My neighbour has had a Volvo / Michigan L120 since new and it has 14k on it. The transmission was quitting at odd times so he sent it to a repair shop. They said it would be an easy fix but he got a call later saying it was a big fix, ($19,000). The problem was, when it came back from the shop, it still did the same thing. Since my neighbour had only paid half the bill, because the loader still didn’t work and the shop was also unhappy, things were at a stalemate. My neighbour took the loader to two dealers and they couldn’t find the problem. It would work normally for 5 to 15 minutes, then stop. The motor and hydraulics worked properly but no transmission in F or R. If he shut it off and waited for 30 sec or a minute it would work again. The dealers checked the pressures and electrics and said there is nothing wrong with the transmission. Another mechanic thought that maybe there was a crack in the suction tube so they filled the trans full and still the same thing. He asked me to look at it. He thought the trans pump was running dry because he could hear noises inside when it wasn’t working and the filter can would be empty. He was thinking maybe a rag had been left in. We dropped the oil and pulled the sump and suction screen. The screen was plugged up with bits of shavings, plastic and general trans crud. We cleaned the screen, added new oil and he plowed snow for 5 hours with no trouble. No one had thought that a suction screen could be the problem when there had been a $19,000 overhaul. Details! Details! Details! I'm guessing the pressure tests showed good at idle when the pressure drop across the screen was still low but at full speed the pump cavitated and lost prime.Hope this helps someone else.
Good going clay digger, had smailar problems like that, cant belive they rebuild a trans and never checked the screen!
Awesome find. I had an experience with a trans last year and I did do the suction screen. Cheapest quote I got was 15,000 for a rebuilt trans nevermind all of the phone time trying to locate one. Turned out the parts were from an old starter that went south ha. Luckily a few mechanics at a repair shop were able to identify the parts when all others including myself and coworker could not.
Makes you wonder if the first repair shop did anything at all?
Hi there. I’ve got an L120C with a dodgy transmission as well. The hydraulics are fine, it just doesn’t have enough power going to the wheels. Where exactly is the suction screen located? I’m thinking I’ll give cleaning that a go before doing anything too drastic. Cheers