Date:         Tue, 1 Jan 2002 12:31:07 -0600
Reply-To:     Larry Alofs <lalofs@ENTERACT.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Larry Alofs <lalofs@ENTERACT.COM>
Subject:      Re: First time owner (90'Westy)!!
Comments: To: Rob Cassam <robcass@IX.NETCOM.COM>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Rob Cassam wrote:
>
> I just picked her up last week!  90' Westy.
>
> I have the automatic transmission, what type of maintenance is required?
>
> Thanks in advance,
> Rob

Change the ATF.
  Quick and dirty approach: unhook the filler/check tube on the side of
the pan to drain out as much as you can.
  Better approach: drop the pan so you can clean out the sludge from it
and the intake screen.
 In both cases quite a bit of fluid stays in the torque converter so you
haven't really changed it all.  This also means it's easy to overfill if
you believe the specs in the manual, so refill cautiously.

A VW service bulletin from June 15, 1993 says that conventional gear
lube in the final drive (differential) on AT Vanagons must be replaced
with 75W/90 synthetic oil.  VW will $ell it to you, but I use Mobil 1.

  Since the seal between the final drive and the AT has been known to
leak  in these drive trains, I suspect that part of the reason for this
change is to reduce the amount of transmission damage due to exchange of
fluids.
Perhaps other list members have more definite knowledge of this.

Good luck,
Larry A.
91 GL AT