Audi A4 2003 Frontrak B6 CVT Multitronic Oil/Fluid change/flush
08-30-2013, 08:41 PM
#1
Audiworld Junior Member
Thread Starter
Audi A4 2003 Frontrak B6 CVT Multitronic Oil/Fluid change/flush
I did a fluid flush on a 2003 AUDI A4 with a CVT transmission and it now shifts much better than before. Turns out its not that bad to do, at least not as bad some people make it seem on other threads/forums.The transmission was replaced at 55k with an updated 7 disc trans. Now at 106k it was starting to jerk again, especially when the car accelerates from a standstill. Overall the trans worked poorly and was getting progressively worse. I read somewhere that a "double flush" of the fluid really restores the performance of the CVT, the "double flush" requires refilling the trans with new fluid driving it around for a little to circulate it throughout the trans and then once again draining it and refilling with all new fluid. (Waste of fluid but cheaper than a new trans) The reason for this is the CVT holds 7+ quarts but only 4ish quarts drains out so doing the double flush is one way of making sure more fluid gets replaced with new fluid.
To do this you will need OEM Audi approved CVT fluid/oil, buy this from your dealer, around $20 a quart, or order online from ECS tuning. Audi has a special VAS-5162 tool that costs $200 for filling fluid in the trans. However it is unnecessary in my experience, I bought a nifty fluid transfer pump from harbor freight for $5 and it did the job just fine! You will need the special 3357 tool, this is a triple square m16 tamper proof bit that is necessary for the drain plug. You can buy this online from several sites or ebay for around $30. I bought mine from a local Snap-On for $40. You will need a 10mm Allen bit for the fill/overfill plug. Also a vag-com is necessary to check the fluid level. Because the fill plug is on the bottom of the trans it gets tricky to check the fluid level so the vag com is necessary.
As a disclaimer Im not responsible if you ruin your trans and if it is completely toast a simple trans fluid probably wont fix it. When I did this my CVT worked fine overall it was just jerky. If your careful though there shouldn't be any problems. To start I jacked up the car a little, some say it is important to have the car flat but I think as along as the CVT is filled and drained while the car is lifted at the same angle it wont matter. The bottom of trans has two plugs. The black tamper proof plug is the drain plug and is opened with the 3357 tool. The silver allen plug is for filling and checking the fluid level.
-Drain the fluid, (almost exactly 4 quarts drained from the my trans.) The fluid will come out a darker color than the new fluid and if you look closely you will see small metal flakes in the oil and this is ultimately what cause the trans to shift poorly and eventually fail if fluid isn't replaced. The dirty metal filled fluid gets clogged in all the mechanisms of the trans and it starts to shift progressively worse until it finally fails. Reinstall the black drain plug.
-Now crack open the silver drain plug, a little overfill fluid should drain out. The hose diameter of the Habor Freight Fluid transfer pump just happens to be the perfect diameter for the trans. The hose is slightly smaller in diameter but I wrapped some electrical tape around the hose a couple inches down and then shoved it into the fill plug. It should fit tight enough so that you can fill the fluid without leaking everywhere. The pump is fast, several pumps and a quart bottle will be fully drained into the trans. I filled just slightly more than I drained to be safe ( just over 4 quarts in my case, might vary for you based on how level your car is). You will drain the overfill anyway when checking the level with the vag-com. Once again make sure the car is jacked at the same angle when filling and draining to make sure you don't under or overfill! Also notice the jackstands so you don't die!
- Fluid should be filled and the fill plug closed for now. I lowered the car but placed some 2x4's under the wheels so the fill plug would still be accessible. To check the fluid level with the vag-com go into the Auto Trans controller on the vcds software, then go to measuring blocks, enter 10 for the display group and you will see the trans fluid temp in the third window. The car will have to have to idle to warm the trans fluid, revving it too 2.5k rpm will warm up the fluid faster. Let the fluid warm up to 35 degrees Celsius and then open the fill plug you should have some fluid run out of the fill plug keep it running till cvt fluid temp reaches 40 C, fluid should keep dripping out the fill plug, if it does fluid level should be good. Close the fill plug before the temp goes past 40c. Your CVT oil change is done, if you want to do the double flush, which I recommend repeat all the steps again with new fluid. I recommend doing this every 20k miles to keep the CVT operating right, with good clean fluid these transmissions should run for a long time and operate smoothly.
