Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2007 23:35:26 -0400
Reply-To: Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: My auto transmission troubles
In-Reply-To: <20070628024636.D813A1E82B4@tc5.main.nc.us>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
First thing to do is check the breathers at the top of transmission. There
are two, one for the auto section, one for the final drive. Make sure they
are not covered or plugged with dirt. The outer cans should be loose and
turn or rattle. Then adjust the level and see what happens.
Overfilling the auto section can cause all the large rotating parts to
stir the oil and foam it. This can also cause the leaking and pressure
problems.
Then make sure the accelerator linkage is properly adjusted. If the
throttle is floored and you are only doing 45, it should down shift on its
own. Floored and kick down activated will keep it in 2nd until over 5,000
rpm.
Dennis
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
Edward Maglott
Sent: Wednesday, June 27, 2007 10:47 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: My auto transmission troubles
I've got Tranny trouble! Here's the story: '86 Vanagon with ~200k
miles on it. I had this "good used" tranny installed about 20k miles
ago. It's mileage is unknown. It's always had a little leakage that
appeared to be gear oil coming from the pan and the place where the
final drive and AT mate. So I'm driving on a nice trip, climbing a
mountain in WV, full throttle, 3rd gear, about 45 mph or so
iirc. See smoke coming out the back of the van and pull off. It
appears to be the torque converter seal, and it's dripping pretty
fast onto the exhaust pipe right under it making lots of smoke. Open
the engine cover and it is also spraying the ATF up inside the engine
compartment. Nothing catches fire. After 15 minutes, things have
cooled down, and I have a small puddle, about 6 inches in diameter on
the ground. I check the non running level, and it is high, like
normal. Start the engine, the dripping starts again, check the
level, and it is in the normal range. It is getting late and I forge
ahead to get to a town with a flaps. On down hill or flat under
little load, it smokes (leaks) less. Up hills, it is bad. I try
lower revs vs going into 2nd and having the revs up around
3500-4000. It seems to be about the same. (Now realize maybe the
smoking amount is more related to amount of heat in that header pipe
rather than amount of oil leaking. More load, hotter pipe, more smoke)
Find advance auto and buy a quart of ATF and a snake oil product
called "No Leak Transmission Treatment." Label says it will fix any
leak within 200 miles of driving or your money back! Also says, if
it doesn't fix the leak, repairs may be needed. I check the level
and it's still in normal range. I put in almost all the 16 oz of
leak fixer. I leave another 6 inch puddle on flaps parking lot. I
drive about 25 miles to nearest walmart for camping. Plenty of smoke
on the way, but after parking at walmart, the puddle is not as
big. Damn if that stuff didn't completely stop the leak within 200
miles like the label said. So at that point I'm driving with the ATF
level too high because I added the no leak. Tranny is operating
normally except for a few times a slightly odd shift from 2nd to 3rd,
and seems to engage reverse harder than normal. I'm really focused
on getting the van home, several hundred miles at that point.
I get home, get the van nice and level and check the running level of
ATF. It's high. (Side question: How does the level being too high
damage the AT?) So the next night, I go out and suck about 24 oz out
of AT. Now it get's weird. The following night I go out to put ATF
back in to the proper level. Level is now too low. I put back in
everything that I sucked out, and it is still way too low. I end up
putting about 3/4 of a quart additional in to bring it up to normal
range. Weird. There is no puddle on the ground. Where did it
go? I check the fill plug on the final drive, and something does
come out. Just an ounce or 2, and it smells and feels like gear
oil. It definitely has that thick slippery feeling of gear oil, not
the thin oil feel of ATF. Maybe a little thinner, and it is quite
dark in color. I can't remember the last time I checked the gear oil
level. I suppose it is possible that the level was low enough that
the excess ATF could have gone in there. Not likely though, because
I think it would have been well over a quart. My ATF is dark, pretty
normal looking and feeling, and doesn't have any of that strong smell
that gear oil has.
That's my story. Since I refilled my ATF, I'm going to re-check my
final drive level. Any other thoughts about my short and long term
prognosis here?
Thanks,
Edward
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