Khuram

Hi All,
When you do the above and run the tranny through all the gears, does the transmission actually change gears whilst the wheels are stationary? If not is it the same if you just ran through P R N & D skipping gears 2,3,4? Would it be any good to run the wheels so it changes up to fifth whilst refilling? Also has anyone attempted to ever drain the torque converter and oil cooler to get the 3-4quarts of ATF you can't get to from the audipages method.
Many thanks

ricoblanco

And don't go revving your engine in P and N. It's not doing anything. The method I have used for many a year, was to run R, D, 2, 3, 4 for 10 seconds each and then 4,3,2,D, and finally R for 30 seconds each (with the brake engaged mind you). I remember Tozo posting something a while back about loosening the valve body to drain out a bunch of extra fluid, but I don't recall anybody draining the TC.

I'm sure others will chime in with their input.

teedoff00

I did it just like it said in Audipages, and it worked great! I did the valve body rebuild with the fluid change and I left mine up on jacks for like a week and a half and ended up using almost 9 quarts of ATF. Removing your VB is probably the best way to get the most fluid out if you let it sit, but probably unnecessary. Just change 5 or so then do it again in another couple of months. If your car is cold like at least overnight when you fire it up to run it though the gears, by the time you are done running it though it will be at the right temp to do your final fill.
Good Luck

Khuram

... run the engine with a reservior of fresh ATF feeding into the oil cooler? Would it need to be force fed or pressureised

PaulW

You can just bring your car to a place that has a machine that does this, it meters out the old stuff and meters in the same amount.

Only downside is that you have to drop the pan to change the filter.

CalG

When I changed filter and fluid, I thought the filter change was most important. That grey sludge seems to coat over everything. I was getting the "startup whine" of pump cavitation before changing the filter. Now, All is OK in that respect.

It would be nice if there were better access to the three screws on the trans pan that are covered by the cat converter though.

As a note, the local VW Audi specialist indy in town has quit offering filter changes. They only do the plumbing fluid exchanges in the manner you have described. Much better profit margin!

regards

Cal

A8CT

instead of pumping the fluid up and in (which is messy no matter how many times you do it)....

Use a 3-5 gallon container on top of the engine connected to a hose with a plumbing shut off valve, let gravity do the work. One of those ball valves are an instant off when you want to stop the flow.

I saw a picture of it at the dealership and it looks easy enough to make.

If you're feeling a little crazy you can pre-fill the pan before you put it in. I added about 2.5 qts and then re-installed it. Yep, big mess if you drop it!

Bob

Bangerla

I had a hard time getting to the screws near the catalytic converter. Even with a ground down torx bit, I still couldnt get to them. I found it easy enough to slide the exhaust coupler back, and loosen the flange on the passenger side exhaust manifold. This allows the exhaust to hang down and extra 3-4" which makes it very easy to access the screws. I think this actually took less time than trying to fight with a wrench in the confined space.

CalG

Bangerla

My attention was on the seal R&R, so I may have been less than attentive, but I did not see a demountable flange on the Passenger's (right) side Cat. like there is on the Driver's (left) side. I don't think I'll look tomorrow either ;-)

Cal

Bangerla

The flange on the passenger side is on the manifold. So it is a bit higher up. You can reach it from the top side of the engine compartment. For me it was pretty easy to slip my big hands down the side, and loosen the 3 bolts on the flange with a socket wrench. I sprayed the bolts with PB Blaster, and they came loose much easier than I expected. After looking at the photos on audipages, there is a lot more room between the cat and the transmission than on my car. So after cursing at it for 5 minutes, loosening the flanges turned out to be the easiest way. Of course I then had to "test" the transmission after it was refilled, and before the exhaust was reconnected. It definitely turns some heads when you go roaring down the road, with the exhaust dumping straight out the back of the cats.