My 93 245 5speed sounds very loud in neutral.Also 2nd and 3rd.It's a gearlike sound and I am wondering if this is the sound of worn synchros.If so what would be most economical.....other used 5 peed or fix existing? Thank you for responding

See:
http://new.volvocars.com/ownersdocs/1993/1...40_82.html#pg82

I would drain and refil the gearbox first.

I did drain and refill.I do have a seal leak I discovered this spring.I drained and refilled with some Lucas in with the ATF.I checked the level just the other day when I changed my oil and filter.It didn't leak much in that time span .

It could be very expensive to pay somebody to tear down and recondition your M47 gearbox, but, in the long run, this might be the best option if you want to keep your 245 for a long time. Getting a used M47 is a lottery and chances are it will have been abused to some extent. Also if you get a used M47 get the gearbox and bell housing as a pair and don't split them unless you have to.

The noise could be a bearing in the transmission as M47s were prone to oil-starvation in the upper part of the box but this was less of an issue by 1993. If the synchros are worn, you'd probably be getting crunching on selection. Some owners report that Redline ATF helps improve transmission performance and compensate for wear. Bear in mind that some "gearbox" noises end up being due to the clutch release bearing and/or pilot bearing.
If you are going to repair the gearbox it would be wise to replace the clutch and the rear main seal too.

Thank you very imformative......I bought the car 1yr ago from owners who only went to a dealership for every repair. The clutch is about 15 months old with about 10m miles on it and installed by dealer.Lately I notice on occasion the clutch lags from stop to 2nd.There is a local volvo expert who used to work at a dealer,maybe I should have him test drive it

Hey, Yankee. We used to take our '86 to the dealer for everything. Then we discovered more and more of their techs don't know anything about rear-wheel drive. That's when I started doing most things myself. Some things I need a pro and I take it to an independent Volvo tech who used to work for a dealer. You're lucky if you can find a good tech.

O.K. assuming the dealership replaced the clutch release bearing and the pilot bearing, then this sounds like a gearbox noise. The lag in the clutch could be due to the clutch cable - either needs adjusting or it's old and snagging a little.
The Redline ATF may help but this will cost about $60 for the fluid alone.
If this is your daily drive perhaps a gearbox swap might keep you running. If the replacement isn't 100% then you could get someone to recondition your original box and put it back in.

does the noise change when the clutch pedal is depressed or during release??

Thanks for the interest......when the clutch is released into 2nd or 3rd its noisey with kind of a chattering sound when I accelerate when the tranny fluid is cold.As it warms up the noise is less.with no clutch and coasting ,sounds same as 4th gr.When I idle in neutral with the parking brake on there is a noisey gear like sound which was not present when I bought the car.

Oh yeah I forgot I was gonna try Redline but with that slight seal leak it might be a waste until seal is fixed