To do this you will need OEM Audi approved CVT fluid/oil, buy this from your dealer, around $20 a quart, or order online from ECS tuning. Audi has a special VAS-5162 tool that costs $200 for filling fluid in the trans. However it is unnecessary in my experience, I bought a nifty fluid transfer pump from harbor freight for $5 and it did the job just fine! You will need the special 3357 tool, this is a triple square m16 tamper proof bit that is necessary for the drain plug. You can buy this online from several sites or ebay for around $30. I bought mine from a local Snap-On for $40. You will need a 10mm Allen bit for the fill/overfill plug. Also a vag-com is necessary to check the fluid level. Because the fill plug is on the bottom of the trans it gets tricky to check the fluid level so the vag com is necessary.
As a disclaimer Im not responsible if you ruin your trans and if it is completely toast a simple trans fluid probably wont fix it. When I did this my CVT worked fine overall it was just jerky. If your careful though there shouldn't be any problems. To start I jacked up the car a little, some say it is important to have the car flat but I think as along as the CVT is filled and drained while the car is lifted at the same angle it wont matter. The bottom of trans has two plugs. The black tamper proof plug is the drain plug and is opened with the 3357 tool. The silver allen plug is for filling and checking the fluid level.
-Drain the fluid, (almost exactly 4 quarts drained from the my trans.) The fluid will come out a darker color than the new fluid and if you look closely you will see small metal flakes in the oil and this is ultimately what cause the trans to shift poorly and eventually fail if fluid isn't replaced. The dirty metal filled fluid gets clogged in all the mechanisms of the trans and it starts to shift progressively worse until it finally fails. Reinstall the black drain plug.
-Now crack open the silver drain plug, a little overfill fluid should drain out. The hose diameter of the Habor Freight Fluid transfer pump just happens to be the perfect diameter for the trans. The hose is slightly smaller in diameter but I wrapped some electrical tape around the hose a couple inches down and then shoved it into the fill plug. It should fit tight enough so that you can fill the fluid without leaking everywhere. The pump is fast, several pumps and a quart bottle will be fully drained into the trans. I filled just slightly more than I drained to be safe ( just over 4 quarts in my case, might vary for you based on how level your car is). You will drain the overfill anyway when checking the level with the vag-com. Once again make sure the car is jacked at the same angle when filling and draining to make sure you don't under or overfill! Also notice the jackstands so you don't die!
- Fluid should be filled and the fill plug closed for now. I lowered the car but placed some 2x4's under the wheels so the fill plug would still be accessible. To check the fluid level with the vag-com go into the Auto Trans controller on the vcds software, then go to measuring blocks, enter 10 for the display group and you will see the trans fluid temp in the third window. The car will have to have to idle to warm the trans fluid, revving it too 2.5k rpm will warm up the fluid faster. Let the fluid warm up to 35 degrees Celsius and then open the fill plug you should have some fluid run out of the fill plug keep it running till cvt fluid temp reaches 40 C, fluid should keep dripping out the fill plug, if it does fluid level should be good. Close the fill plug before the temp goes past 40c. Your CVT oil change is done, if you want to do the double flush, which I recommend repeat all the steps again with new fluid. I recommend doing this every 20k miles to keep the CVT operating right, with good clean fluid these transmissions should run for a long time and operate smoothly.
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tytower (10-22-2019)
08-30-2013, 08:49 PM
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It's interesting that you mention this.
