Mobile In Maine | Forum

Drain and replace transmission fluid is next. The Chargers had a partially closed system. This Volvo is completely closed. Remove air box to gain access to where fluid is added - hopefully we can break the nut. Car needs to be jacked up level at four points. Easy peasy drive up on the ramps for two. Remove splash shield to get access to drain. One main drain fitting with a smaller overflow fitting to prevent adding too much fluid.

It's easy writing it. It sounds fairly basic and straightforward - I wish. I do love being intimate with the tranny and the manual mode shifter and all, so I would really like to get this done.

Shit Outta Luck (Almost)


Occasionally, I would think about how "lucky" I am that every time my car had issues, it was never in any of those remote areas I often find myself in, but last night that all changed. It was only about 30 miles NE of home, but it was one of those long dirt roads with no signage. I could've returned on the more heavily traveled east and south route, but instead I opted for the less traveled west and south route instead. The route I chose basically involves piecing together secondary roads until you eventually get to where you are going.

I soon ended up on a dirt road that branched off into two narrower roads, so I turned around and went back. I then ended up on another dirt road that was pretty much a dead end, so once again I turn around and go back. It was on this second dirt road that after I turned around the CEL starts blinking and the message says: reduce speed or shift up. This is a BIG red flag for ignition coil and/or spark plug failure, and since these Volvos are known for this I do have an emergency roadside kit.

I plugged in the scanner and scrolled until I eventually found a "cylinder 4 misfire". So, I'm popping the hood and ready to get to work on that cylinder when I thought maybe I should scroll down in the scanner data some more to see if there are any other codes that might be relevant here. Sure enough, right after the cylinder 4 code there is also a cylinder 6 misfire and a random misfire code. That combination of codes is highly unlikely, so I'm thinking I'm going to erase all the codes and restart the car to get fresh data.

So, I restart the car and the CEL is no longer blinking and everything seems normal again, but that's enough excitement for one night, so I change my direction to east and south and everything was fine on the way home.

It was very windy and rainy earlier in the day and sometimes water/moisture can find its way to electronics and short things out. The harness for the ignition system is getting old, so I'm going to have a look at that today and probably tape a few wires up. That's probably all it needs, and then hit the road for a vigorous test drive after and see how it goes.