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Tue Mar 30, 2004 1:35 am

Sorry for the dumb question but where is the transmission fluid fill hole? can I top off my fluid without a pump? Looked all over the net and John Muir does not get specific as far as I can tell, just says to fill it.

I am getting a little grinding in first gear when downshifting into first. Also, is there clutch fluid?

Hell, is there any other fluid I am missing besides Brake, Oil and Gas??

Sorry but I think it would be alot dumber to kill my tranny or clutch or somthing else rather than ask.

Tue Mar 30, 2004 1:51 am

do not worry kaput, i believe the only dumb question is a not asked question. i think, on my 67, the tranny fluid thingie is on the drivers side part. i dunno for sure, but i hope this at least helps out.

Tue Mar 30, 2004 2:13 am

Think I answered part of my question again...is this right?

fill to the bottom of the hole verdad?

Tue Mar 30, 2004 2:22 am

you need a 17mm allen head and a grease pump with at least 6" of hose

lay on your back on the driver side in front of the back wheel

directly in the middle of the bus between those back wheels is the big round transmission. it's black. on the driver side of the transmission is a hole halfway between the top and bottom

wriggle your hand up there with the 17mm allen and stick it in. i usually use a 17mm crescent wrench to then turn the allen wrench cuz there is not a lot of room to work with.
(busting this nut may be a real pain the ass if it hasnt been done in long time)

once it is off, stick your finger in there and try to use your finger as a dipstick. if it is dry thats bad. it should be full of gear oil to the bottom of the nut you removed but no more (bad!) so let it all ooze out to settle to this bottom line before you put the nut back on tight.

oh i forgot to add above, if there is oil in there but it's nasty or you know it needs to be changed, thats the job for the 17mm hole on the bottom of the tranny

this is all assuming you are on flat ground and truly have a Muir manual cuz it should all be in there

its pretty easy but I have yet to not make a friggin mess everytime (which has become a lot with a leaking tranny!)

Tue Mar 30, 2004 2:24 am

word. here i went on babbling for so long you already posted your findings.

Tue Mar 30, 2004 3:51 am

Thanks for the detail Dez,
Man Just keep it comin dumb ass style (not being sarcastic). I am bringin the bus back from a shell with 0 knowlege. I appriciate bringin it down, cuz i know very little about things I have never done. Good thing is I will know how to do everything when I am done. Truly did read Muir and bently as far as I could find b4 posting this.

Think I will have tranny oil filled after this. I would still like to know if there are other fluids that need to be checked.

-=dan=-

P.S. how much $ will that pump run?

Tue Mar 30, 2004 8:16 am

hey Kaput, where did you get that pic? that looks like a vanagon tranny, and not one that would be found in a split bus.
just curious.

Tue Mar 30, 2004 11:04 am

kaput the pump should be less than 10 bucks at any auto parts store and is a must-have for cars anyways . i dont have a bentley yet but it seems to me that this info Must be in there, cuz i learned it from my muir.

if that is a vanagon tranny, that may explain the confusion!?
:shock:

Tue Mar 30, 2004 11:09 am

When you get the fill plug out:
If the tranny seems empty, check your axle boots before you start filling it up.

If the axle boots are split or even cracking, replace them first.

It sucks to fill up the tranny and just have it dump out or start leaking right away because the boots are worn out.

Tue Mar 30, 2004 11:17 am

While the pump is certainly nice, and I've seen them for as little as $12.00, my cheapass self just uses hardware store plastic tubing. The tranny fluid I get (and most brands out there) has a pointed nipple spout on top. You just get the proper diameter tubing, about 3 foot worth, and squeeze the bottle to fill the tranny. Hold the bottle above the rear wheel, put the tube in the hole, and squeeze.
I highly recommend latex gloves and lots of dropcloth newspaper for this operation. Keep a bunch of paper towels handy as well. That tranny fluid smells awful!

