Thanks for reading. A few pics for anyone interested.
Shopped around, and as per usual, Volvo service parts worked out just as cheap as aftermarket stuff. Genuine Volvo oil, air and diesel filters, and 6 litres of the factory fill Volvo 0W/30 ACEA A5-B5 synthetic brew, plus a new sump drain washer for £130 delivered as a "service kit" from a Volvo specialist on eBay.
Volvo seem to go out of their way to make routine servicing as quick and painless as possible. Engine cover just pulls off. Air filter can be slid in and out after pulling off the cover, removing the easily accessible T25 Torx screws on the airbox lid and lifting it slightly (no need to disconnect the MAF or intake trunking, or disturb the ECM bolted to the lid). Oil filter is a replaceable element type in a housing right at the front of the engine with nothing in the way. Diesel filter is just ahead of the offside rear wheel, again with nothing in the way (you only need to put your head under the car). Undo the drain screw and empty the housing of fuel any trapped water, unscrew the housing, pull the old filter off, push the new one in, change the O-ring on the housing (supplied with the new filter), and screw it back on. Key on for 5 seconds or so a few times, you hear the electric lift pump whine and the fuel gurgling as it fills the new filter and primes the system, and you're good.
I used VIDA to reset the service warning, and also reset the oil level sensor after adding the correct 6 litres of oil. While I was in there, I also did a quick scan for fault codes. The ever present (and near universal) code for a borked interior air quality sensor was there, but this was also joined by a new one ECM-2A50 which VIDA told me is occurring intermittently (ie not on every operation cycle), and suggests the DPF pressure sensor its wiring needs some attention. The car is running fine and there are no warning lights on, but I will look into this next weekend. There is a method of testing these sensors, and replacement isn't difficult or expensive assuming you can avoid the fake "Bosch" stuff on eBay.
Thanks for reading. A few pics for anyone interested.
They are just great cars.
We have had 2 and both were very reliable with only the usual stuff needing looking at (suspension and brakes).
We towed a 1500kgs caravan with both and it was a great tow car.
Yes, the auto box is very slow when setting off which can be alarming if you're going for a gap
Both of ours were in the highest tax bracket being 06 and 07 reg cars.
With 3 kids they were perfect and the split rear tailgate was great for sitting having some food after a days mountain biking or walking.
I'm also a huge fan of the XC70 and, with only 1 kid left at home, would be a perfect "down scaled" XC90 to own.
Our present family car (X1) has been so good however I'm going to need to be at my "man maths" best to persuade the wife to change
We have had 2 and both were very reliable with only the usual stuff needing looking at (suspension and brakes).
We towed a 1500kgs caravan with both and it was a great tow car.
Yes, the auto box is very slow when setting off which can be alarming if you're going for a gap
Both of ours were in the highest tax bracket being 06 and 07 reg cars.
With 3 kids they were perfect and the split rear tailgate was great for sitting having some food after a days mountain biking or walking.
I'm also a huge fan of the XC70 and, with only 1 kid left at home, would be a perfect "down scaled" XC90 to own.
Our present family car (X1) has been so good however I'm going to need to be at my "man maths" best to persuade the wife to change
There's been very little generally to report in the past 6 months. This is one of those cars that just quietly gets on with whatever it's asked to do in a very comfortable and competent way.
I chanced a new valve body on the transmission, and a mate and I fitted it on a weekend, but it made precisely no difference even after resetting the adaptations. We got a nose in the transmission with the valve body out, and the bands we could see look in good condition. There are no bits in the oil, and it drained clean as a whistle after about 10,000 miles of use, I can't help wondering if it's not the gearbox but the torque converter failing, but I'm going to bite the bullet in the new year and book it into a local automatic transmission specialist who comes very highly recommended. It won't be cheap, but the car otherwise drives so well, I think it's worth it.
2 new front Michelins were fitted after this (dealing with the sole MOT advisory), together with an alignment as I'd had to drop the subframe slightly to get to the valve body. This sharpened the car up noticeably, especially the tendency to wander under braking. It's still no Lotus, but it's a lot better.
The only issue I've had was a chattering/rattling from the engine at idle, which I quickly confirmed was coming from the belt end of the engine. I took the auxiliary belt cover off and ran the engine, and could see the auxiliary belt tensioner jumping up and down in a way that it most definitely shouldn't have. The dreaded alternator clutch pulley problem.
Cheap to sort - a genuine INA item from a supplier I've used regularly on eBay came to £23 delivered, and about the same again for the clutched pulley tool kit from Amazon which is multi-application and will be handy to have in the toolbox. I tried to do the job with the alternator in-situ but the tool kept slipping whenever I swung on the spanners. Access is pretty tight, as the pic below shows.
