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Tue Mar 26, 2002 2:41 pm

Does a 54' bug split case have 2 fill and drain plugs? Is the tranny fluid in 2 separate compartments? Thanks for any help.

Wed Mar 27, 2002 4:19 pm

No, just one compartment, it's on the right-hand side though. I'm not sure what the 2 plugs on the left are for.

Wed Mar 27, 2002 5:21 pm

Hmmm, I'm a bit confused. I pulled a drain plug toword the motor. This drained completely. Then I pulled another plug, closer to the nose cone of the tranny. This released more oil. Any more insight?

Fri Mar 29, 2002 7:30 am

Sorry, there is only 1 fill plug, on the right hand side. There are 2 drain plugs but that is only because the tranny fluid gets trapped in the 2 different sections. There is a ridge between the 2 sections.

The 2 sections are connected though and filling it through the 1 fill plug will fill both compartments.

Thu Dec 05, 2013 2:51 pm

Excuse me but this is a 1st for me..
1. changing out the fluid in my tranny..so the refill for the tranny is that little ass hole?
2.Lucas 80-09 wt gear oil good?

Thu Dec 05, 2013 3:03 pm

Refill is the side plug. Make sure to loosen that plug before you drain the gear oil.

Guessing a typo on that 80-09 but 80-90 should work.

Thu Dec 05, 2013 3:08 pm

Thx Wayne...so it is the little hole? I'm use to the newer bus tranny where hole is much bigger and easier to locate

Thu Dec 05, 2013 3:21 pm

17 mm - This pic is from my '60.

Thu Dec 05, 2013 3:43 pm

Nope they must of improved the size from 56, mine has an 11mm bolt head, when removed the hole size to fill is like maybe 1/4" .......! :shock:

Thu Dec 05, 2013 4:15 pm

Not exactly sure when that changed. There is a Dec 1955 transmission for sale in the classifieds with pics that appears to be the bolt head style you referred to.

Thu Dec 05, 2013 7:10 pm

EverettB wrote: I'm not sure what the 2 plugs on the left are for.
The two plugs on the left side are to access the clamp bolts securing the shift forks to the shift rods. Through those holes you can adjust the forks to center in the neutral position.

Thu Dec 05, 2013 7:54 pm

There's a 17mm or 19mm (think 19mm) on the passenger side, it's a regular hex head plug (not the reversed hex like late models)

You need a fill pump that attaches to the oil bottle and you pump it in...it's a hand pump

It is not an 11mm 1/4" hole...

Thu Dec 05, 2013 8:10 pm

txoval wrote: There's a 17mm or 19mm (think 19mm) on the passenger side, it's a regular hex head plug (not the reversed hex like late models)

You need a fill pump that attaches to the oil bottle and you pump it in...it's a hand pump

It is not an 11mm 1/4" hole...
Nope not a 19mm nor 17mm, mine is a small hole, less than a 1/4" I crawled all over that trans..researched and this small hole has to be the fill hole...

Thu Dec 05, 2013 8:28 pm

Mine is a 1954 deluxe split case, non-synchro 1st...

Can you take a pic? I guess it's possible, but that seems crazy

See here: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/901028.jpg

Another: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/1035812.jpg

Fri Dec 06, 2013 12:16 pm

MY Bad..this is what I thought the refill hole but mind you I was in doubt

Fri Dec 06, 2013 12:18 pm

but it did show in the owners manuals on the opposite side...This morning I crawled back underneath and located the correct refill hole with the 19mm hex bolt...M sorry and thx for the help... 8)

Fri Dec 06, 2013 12:44 pm

Glad you found it, that's what this forum is here for...to help out

Take care

Fri Dec 06, 2013 4:53 pm

Thx for the support..

Fri Dec 13, 2013 11:04 am

If you're still reading this... I put Redline MTL in my 1959 split-case and that stuff is like a rebuild in a can! My second gear syncro went from not working up or down, requiring me to double clutch into second everytime, to working flawlessly with the addition of this oil. It didn't happen instantly but took some time to wash the old oil out and make the syncro work.

Don

Sat Dec 14, 2013 8:57 am

MTL and MT-90 certainly provide buttery smooth shifting .. possibly the smoothest I've felt. Unfortunately, these oils are not suitable for heavily loaded R&Ps .. they are transmission oils, not transaxle oils. Even the RedLine website now admits this. So, I guess I would use them for a balky trans that I knew I would be replacing some day, but not in a newly rebuilt one that I wanted to last 150K.