Date: Thu, 20 Jul 2006 23:06:37 -0400
Reply-To: Dennis Haynes <dhaynes@OPTONLINE.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Dennis Haynes <dhaynes@OPTONLINE.NET>
Subject: Re: AT Fluid Burping out of ATF Dip Stick Tube? Causes Trans
Malfunction, 88 Auto
In-Reply-To: <C0E5B8EE.9B1F%robertmstewart@mac.com>
Content-type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
The breathers are basically a small pipe with a loose fitting cap on it.
They are on top of the transmission. If they can't be seen, they are
buried under road muck or missing. If your mechanic does not know where
they are, what they look like, and how they work I would be a little
concerned. Maybe just a memory lapse. Yes, they are easy to clean and
fix. If that is not the problem, then you need to find a cause of
overheating.
Dennis
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf
Of robertmstewart
Sent: Thursday, July 20, 2006 10:49 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: AT Fluid Burping out of ATF Dip Stick Tube? Causes Trans
Malfunction, 88 Auto
Dennis,
I am not sure what you mean by the breather, where on the van is it
located?
I am not a mechanic so please excuse my ignorance.
What are my options, what should I tell the mechanic's to look for?
Is this something fixable?
Does this mean I need a new tranny?
Can I actually fix this?
Thanks again,
rob
on 7/20/06 10:26 PM, Dennis Haynes at dhaynes@OPTONLINE.NET wrote:
> The first thing to check is the breather on top. There are two of
them.
> One is for the differential and the other for the auto section. They
> tend to get blocked with road dirt. As the van is driven, the fluid in
> the torque converter heats up and expands rapidly. If air cant escape
> out the breather, fluid will be pushed out of the dipstick as it is
> connected at the bottom of the pan.
>
> Auto transmissions often fail suddenly. Get an internal seal leak so
> there is not sufficient pressure for the clutches to lock and they
start
> to slip and things can burn up quickly.
>
> Dennis
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On
Behalf
> Of robertmstewart
> Sent: Thursday, July 20, 2006 9:53 PM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: AT Fluid Burping out of ATF Dip Stick Tube? Causes Trans
> Malfunction, 88 Auto
>
> Hello everyone,
>
> I have a question for you, my 88 Auto with a used good condition
Tranny
> all
> of a sudden today started to fail and I am at a loss and need your
> feedback...
>
> (The short version is this: ATF burping and how does a perfectly
working
> AT
> go to a non-functioning AT?)
>
> Hereıs the background:
>
> The vanıs past owner before the person I purchased it from was a VW
> Mechanic
> and the prior owner and he installed another auto trans from another
> good
> working vanıs tranny several years ago.
>
> I have had the van since January 06. Since then the transmission has
> been
> shifting normally, and for the last month I have been traveling 3-4
hour
> trips from Long Island to Upstate NY and doing some serious highway
> driving
> and mountain driving. Usually I put in at least 8 hours of solid
driving
> per
> weekend for 4 weekends. All in all the van has performed great..
>
> Hereıs where the story starts.. Just before my first long trip (4
weeks
> ago)
> I check all fluids, stupidly I did it when the van was cold, and in
> doing so
> thought the ATF was low so I added just a little bit to what was in
> there,
> now after about 3hrs of driving, I pull into the driveway at my
> destination
> and park the van, well I see ATF fluid burping out of the Dip Stick
> tube!
> Not much just a little 1/4 cup. I figure itıs just the overflow
kicking
> out.
> I check it in 10 minutes and the level is fine.
>
> Well 4 weeks pass and I drive it pretty hard to and from the LI to
> Upstate
> NY, 8 hrs per weekend (3x) all is good. Today I start the van up and
> drive 1
> mile away from the house in Long Island to the grocery, on the way I
can
> see
> smoke from the back of the van, it smells like the ATF burping and
> leaking
> onto the exhaust. I park at the grocery and see it burping out, about
> 1/4
> 1/2 cup. I do some shopping come back 15 min. later, and drive the 1
> mile
> home, all seems fine. No smoke. After it cools down a bit I check the
> ATF
> fluid and it appears a bit low, so I top it off with Dexron III and
> accidentally over fill it but not by much.
>
> About 4 hours later I get in the van and drive back the same direction
> about
> 1 mile to go to the post office and immediately I can detect something
> is
> not right.
> At the stop light with the brake on I can see the rpmıs go from about
> 875
> and revs to about 1,000, then levels off again, normally at idle it
> stays
> right at 875. I thought the surging was strange. I then continue to
> drive
> and again I see the smoke occurring again from the back of the van,
> smells
> again like ATF on the exhaust, now I decide to head right to me local
> standard mechanic not my VW guy cause he was closed.
>
> The local guy tells me the burping is normal if there is to much ATF
in
> the
> case. So he checks the fluid and he says the level is good. He tells
me
> to
> bring it by in the morning as I wanted them to check the brakes since
I
> just
> had all the brakes replaced (the original ones were too rusty). I then
> decide to take a little drive just a mile down the road along beach to
> let
> the fluid cycle through and burn off the stuff was sitting on the
> exhaust
> and I thought that maybe taking it up to highway speed would be good,
to
> get
> the fluid really circulating. Bad idea...
>
> As I drive this simple little straight route I notice the transmission
> is
> not engaging right, when I take my foot off the brake it usually goes
> forward on its own, this time nothing.. I have to gas it. Then it gets
> progressively worse. It goes into 1st, then second, then it revıs and
> then
> goes to 3rd, and then I thought, oh crap! I have problems. Time to get
> it
> back to the mechanic!
>
> Well To late, I turn it around to go back the mile I came and now at
the
> stop light I give it gas and it goes now where!
>
> I am stuck during rush hour and everyone is honking, my flasher are
on,
> but
> people donıt pay attention. I signal for them to go around me. People
> are
> screaming, others understand..
>
> I call the mechanic and see if they can come by and push me the 4
blocks
> to
> the garage, he says he canıt. I then call AAA to haul my van back,
but
> right after I decide to start the van and try... Well it starts to
move,
> each time I stop itıs a crap shoot to whether it will move. It never
> gets
> past 1st gear. I have to literally move my body a little forward to
try
> and
> coax the van to get in gear and move, but somehow I get to the garage.
> While
> the engine is still hot I check the ATF level, I see a hair on the
end,
> but
> it was pretty try.
>
> So what is going on with all the burping and how does a perfectly
> working AT
> go to a non-functioning AT? The mechanic suspected that the AT is
> overheating.. What does this mean? I just hope this does turn into a
> massive
> money pit now.....
>
> I hope someone here can shed some light on the burping issue, and why
> all of
> a sudden the transmission would not engage...
>
> Thanks in advance,
> Robert
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