When I brought my car in for a timing belt/water pump change at 80k miles then mechanic mentioned to me that it's a good idea to get a transmission flush. He said he worked on a ton of audi's when he was in dallas (this is chicago) and he saw a lot of the cvt transmissions fail in the heat and that these cars need a flush/pan change every 60k miles.
What was happening to my cvt was now only the jerkiness, but that it would grind if I stomped on the gas. When I turn, i have to ease into the gas.
I got it done at 94k miles and the car feels smoother, no question, but i still have to worry about the grinding/jerking if I just slam on the gas.
When I brought my car in for a timing belt/water pump change at 80k miles then mechanic mentioned to me that it's a good idea to get a transmission flush. He said he worked on a ton of audi's when he was in dallas (this is chicago) and he saw a lot of the cvt transmissions fail in the heat and that these cars need a flush/pan change every 60k miles.
What was happening to my cvt was now only the jerkiness, but that it would grind if I stomped on the gas. When I turn, i have to ease into the gas.
I got it done at 94k miles and the car feels smoother, no question, but i still have to worry about the grinding/jerking if I just slam on the gas.
Last edited by Eddie3dfx; 08-30-2013 at 08:54 PM.
10-29-2013, 06:49 AM
#3
Audiworld Junior Member
Thread Starter
It's interesting that you mention this.
When I brought my car in for a timing belt/water pump change at 80k miles then mechanic mentioned to me that it's a good idea to get a transmission flush. He said he worked on a ton of audi's when he was in dallas (this is chicago) and he saw a lot of the cvt transmissions fail in the heat and that these cars need a flush/pan change every 60k miles.
What was happening to my cvt was now only the jerkiness, but that it would grind if I stomped on the gas. When I turn, i have to ease into the gas.
I got it done at 94k miles and the car feels smoother, no question, but i still have to worry about the grinding/jerking if I just slam on the gas.
When I brought my car in for a timing belt/water pump change at 80k miles then mechanic mentioned to me that it's a good idea to get a transmission flush. He said he worked on a ton of audi's when he was in dallas (this is chicago) and he saw a lot of the cvt transmissions fail in the heat and that these cars need a flush/pan change every 60k miles.
What was happening to my cvt was now only the jerkiness, but that it would grind if I stomped on the gas. When I turn, i have to ease into the gas.
I got it done at 94k miles and the car feels smoother, no question, but i still have to worry about the grinding/jerking if I just slam on the gas.
11-16-2013, 02:31 PM
#4
Though not the proper procedure...wouldn't it be conceivable to drain at non operating temp and measure the exact amount that comes out and then just re-fill with that same amount?
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tytower (10-22-2019)
11-16-2013, 05:31 PM
#5
Though not the proper procedure...wouldn't it be conceivable to drain at non operating temp and measure the exact amount that comes out and then just re-fill with that same amount?
I did a fluid flush on a 2003 AUDI A4 with a CVT transmission and it now shifts much better than before. Turns out its not that bad to do, at least not as bad some people make it seem on other threads/forums.The transmission was replaced at 55k with an updated 7 disc trans. Now at 106k it was starting to jerk again, especially when the car accelerates from a standstill. Overall the trans worked poorly and was getting progressively worse. I read somewhere that a "double flush" of the fluid really restores the performance of the CVT, the "double flush" requires refilling the trans with new fluid driving it around for a little to circulate it throughout the trans and then once again draining it and refilling with all new fluid. (Waste of fluid but cheaper than a new trans) The reason for this is the CVT holds 7+ quarts but only 4ish quarts drains out so doing the double flush is one way of making sure more fluid gets replaced with new fluid.
To do this you will need OEM Audi approved CVT fluid/oil, buy this from your dealer, around $20 a quart, or order online from ECS tuning. Audi has a special VAS-5162 tool that costs $200 for filling fluid in the trans. However it is unnecessary in my experience, I bought a nifty fluid transfer pump from harbor freight for $5 and it did the job just fine! You will need the special 3357 tool, this is a triple square m16 tamper proof bit that is necessary for the drain plug. You can buy this online from several sites or ebay for around $30. I bought mine from a local Snap-On for $40. You will need a 10mm Allen bit for the fill/overfill plug. Also a vag-com is necessary to check the fluid level. Because the fill plug is on the bottom of the trans it gets tricky to check the fluid level so the vag com is necessary.
