[joshofalltrades]

i have two 240s, a 78 and an 84, both of which have issues with the electric overdrive on their manual trannies.
the 78 works great in average temperatures, but at high temps will slip or disengage the overdrive randomly.
to solve this i'm contemplating adding a small amount of heavier oil, as it appears that the oil becomes thin enough at high temps to not maintain enough pressure to remain engaged.

the 84, on the other hand, works great sometimes, and the rest of the time it will delay the shift by anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes. this delay happens when shifting both in and out of overdrive. the indicator light responds immediately as we press the switch, so i don't think its an electrical problem
i'm wondering if the PO had the same problem as the 78 did and attempted to correct it as a thought of doing.

is this a common set of problems? and where is the problem most likely to be? note that i'm not afraid to tear into the tranny if necessary, as i've rebuilt several different trannies, both manual and automatic.

thanks--josh

 

[Admin]

You could install an overdrive solenoid bypass kit from IPD as an economical fix. You won't be able to downshift into 3rd gear by pushing the button after installing this kit.

http://www.ipdusa.com/Volvo-200/Transmissi...9-266-672-1891/

 

[joshofalltrades]

You could install an overdrive solenoid bypass kit from IPD as an economical fix. You won't be able to downshift into 3rd gear by pushing the button after installing this kit.

http://www.ipdusa.com/Volvo-200/Transmissi...9-266-672-1891/

mine are both manuals, not automatics.
another site suggested both problems may be the solenoid, so i was thinking about trading the solenoid between the two cars to confirm if the symptom follows the solenoid

 

[jerry]

The '84 could have a problem with the wire that goes to the solenoid or to the reverse lockout switch. I had this problem with an '81. The early 80s cars had poor quality wiring.