Date: Sun, 17 Jul 2011 14:16:11 +0000
Reply-To: J Stewart <fonman4277@COMCAST.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: J Stewart <fonman4277@COMCAST.NET>
Subject: Re: Automatic transmission question
In-Reply-To: <CA+r=JhqOYkVT9UUthrSyEKM7nYKaN=UZJZL7UW-a9yD8ShnNnA@mail.gmail.com>
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Now, that brings up a question I have. I've now owned my '85 w/auto trans for just over a year. Even though the PO gave me a ton of maintenance records going back 10 years, nothing about the trans fluid ever being changed-tho it could have been done at a Jiffy Lube, who knows. It has been my (unpleasant) experience on two used vehicles where trans fluid status was unknown that changing the fluid caused total transmission failure with a few days. Since my fluid looks OK and the trans is shifting fine, I've decided to just leave it alone. Jeff
Jeff Stewart
----- Original Message -----
Jim,
Change the fluid every two or three years. You don't get to drain
it all because of the torque converter, but that's the best you can do
without expensive flushing procedures. Check fluid warm, idling, with
van level. Do not overfill. Frequently lubricate the place where the
throttle cable from the front hooks to the lever on the side of the
trans. It's a ball that snaps into a spring loaded socket, a real
PITA if it rusts solid.
Leaks that can be tracked down visually:
Bottom pan gasket
Filler/check tube joint to pan
O-ring on the governor cover (up on the side of the differential,
held on with a wire bail)
Rusted thru governor cover
Common and annoying leak: Seal behind the torque converter. This
is the usual suspect if you seem to be getting oil spray on the left
side of the engine compartment that may be coming out of the openings
in the bell housing and the torque converter looks oily. To get to
this seal you separate the engine and transmission. Don't let the
torque converter fall off the front shaft prematurely. Then carefully
pull the torque converter off the front shaft and you will see the
seal that it fits into. What fun!
Larry A.
On Sat, Jul 16, 2011 at 7:36 PM, Jim Felder <jim.felder@gmail.com> wrote:
> I have a 91 Vanagon GL automatic that my daughter drives. I've done a little
> work on it over the last year or so and it is in pretty good, reliable
> shape. The one thing that is giving me some trouble is the automatic
> transmission. If you can help me with that, read on.
>
> I have driven Vanagons for 20 years or more, but I have never had an
> automatic transmission. I have done about everything you can do to a
> vanagon, almost, except mess with an automatic transmission and though my
> wife has had them on her non-vanagon cars, I have never had an automatic
> Vanagon. I just recently learned how to check the fluid level in them. I
> know virtually nothing about them. My daughter's car is leaking AT fluid so
> that it has to be topped up once a month or so.
>
> So I have two questions. One, what should I do, in general, to the automatic
> transmission just to keep it in good shape? What are the preventive
> maintenance best practices? Two, what should I do specifically about the
> loss of fluid; what is a "usual suspects" list of things to address?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Jim
>
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