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Sat Nov 13, 2004 9:59 am

Hey I was just wandering if it is normal to hear a difference in revs in this situation

When I am in nuetral with the clutch in the engine idles faster than when i let the clutch out. Is this normal?

Sat Nov 13, 2004 1:05 pm

When you let the clutch out in neutral, you are turning the input shaft of the trans. It has drag as its pushing all the gear oil around in the trans. I havn't noticed it on mine, so I would suggest your gear oil is probably really thick and time for a change. Ever done it?

Sun Nov 14, 2004 8:49 am

Nope but i know its a messy job. The only thing i havent done so far is the struts cause i didnt have a spring compressor. Should I attempt this myself. Also Shifting gears seems stiff. Coupler is like new but i have a brand new urethane one. So I prolly do need to change the tranny oil. What all do I need and wat are some tips. Ill read up on the idiots and hanes manual as well. How much time am i lookin at for a first time?

Sun Nov 14, 2004 5:11 pm

no biggie to change it. you may need a flexable funnel or someway to pour it into the tranny side fitting. even a small plastic bottle with a nozzle or hose and squeeze it in -even if it's half or quarter liter at a time. i suggest synthetic, german made Lubri-moly is a very good one.

Sun Nov 14, 2004 9:44 pm

So you drain it using the big allen nut at the bottum then u fill it where? Also what kind of oil do I need and how much of it for a stock tranny? I dont want to blow any seals. Also do I need to buy any gaskets or anything?

Mon Nov 15, 2004 7:48 am

Led Zeppelin wrote: So you drain it using the big allen nut at the bottum then u fill it where? Also what kind of oil do I need and how much of it for a stock tranny? I dont want to blow any seals. Also do I need to buy any gaskets or anything?

Make sure the car is level. First you remove the fill nut on the side, because otherwise the oil won't drain as easily out the bottom. You may have two drain plugs on the bottom, so remember to remove both. They may be magnetic so remember to remove all the bits sticking to the plug.

You should use GL-4 transmission oil to refill. These days the only kind you find on the shelf is GL-4/GL-5 and some people say that the GL-5 has additives that hurt the synchros on the old trannys, but others say it doesn't make a difference. You can get GL-4 oil on the web if you're really worried about it. When you refill, only put in enough to come up to the bottom of the fill hole. Don't try to put in more so you don't blow your seal. There are no gaskets involved. It's a messy job so prepare to get dirty.

Mon Nov 15, 2004 1:26 pm

cool stuff. I chacked out haynes and yeah it looks a lot easier than i was thinking. Im going to pick up a big oil gun or something to use to fill. And try and find a 17mm allen wratchet socketh thingy. Is there a difference in wait in the GL-4 if so what would u recommend.

Mon Nov 15, 2004 5:56 pm

Led Zeppelin wrote: Is there a difference in wait in the GL-4 if so what would u recommend.

GL-4 isn't the weight of the oil, it indicates what additives are in it. The recommended weight of the oil (90w?) is specified in your Haynes manual. The GL-5 oil satisfies GL-4 requirements and contains other additives designed for extreme pressure situations. Some people have said that those other additives can cause corrosion in the VW synchros but just as many people say it ain't so. If you're interested do a search on the forums for "GL-4" and you'll see people have beaten this to death in the past.

I couldn't make up my mind so I ordered synthetic GL-4 tranny oil from Al Smith. Here's the link if you're interested:

http://www.synlubes.com/redline/misc-lubes.html

I bought the MTL oil.

Tue Nov 16, 2004 12:20 pm

1979 Supervert made a good point in his frst post. Make sure the car is level. It needs to be to drain properly. If you have four jackstands this is easy, but if not, consider stopping by yer local Jiffy Lube. For prolly $20 they'll change it for you and dispose of the old stuff.

-jefffrey

Tue Nov 16, 2004 4:12 pm

So would you recomend redline or valvaline 80w90 senthetic (exceeds gl5 standards) also about how much out do you need? just one container?

Tue Nov 16, 2004 4:43 pm

Good Q on the 80W90. It was all i could find at the FLAPS. Haven't put it in there yet though.

Tue Nov 16, 2004 4:55 pm

I can get the redline and if i only need one container (How many quarts do i need approx?) I will but redliner is about triple the cost of the valvaline. Either way this guy i know thats been workin on bugs only for past 30 years said use 80w90

Tue Nov 16, 2004 7:37 pm

I seem to recall I used 2 1/2 quarts. Get the good stuff. You leave it in there for 30,000 miles so why not?

Sun Nov 21, 2004 9:28 am

well i did it. But i can still here a difference in revs (easier with windows up and music down ) when i let out the clutch in nuetral. Also shifting is still alittle stiff. Maybe my synchros are gone bnut im just not going to worry about it till i need to. Its been driving like this forever and it doesnt bother me too much

Sun Nov 21, 2004 2:44 pm

Mine does that and I thought it might be the crankshaft being forced agaist the thrust bearing, consequenty pushing the cam gear lash, and or distributor drive, to a point of slightly more advanced timing.

I suppose you could have someone watch the timing while you press the clutch.