Date: Mon, 13 May 1996 13:11:59 -0500
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: jgladu@bcm.tmc.edu
Subject: tranny oil level...
After three months in the garage, the '90 Vanagon GL 4spd is nearing
completion. Main reason for repair: toasted clutch. (Why take so long?
Two kids to watch and not much no-kid time.) The tranny came out and was
thoroughly cleaned (taken to a self-serve car wash too). I knew some water
must have gotten inside after the nozzle blew the bleeder-hole-plug I'd
fashioned to some distant land...
Place tranny in front of middle seats with the back end hanging out of the
door just enough for the drain not to drip onto the van. Pull the plug.
For a vehicle with over 140,000 miles on it the gear lube was surprisingly
clear - for the most part. Mr. Bozo's lube always comes out like
stinky-ink. When the flow slowed I could see little brown or black
particulates between the balls of water. I raised the front mount and left
it to drain overnight. No more drips in the morning, even after tilting the
whole thing to around 60 degrees. Ran another quart of fresh 80-90 oil
through it. More particles and water, but not many. Seal up the plug,
reopen the filler hole and put in approx 3.2 quarts of gear lube, as that
page in Bentley told me.
Later, I found another page that said the hole had been moved higher at
part ###### but the fill level was left where it was - roughly 15mm lower
than before. Bentley stated that this reduced level helped reduce shifter
force.
Later yet, I found another page describing the quantities of lubricant
needed to re-fill the tranny: 4.2qts when empty, and 3.2 when "drained" -
claiming that a quart hides from draining while the tranny is bolted in...
Which quantity do I go by?
3.2 quarts or 4.2 quarts or should I just fill it (levelled) til it won't
hold anymore (as on The Bozobus)?
bcnu - Grungy (Houston, TX)
jgladu@bcm.tmc.edu
'60 dddPanel walk-thru (The Bozobus)
'89 Vanagon GL
'90 Vanagon GL
'68 & '69 Bugs (Frunobulax & Bertha)
