i have a 340 1.4 with the cvt transmission,

the cvt is working fine at the minute but i understand that the life of these can be short and the repair bills can be huge.

i was wondering if the cvt can be replaced with a modern style automatic transmission? and if it can how big of a job is it and whats involved?

anybody done this before or know if its even possible?

all input welcome

The life expectancy can't be that bad bearing in mind the last 300 was made sometime in the early 90's. So i can presume you autobox/belts/blackmagic is still the original 20+yrs on? I doubt many modern auto boxes will last aswell.

If it ain't broke don't try to fix it

fair point... it does only have 60000 on the clock,..... i only asked as the last mechanic to look at it told me that cvt's wernt to be trusted and id be better off replacing it, i guess its possible he was just doing the usual trick of trying to get me to have unnecesary work done :S

spike4073 wrote:...as the last mechanic to look at it told me that cvt's wernt to be trusted and id be better off replacing it...

which also means the mechanic hasn't a clue about CVTs

Find someone who does know - and they'll be perfectly reliable. The clutch gap needs adjusting every now and then, and if it's still on its original belts it might be an idea to check their condition.

For more information read this:
http://www.volvo300mania.com/forum-uk/v ... =39&t=3803

Cheers

Tom

Yup, I'd agree with Tom here, don't take it back to him. The CVT is reliable, but only in the hands of people with a clue. Most garages really don't (i.e.... when you MOT it make sure you don't let him rev it in park... or you'll be in for a clutch too)

I agree with Tom. I've heard many cases of mechanics having no clue what to do with the CVT and just telling the customer to scrap the car because it's beyond repair.

Simple and cheap maintenance keeps it on the road. If it's neglected for a long time, it might need a little more maintenance 1 time now...

yeah i think its fair to say the mechanic didnt know what he was looking at, when he got under the car the first thing i heard him say was "whats that do?". i guess i should have taken that as my cue to get him away from my car as fast as possible.

the belts look good... according to the service history they were changed at 40000 ,

anybody know the life expectancy of the belts?... roughly?

Can't add much more to the above as the so called "mechanic" doesn't know his arse from his elbow when it comes to CVTs.

Belt life, 40k + but depends on,

a) the condition of the chrome pulleys (sand any rusty scabs flat as it'll chew the sides of the belts double-quick)
b) how the car is driven.

A properly maintained CVT will run fine for years. If the auto-clutch is checked (and re-shimmed if necessary) at the correct intervals, that should have a life of over 100k. The auto clutch life will be reduced if the gap becomes too wide, the car is revved in Park or the car is held on the clutch from rolling back on hills/inclines instead of using the handbrake.

In the rare instances the primary or secondary CVT unit does give up, then finding a replacement shouldn't be too difficult

A "modern style" autobox whether it is an epicyclic, CVT or DSG (effectively a manual gearbox with an autoshift) type will come with it's own set of problems when it goes wrong and none will be cheap. Another thing when converting anything is declaring the mods to the insurer and the best way to get cheap insurance is with a factory standard car.

P.s if anyone wants a cvt ive got one which was serviced and new belts put on a few weeks before it got taken off the car (think they wrote it off not sure) was serviced and belts done by my dad, the local Volvo dealer ship used to send there customers to my dad to get there cvts done if they couldnt afford Volvos prices of changing the belts cause apparently they used to charge an absolute bomb to get them fixed and they knew my dad knew what he was doing with them unlike alot of mechanics out there

I recommend becoming a member of the DAF owners club. The Volvo300Club in NL and the German DAF owners club both organise "Vario service days" where you can go and get the clutch reshimmed and the belts tightened or changed. I'm sure the DOC UK does something similar ...

Cheers

Tom

Don't be too sure on that Tom! It's a very small but friendly club. I have however never seen any "Vario service days" in the club events calendar.

Yes there the members that can (few) will offer advice or assistance where possible. DOC sell new belts for around £160 a pair.

I can help anyone out in Ireland (or Northern Ireland) if they aren't too far from Dublin or can get here. So far I've only met 2, who have 4 Varios between them. Other than that, I've only seen two other Varios, one 340GL and one DAF 66. There may be others, but I haven't seen/met them yet.