Engine Rebuild and New Wiring Harness -- Transmission Problem!

Hey all,
I got the engine on my 1987 740 GLE put back in and runs fine. Now here
is the mechanic report.

What concerns me is the dashboard lighting up and the transmission not
shifting well. The transmission seemed fine before the engine was
pulled and the wiring harness replaced. Any chance of a wiring glitch?

Here's the mechanic report:"

I started the engine and took it down the road. The engine
runs fine. However, with the transmission in drive it slips so badly I
can't get the car up to speed. If I run through the gears manually it
seems to do better. I think the trannie is going south. There are also
electrical problems that I can't figure out. After going down the road
about half a mile, every warning light on the dash came on except for
the low oil pressure light. I got it back home and parked it in front
of
the shop."

 

I am trying to think of anything that could have changed since the
rebuild. So far I can think of:

1) new wiring harness

2) I cleaned the engine compartment and might have gotten water in the
tranny with the motor off. (This is a guess - not sure if this is
possible

3) having the tranny dismounted from the motor and towing the vehicle
mutiple times may have dislodged "stuff" in the tranny.(dirt, grime,
particles?)

Why else would a tranny start slipping when it wasn't before?

 

Was the trans serviced in any fashion - fluid changed etc?

 

No. When I got the car not very long ago, it had major engine oil
leaks, so we drove the car only short distances around the
neighborhood. Then we pulled the engine about two months ago to put new
bearings on the crankshaft.

During this time the car was towed to my house on a trailer twice, with
the engine out, so I could do other work.

Finally, the engine went back in last week, with a new wiring harness.
The mechanic said an oil pressure sensor was bad and no oil pressure.
He replaced that and said it worked.

Next he said he thought the fuel relay was bad because he had to force
starting fluid in the intake to start it - I told him there was a
spare, new relay in the trunk he could try.

lastly, he said when he got the car started, the rebuilt engine ran
perfectly, but every light on the dash lit up (except the oil pressure
light) and the tranny slipped badly.

Thanks,
JB

 

Service the transmission.

I can't recall if it has a filter or screen: if so, replace / clean it.

Change the fluid.

As for the lights coming on: sounds like a short somewhere: if it keeps
happening, take it back to the guy, or failing that, to an auto
electric shop.

(I would suggest troubleshooting the wiring yourself, but I assume you
don't know how to)

 

Thanks,
mechanic still has the car, i haven't seen it. Mechanic is a friend of
a neighbor, working in his spare time as a hobby. I trust the mechanic,
but he's new to Volvos, so I am trying to come up with answers to help
him out. He's charging me very cheap labor, so I'm trying to help out.

I agree with the service of the tranny. but those dash lights are
weird. maybe incorrect wiring harness installation?

 

Yes, especially if it never goes out.

Check connections near alternator, starter solenoid, and ignition.

Compare it to the wiring diagram.

 

"maybe incorrect wiring harness installation?"

Could be.

Have you emailed the vendor, Dave Barton?

He'll probably know.

roll dem bones

 

Gary/Bones:
Thanks guys. I measured the radius on the harness and know about where
the connector should go. Problem is I cannot locate anything to plug
into. I could easily make the harness, and plug the end at the firewall
into the obvious connector. But, at the other end near the starter, I
would not know what to plug it into. We looked and looked - and could
fine nothing.

Yes, I emailed Dave Barton and am waiting for an answer.

 

If the lights all come on, the alternator is not putting out juice. What
shape is the brush pack in? Check the ground wire on the alternator too,
and any other wiring going to it. It's part of the harness you replaced.

 

Thanks - will check!

 

Check the transmission fluid level. There may have been substantial
loss if they disconnected the cooling lines. Don't know about the
wiring, except that bad grounds are a common problem.
--







http://freevision.org/michael/index.html

 

Thanks all. Fluid, filter change, check all connections.

Will do.

JB