Decided to remove the alternator (about 20 mins with the aux belt already off, so not too bad) and get it on the bench. This allowed me to look down into the pulley and see the alternator shaft end for the first time, which quickly revealed the issue. The splined fitting in the end of the alternator shaft was now borked thanks to Mr. Haynes stating it was a Torx fitting (and a Torx bit fits quite securely), but a Torx into a spline does not have sufficient purchase when torque is applied. It had slipped, and mangled the spline socket in the end of the shaft.
With hindsight, I should have realised Mr. Haynes was talking nonsense when he had incorrectly instructed me to "unscrew the pulley anti-clockwise". I'd at least had the foresight to check the replacement pulley which clearly had a left-handed thread, so at least I hadn't been wasting my time trying to undo it by tightening it!
After cleaning the swarf out of the mangled spline fitting carefully, I managed to tap the correct splined bit in and it held enough to crack the pulley loose. It was tight! There was no way that was being done with spanners in a confined space. The new pulley screwed on easily, and looks very shiny on a grubby 13 year old, 187,000 mile alternator. Fitting the dust cover was also far easier than it would have been with the alternator in situ.
After this, it was just a matter of refitting the alternator, reconnecting the wires, refitting the belt and starting it. The horrible noise/chattering has gone, and we now have a nice smooth sounding idle again. The tensioner is now remaining in one position rather than bouncing around as it was before. A multimeter confirmed the alternator was working and I hadn't damaged it, so it was happy days.
Thinking now is to get Christmas out the way, and then get the gearbox sorted.
Thanks for reading.
I chanced a new valve body on the transmission, and a mate and I fitted it on a weekend, but it made precisely no difference even after resetting the adaptations. We got a nose in the transmission with the valve body out, and the bands we could see look in good condition. There are no bits in the oil, and it drained clean as a whistle after about 10,000 miles of use, I can't help wondering if it's not the gearbox but the torque converter failing, but I'm going to bite the bullet in the new year and book it into a local automatic transmission specialist who comes very highly recommended. It won't be cheap, but the car otherwise drives so well, I think it's worth it.
2 new front Michelins were fitted after this (dealing with the sole MOT advisory), together with an alignment as I'd had to drop the subframe slightly to get to the valve body. This sharpened the car up noticeably, especially the tendency to wander under braking. It's still no Lotus, but it's a lot better.
The only issue I've had was a chattering/rattling from the engine at idle, which I quickly confirmed was coming from the belt end of the engine. I took the auxiliary belt cover off and ran the engine, and could see the auxiliary belt tensioner jumping up and down in a way that it most definitely shouldn't have. The dreaded alternator clutch pulley problem.
Cheap to sort - a genuine INA item from a supplier I've used regularly on eBay came to £23 delivered, and about the same again for the clutched pulley tool kit from Amazon which is multi-application and will be handy to have in the toolbox. I tried to do the job with the alternator in-situ but the tool kept slipping whenever I swung on the spanners. Access is pretty tight, as the pic below shows.
Decided to remove the alternator (about 20 mins with the aux belt already off, so not too bad) and get it on the bench. This allowed me to look down into the pulley and see the alternator shaft end for the first time, which quickly revealed the issue. The splined fitting in the end of the alternator shaft was now borked thanks to Mr. Haynes stating it was a Torx fitting (and a Torx bit fits quite securely), but a Torx into a spline does not have sufficient purchase when torque is applied. It had slipped, and mangled the spline socket in the end of the shaft.
With hindsight, I should have realised Mr. Haynes was talking nonsense when he had incorrectly instructed me to "unscrew the pulley anti-clockwise". I'd at least had the foresight to check the replacement pulley which clearly had a left-handed thread, so at least I hadn't been wasting my time trying to undo it by tightening it!
After cleaning the swarf out of the mangled spline fitting carefully, I managed to tap the correct splined bit in and it held enough to crack the pulley loose. It was tight! There was no way that was being done with spanners in a confined space. The new pulley screwed on easily, and looks very shiny on a grubby 13 year old, 187,000 mile alternator. Fitting the dust cover was also far easier than it would have been with the alternator in situ.
After this, it was just a matter of refitting the alternator, reconnecting the wires, refitting the belt and starting it. The horrible noise/chattering has gone, and we now have a nice smooth sounding idle again. The tensioner is now remaining in one position rather than bouncing around as it was before. A multimeter confirmed the alternator was working and I hadn't damaged it, so it was happy days.
Thinking now is to get Christmas out the way, and then get the gearbox sorted.
Thanks for reading.
Edited by Limpet on Tuesday 3rd December 17:20
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