Volvo Maintenance Hints for 7xx/9xx - Bill Garland's Nuclear ...

Torque Converter. The TC will pull straight out ... or fall out if you tilt the tranny too far foward. I removed my replacement pick
& pull convertor to replace the main front seal. I let the TC drain into a clean coffee can to get all the old ATF out of it. After
replacing the seal and pouring some AFT into the converter it's very important to seat the TC properly on the oil pump drive ...
The converter should slip onto the drive and seat below the edge of the bellhousing, not flush with it. Turn it back and forth
until it slips in to place. If it's not seated properly or slips forward out of seat as you install the transmission in your Brick, the oil
pump drive will not be properly engaged and things will get chewed up when you start the motor. A properly seated conveter
will sit about 3/4" below (or back from) the front edge of the bell housing.
Engine Rear Seal. Now is a perfect time to renew the engine rear seal, which requires removal of the transmission.
Parts Renewal. I removed the TC and then using a seal puller removed the front main seal. Slathered a generous amount of
ATF of the new seal and carefully seated it so it was not cocked. Make sure you lube all new seals. I also replaced the cross
(selector) shaft seals,solenoid and cooler line o-rings, kickdown cable o-ring and kick down cable, pulled the pan and cleaned
it and the pan magnet, pulled the mesh filter screen and cleaned it, and replaced the pan gasket. Replaced the rear bushing,
oil seal, and gasket. I also put in new nylon shift linkage bushings and overdrive solenoid o-rings. All this is a lot easier to do
when the tranny's out of the Brick ... and if done correctly will assure you not a drop of ATF will leak out of your new autobox.
On reinstallation, I replaced the kickdown cable. I filled the new box with approx 8 Qts of Mobile 1 synthetic ATF and a dose of
Lube Guard.
Valve Body Service. See Brad Wightman's illustrated FAQ description of the valve body service in AW-7X series transmissions. Don't so
this without the Volvo illustrated OEM manual.
AW Transmission Parts and Rebuild Information. [Tip from Frank] The AW (Aisin Warner .... Asia's version of Borg Warner) is the most
common import tranny out there from Toyota to Isuzu. There are several good service books, better than Volvo's own technical publication.
My suggestion is to call either of the two suppliers below & ask for the best novice book they have (Trans Mart will even give you the info to
get it yourself if you wish, but Trans Star won't). Read the book cover to cover before touching the tranny. I'd even go so far as to suggest
you get the service updates manuals from the same location. If you decide to rebuild your unit, here are the best places in the United
States for a transmission kit & parts:
● Trans Mart (division of ATC Distributing) phone# 800-633-3340 (they'll give you a number that is closer to you). GREAT customer
service
● The next best is Trans Star 800-321-8830 (they're a little higher on parts & their customer service is good.)