As a disclaimer Im not responsible if you ruin your trans and if it is completely toast a simple trans fluid probably wont fix it. When I did this my CVT worked fine overall it was just jerky. If your careful though there shouldn't be any problems. To start I jacked up the car a little, some say it is important to have the car flat but I think as along as the CVT is filled and drained while the car is lifted at the same angle it wont matter. The bottom of trans has two plugs. The black tamper proof plug is the drain plug and is opened with the 3357 tool. The silver allen plug is for filling and checking the fluid level.
-Drain the fluid, (almost exactly 4 quarts drained from the my trans.) The fluid will come out a darker color than the new fluid and if you look closely you will see small metal flakes in the oil and this is ultimately what cause the trans to shift poorly and eventually fail if fluid isn't replaced. The dirty metal filled fluid gets clogged in all the mechanisms of the trans and it starts to shift progressively worse until it finally fails. Reinstall the black drain plug.
-Now crack open the silver drain plug, a little overfill fluid should drain out. The hose diameter of the Habor Freight Fluid transfer pump just happens to be the perfect diameter for the trans. The hose is slightly smaller in diameter but I wrapped some electrical tape around the hose a couple inches down and then shoved it into the fill plug. It should fit tight enough so that you can fill the fluid without leaking everywhere. The pump is fast, several pumps and a quart bottle will be fully drained into the trans. I filled just slightly more than I drained to be safe ( just over 4 quarts in my case, might vary for you based on how level your car is). You will drain the overfill anyway when checking the level with the vag-com. Once again make sure the car is jacked at the same angle when filling and draining to make sure you don't under or overfill! Also notice the jackstands so you don't die!
- Fluid should be filled and the fill plug closed for now. I lowered the car but placed some 2x4's under the wheels so the fill plug would still be accessible. To check the fluid level with the vag-com go into the Auto Trans controller on the vcds software, then go to measuring blocks, enter 10 for the display group and you will see the trans fluid temp in the third window. The car will have to have to idle to warm the trans fluid, revving it too 2.5k rpm will warm up the fluid faster. Let the fluid warm up to 35 degrees Celsius and then open the fill plug you should have some fluid run out of the fill plug keep it running till cvt fluid temp reaches 40 C, fluid should keep dripping out the fill plug, if it does fluid level should be good. Close the fill plug before the temp goes past 40c. Your CVT oil change is done, if you want to do the double flush, which I recommend repeat all the steps again with new fluid. I recommend doing this every 20k miles to keep the CVT operating right, with good clean fluid these transmissions should run for a long time and operate smoothly.
To do this you will need OEM Audi approved CVT fluid/oil, buy this from your dealer, around $20 a quart, or order online from ECS tuning. Audi has a special VAS-5162 tool that costs $200 for filling fluid in the trans. However it is unnecessary in my experience, I bought a nifty fluid transfer pump from harbor freight for $5 and it did the job just fine! You will need the special 3357 tool, this is a triple square m16 tamper proof bit that is necessary for the drain plug. You can buy this online from several sites or ebay for around $30. I bought mine from a local Snap-On for $40. You will need a 10mm Allen bit for the fill/overfill plug. Also a vag-com is necessary to check the fluid level. Because the fill plug is on the bottom of the trans it gets tricky to check the fluid level so the vag com is necessary.
As a disclaimer Im not responsible if you ruin your trans and if it is completely toast a simple trans fluid probably wont fix it. When I did this my CVT worked fine overall it was just jerky. If your careful though there shouldn't be any problems. To start I jacked up the car a little, some say it is important to have the car flat but I think as along as the CVT is filled and drained while the car is lifted at the same angle it wont matter. The bottom of trans has two plugs. The black tamper proof plug is the drain plug and is opened with the 3357 tool. The silver allen plug is for filling and checking the fluid level.
