Date: Sat, 5 May 2001 15:14:17 -0500
Reply-To: Larry Alofs <lalofs@enteract.com>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Larry Alofs <lalofs@enteract.com>
Subject: Re: ATF Level too high - what now?
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
Chris Knust wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I just found out that the ATF level of my 87 Westy´s automatic
> tranny is too high. According to Bentley´s (37.9a) I am supposed to
> check the final drive´s oil level now - however it does not say how to
> do that. In the absence of a dipstick for the final drive I rely on you
> folks to tell me! What do I have to do?
>
> (2) In case I find the oil level of the final drive being too low, Bentley
> mentions the cause as a broken seal between final drive and
> tranny. Is there only the one seal shown on p. 37.10 which is
> accessible with tranny and final drive installed or is there another
> seal which can be the cause as well?
>
> (3) Is it possible to replace the seal of the tranny´s bottom plate
> (don´t know the correct english term for that, sorry) with the tranny
> and final drive installed? How do I drain the ATF Level partly to run
> proper checks after having checked the final drive´s oil level and
> how do I drain it completely to replace that seal (which seems to
> be a bit wet, but I will need to run some tests with a cleaned-up
> engine first and do not want to do that with a ATF level being too
> high, as Bentley warns not to run the tranny with too much ATF.
>
> (4) Finally - do I check the ATF level with the selector level in P or
> in N? Manual and Bentley both say "P", however the picture shown
> by Bentley on page 37.9 with the dipstick and the affixed label
> clearly shows that the label says "N".
>
> Thanks for your help! The archive server does not want to respond
> to my questions :-(
>
> Cheers
> Chris
> Troy, MI
Chris:
You check the level of the oil in the final drive by removing the plug in the
side and poking your little finger in there to see if you can feel the oil.
To get the plug out you will have to buy or improvise a hex driver ( 17 mm I
think). I took a bolt with a 17 mm head and welded the other end into an
extra socket.
I don't think that you can fix the seal between the trans and the final drive
while they are in the car.
You can remove the bottom pan from the trans while it is installed so
that you can replace the gasket. If it is leaking, first check that all the
bolts are reasonably tight.
If you just need to remove a little fluid from the trans, the easiest way
is probably to suck it out thru a hose inserted in the fill/check tube. It
probably doesn't matter whether you check the fluid level while it is in Park
or Drive; I seem to get the same result either way. Warm it up reasonably
well and have it level and idling.
The typical way to drain the fluid is to disconnect the filler tube at the
trans. This involves a large open-end or adjustable wrench (be sure it fits
tightly). You may have to pound on the end of the wrench and say a few bad
words.
If you drop the pan to change the gasket, clean the screen and of course the
sludge out of the pan. Leave no lint. It can plug small passages in the
governor. (Don't ask)
Good luck,
Larry A., Chicago
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