340 automatic problems

[bookerboy]

hi im new to all the forums .i had a 340 for about 5 years then realised i really liked them so bought a 340 dl d reg with only 19000 miles ran it for a while .then it started over heating garage said there was some problem with it changeing gear.they said it wasnt worth repairing.has any body any ideas on what it could be and how much and where to get the parts from.thx ps still got less than 20000 its mint

[petefarrell360]

Hi and welcome! Firstly, where abouts in the country are you? As depending on where you are, someone might be able to take a look, if you're anywhere near Bucks or Oxfordshire I'd be happy to try and help.

My first very pessimistic but often right hunch is that the garage doesn't know what they are on about! I'd imagine they have no idea about the variomatic system not changing gears as a standard automatic does, thus seeming like it is stuck in one gear. The variomatic system is an odd beast, but a very good system once understood and maintained.

One quick question, the low gear hold down by the gear selector isn't on is it? That's the switch next to where the rear wiper swithc could be under the handbrake. If so that would prevent the car changing up so to speak and would limit the car to a speed of around 40 mph really.

I'd imagine they don't know anything about the cars and don't really want to get involved, but rather than admitting that, they've classed it as old tat, told you it's not worth it, despite the car being low mileage and as you say mint.

I'd firstly check the cooling system rather than the transmission. The car may be working harder if the car is revving too high, but the cooling system should be able to cope. Does the electric fan kick in when it gets warm, the white fan behind the radiator? Is the coolant level right and has the coolant been changed recently? Is the radiator damaged or leaking or blocked? Just a few things to start with.

Parts are becoming a little hard to find since Volvo has discontinued many of them, however between us on V3M, we can locate most things. There are a lot of aftermarket items, some of dubious quality, others very good, so it's a case of mixing second hand parts, pattern bits or genuine parts if possible. Try your local motor factor for some items, you may be lucky. When it comes to items specific to the variomatic system, you are a little more reliant on second hand parts.

Does the car still drive ok other than the over heating problem, have you noticed any change in the driving experience of the variomatic? Does the car have a rev gauge fitted, and if so what sort of engine speeds are you getting to road speed, to gauge an idea of whether things are correct or not?

Sometimes the vacuum pipes that help operate the system can either come off, or the rubber can perish and the pipes can fail, that is another route to look into, but I still think the transmission may actually be ok! One other thing, does the car begin to move as soon as you start to apply the accelerator, or do the revs rise a lot before it moves away? If it isn't engaging quite early on it can show signs of the clutch being out of adjustment, (in case you didn't know there is actually a centrifugal clutch in the sytem, despite it being an automatic!).

I hope these things help, let us know how you get on. If you've got a sound car bodywork wise, these things are pretty simple to work on mechanically, and can often be fairly cheap to maintain too if you can do it yourself or know a useful mechanic. A rusty car is going to be a lot more expensive to repair than one with a mechanical problem in the case of the Volvo 300, so stick with it and I'm sure we'll get it sorted with the knowledge on here!

Pete

[bookerboy]

HI thanx for your reply im in yorkshire so its a bit out of the way.I will look in to some of the things and let you no what happens hopefully get it back up and running fine.

[filthyjohn]

Anywhere near Sheffield? I'll be there tomorrow and could perhaps have a quick look at the symptoms if that helps?

[SteveP]

Nice to see you got here... I think I replied to your thread on the Volvo Owners Club?

Ignore the garage about not being worth it, it definitely will be with such a low mileage. Stick with it, I'm sure you can find the problem with our vario experts

[morgan105]

If the radiator is missing a lot of it's cooloing fins this can cause it to overheat. Turned out to be this on my wifes 340 auto.

[nomead]

Yeah I'm still not a vario expert, having owned one for just a few months now, but I can definitely say that sounds more like a cooling system problem than a variomatic problem. Mine is running with somewhat high RPMs, slowly making a diagnosis on the cause of it and learning a *LOT* in the process... but it has never overheated. When standing in traffic, the coolant temperature rises a bit and then the electric fan goes on for a while. When driving on the highway the temperature stays just fine.

I'd check the usual suspects, thermostat, coolant level, water pump, air in the system, radiator condition, electric fan... as mentioned earlier. None of these are specific to variomatic models though, or indeed even Volvo-specific. Any garage that knows about cars in general should just ignore the variomatic (if it still drives OK) and concentrate on the cooling system.

Although I'd have to agree with the garage about not being worth repairing - that's because although you may have found an almost mint individual, it's still old(ish) and will need more care and maintenance than a more modern car. If you can't work on it on your own (at all), this will get expensive in no time... but that still doesn't mean it should be abandoned. These are perfect cars for learning car tech, there's not too much complicated technology and even the CVT bits are actually relatively simple. And I'm sure we'll be able to help you when needed.