Tue Mar 30, 2004 5:50 pm

If you use the pump this will help. Set the oil (still in the bottle) in a pan of hot tap water (or the sun) for 10 to 15 minutes. This will make it easier to pump into the trans as most gear oil is 80 to 90w.

Tue Mar 30, 2004 6:52 pm

Yes that is a Vanagon Tranny, Just found it on the web.
Only pic I could find. I figured it would be similar. I will take a look tonight and see if I can find it. Should probably get the pump but I had a similar cheap ass idea as J.Pickens mentioned.

Tue Mar 30, 2004 7:54 pm

well, a vanagon tranny is definitely different than a split bus tranny.
if you have a tunnel type transmission in your bus, there should be 2 drain plugs on the bottom of the housing. when draining, remove them both to get all the old fluid out. the filler plug is on the left (driver's) side of the housing, in front of the left side cover plate, about half way up the side of the trans. 17mm male socket removes/installs them all.
if you have a split-case trans, the filler will be on the right side, in the same location, it's just on the passenger side. on a splitcase, a 19mm box end wrench removes/insatlls them.

fill each of your reduction boxes with 8oz/half pint of gear oil before filling the trans.

Tue Mar 30, 2004 9:31 pm

And one more tip. DO NOT drain the gear oil if you cannot get the fill plug out. Only drain what you can fill back up, don't expect that it will always be easy.

Tue Mar 30, 2004 10:05 pm

I don't use pumps or tubing. Just Chop the tip of the oil canister and squeeze it in there until it starts to drip out.if you cut just about 1/4 inch off the tip of the spout, the viscosity of the oil is thick enough not to drip out. I use 80W-90 gear oil. Once it starts coming out, stop, wait a few and do it over. I replaced the boots just as a safe, (cheap) precaution. Good luck. I am learning as i go too.

Tue Mar 30, 2004 10:13 pm

If you clipped the tip of the oil bottle, my guess is you used GL-5 and not the correct GL-4 oil......

Wed Mar 31, 2004 12:20 am

Is the gl-4 or 5 that important? I used that nipple type bottle when filling my reduction boxed after new brakes. Also hopin the 17mm is the right one, kind of on the broke side right now.

Wed Mar 31, 2004 9:50 am

Kaput wrote: Is the gl-4 or 5 that important? I used that nipple type bottle when filling my reduction boxed after new brakes. Also hopin the 17mm is the right one, kind of on the broke side right now.

Yes it is important. Take this info for the counter monkey as he will tell you there is no such thing. Get the pump that screws to the jug for $5.00 and you will be set. Don't forget to fill the reduction gear boxes.

Here is the info from the NAPA web page for Sta-Lube GL-4

Item#: SLRSL24239

Price: $ 11.49
tax and shipping not included

Available only at NAPA stores.

Attributes:
Attributes: Gear Oil - Automotive
Application: Sta-Lube GL-4 Multi-Purpose Gear Oil SAE 85W90
Weight Rating: SAE 85W90
Size: 1 gal
Manufacturer: CRC Industries, Inc.
Synthetic: No

Fri Apr 02, 2004 12:51 am

So I finally found the fill hole and put a liter and a half in there. It's all true, messy and stinky and truely a bitch... fogot how long that stuff stays with you, I can still taste it.

One last thing, I replaced my brakes and lines few months back. Put Half pint in each at the time. Do i still need to fill the reduction boxes up again?

Thanks for the help, Muir explains filling pretty well but not finding the fill hole (and getting it open.)

Fri Apr 02, 2004 12:53 pm

Kaput wrote: So I finally found the fill hole and put a liter and a half in there. It's all true, messy and stinky and truely a bitch... fogot how long that stuff stays with you, I can still taste it.

One last thing, I replaced my brakes and lines few months back. Put Half pint in each at the time. Do i still need to fill the reduction boxes up again?

Thanks for the help, Muir explains filling pretty well but not finding the fill hole (and getting it open.)

That's why I LOVE the Bentley and never use the Muir. I like to think of them as the comics versus the Business section of a newspaper. Guess which is which!