-Drain the fluid, (almost exactly 4 quarts drained from the my trans.) The fluid will come out a darker color than the new fluid and if you look closely you will see small metal flakes in the oil and this is ultimately what cause the trans to shift poorly and eventually fail if fluid isn't replaced. The dirty metal filled fluid gets clogged in all the mechanisms of the trans and it starts to shift progressively worse until it finally fails. Reinstall the black drain plug.
-Now crack open the silver drain plug, a little overfill fluid should drain out. The hose diameter of the Habor Freight Fluid transfer pump just happens to be the perfect diameter for the trans. The hose is slightly smaller in diameter but I wrapped some electrical tape around the hose a couple inches down and then shoved it into the fill plug. It should fit tight enough so that you can fill the fluid without leaking everywhere. The pump is fast, several pumps and a quart bottle will be fully drained into the trans. I filled just slightly more than I drained to be safe ( just over 4 quarts in my case, might vary for you based on how level your car is). You will drain the overfill anyway when checking the level with the vag-com. Once again make sure the car is jacked at the same angle when filling and draining to make sure you don't under or overfill! Also notice the jackstands so you don't die!
- Fluid should be filled and the fill plug closed for now. I lowered the car but placed some 2x4's under the wheels so the fill plug would still be accessible. To check the fluid level with the vag-com go into the Auto Trans controller on the vcds software, then go to measuring blocks, enter 10 for the display group and you will see the trans fluid temp in the third window. The car will have to have to idle to warm the trans fluid, revving it too 2.5k rpm will warm up the fluid faster. Let the fluid warm up to 35 degrees Celsius and then open the fill plug you should have some fluid run out of the fill plug keep it running till cvt fluid temp reaches 40 C, fluid should keep dripping out the fill plug, if it does fluid level should be good. Close the fill plug before the temp goes past 40c. Your CVT oil change is done, if you want to do the double flush, which I recommend repeat all the steps again with new fluid. I recommend doing this every 20k miles to keep the CVT operating right, with good clean fluid these transmissions should run for a long time and operate smoothly.
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tytower (10-22-2019)
12-03-2013, 07:09 PM
#6
Audiworld Junior Member
Thread Starter
I drained the fluid with the car cold, not at operating temp. You only bring up the trans to operating temp to check the fluid level. Although not precise you could theoretically drain and fill the same amount given that its filled while the car is at the same angel as when its drained.
12-08-2013, 11:41 PM
#7
I had a guy that works at an european auto repair shop tell me that when they do the flush it usually makes the slipping worse. Now i'm not sure wether or not to do the flush. my b6 slips at low rpm in automatic, but not currently when I shift using multitronic after 2k rpm.
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12-08-2013, 11:43 PM
#8
Was your transmission slipping before you did the swap? If so, did it make any difference?
I drained the fluid with the car cold, not at operating temp. You only bring up the trans to operating temp to check the fluid level. Although not precise you could theoretically drain and fill the same amount given that its filled while the car is at the same angel as when its drained.
02-13-2014, 09:09 AM
#9
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I used an HVAC temp probe to measure the temperature of the fluid as it dripped out of the pan. You don't have to have a VAG (I love saying that) to do this job. You just have to think like a cheap bast***.
02-13-2014, 11:35 AM
#10
AudiWorld Super User
Also if your looking to make a tool to fill, I find the way your doing it hideously slow. Order a replacement drain plug, drill a hole in it, and weld a nipple onto it and then you can just thread the plug in and put a hose on it and fill. I use a cheap fuel pump to pump the fluid in. You overfill slightly, then start the engine, remove the fitting and drain off the excess, then put your original plug back in. You guys need to be doing fluid services every 30k. Not waiting until its acting like hell and then try double flushing it. your just wearing the trans out running the same fluid so long.