Transmission Pan/Gasket and Leaks

[Country Larry]

Thanks!

I am going to replace the whole Neutral switch - looks like fluid is also going into switch and dripping out of that. If the switch fails then the van wont start, so worth some extra $$$

Thanks so much for your detailed reply, I do have a thermo gun to measure temp

[qval]

If replacing the neutral safety switch (yellow multifunction switch on the rear driver side corner of the transmission), or just the oring, you can just up the driver's side and idle. This pulls the fluid level down enough that it won't leak out. I've done this multiple times on my 2000 01p transmission (chasing leaks) and once on a 1993 098. This saves you from having to leak out a qt of fluid that you may have just replaced and it's no muss no fuss. The codes will clear easily with VCDS or you can drive a couple hundred miles

The oring I've used is the American size 209 or 210. 19 x 3mm is the OEM size, and 210 is 18.6x 3.5mm. These are available in Viton at harbor freight for 10 bucks in a lot and last a long time. The OEM buna-n orings harden like very quickly if you've overheated your ATF and that's when they leak. My leak always seemed to return after a long dirt road climb where the ATF got to 130c. Which is another reason I've got a cooler on there now.

[dbeeby]

I'm trying to hunt down the correct fluid for this van (without breaking the bank).

Does anyone know if this is the correct fluid for the 01P?
Valvoline MaxLife Multi-Vehicle ATF Full Synthetic Automatic Transmission Fluid 1 Gallon - VW/Audi G-052-025-A2 and G-052-162-A1

This MOBIL 126505 from RockAuto also seems like a good option?

Thanks!

[gesoffen]

Febi Bilstein make ATF that meets VW specs: https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/audi-atf-febi-219517060
_________________
1973 VW Superbeetle (1302) w/ RAT 2270 T4
2003 VW Eurovan Weekender w/ 2.8L VR6 AXK, DYA 5 Spd Manual Conversion

[trunnion]

[HeyCrutch]

[qval]

I've been using ATF 5 from rockauto. Pentosin renumbered their ATFs in the last few years and their old ATF1 became ATF 5 (I looked through all the datasheets to verify that it's the same stuff as the old ATF1 based on the VW and LT71141 specs required for the 01p transmission)

I had considered giving the new MAXlife a try, but I won't due to the above feedback (thank you!). The reasoning I had was two fold:
Firstly, the OEM spec fluid (ATF1/ATF5/LT71141 shears down to 6cst in normal usage anyway
Secondly, I have an ATF cooler now, so I'm running at closer to 175-190F now instead of the normal 200-240F it was before.

But I'll continue to use ATF 5 since it's been doing a good job keeping my 268k tranny alive with 20-25k changes.
_________________
2000 MV weekender, 270k miles

[dbeeby]

@qval, thank you... this is just the information I was hoping to get! I did not know that Pentosin ATF5==ATF1. I'll order that from RockAuto ASAP.

@trunnion, thank you for the thoughtful post. Can you tell me if I should have a bottle of that Lubegard Platinum on hand to add (1oz to 1qt) of the Pentosin AT5 I've got in my cart at RockAuto?

[kourt]

Prior to my recent German Transaxle of America rebuild of my transmission, I was using Audi ATF from FCP.

When I brought my van in to GTA to have the trans rebuilt--preventative, not in response to failure--GTA said, "whatever you're doing to maintain your transmission, keep doing it." They said my fluid and change intervals (every 20k miles) were perfect.

Following the rebuild, GTA required these fluids and service intervals to maintain their warranty:

ATF is BG Premium Full Synthetic ATF, part number 312.

Gear oil is BG Ultra Guard, part number 750.

Service intervals are:

1st at 15k miles or 2 years auto & diff.
Thereafter every 30k miles or every 4 years auto & diff.

kourt
_________________
2001 Eurovan Winnebago Camper

[qval]

Kourt, did you have an ATF cooler on your van before the rebuild? I'm pretty sure you got one from GTA when they rebuilt it. If you have a temperature bypass on it, keep an eye on it.
_________________
2000 MV weekender, 270k miles

[Endopotential]

Just to chime in, as I learned from making a mess in my driveway.

It may be more than just a dribble of ATF if you change that neutral PNP switch. The O-ring on my replacement was pretty tight, which is good for sealing I suppose. It required tightening up the mounting bolt to get the switch to seat in. During which time quite the flood of ATF came out.

So plan on doing a full top off afterwards.
_________________
2002 Eurovan Weekender

[kourt]

[qval]

I think the derale bypass has a good reputation and shouldn't be problematic. The older one in the kit (blue aluminum instead of silver) malfunctioning *could* be the root cause of hoses blowing off when using hose clamps.

To bring this back to thread topic:

There are many places where this transmission can leak
Pan gasket
Drain plug sealing washer
Multi function switch (oring gets hard from high temp 209 or 210 sae size can replace. No fluid will leak out of you Jack up driver's side, and idle when your remove and replace) (the MFS also has an internal rubber gasket that has leaked on me before; full switch replacement was only option)
OEM cooler banjo bolt orings get hard and leak (usually see pooling in the casting recesses on top)

On to less likely culprits:
Overfilling can lead to leaking from the vent mushroom thing
M10*1mm pressure test port plug can be loose (close to fill port/dipstick tube)
Speed sensor (or just its oring)
Other sensors?
Torque converter seal

Did I miss anything? I've chased leaks on this 01p in the past and replaced/fixed all of the above except the torque converter seal and other sensors. I probably didn't need to do the speed sensor, but I hadn't yet found the loose pressure port plug (my own fault for not tightening it probably).
_________________
2000 MV weekender, 270k miles

[qval]

[Tom Clark]

[kourt]

My tour of the GTA shop convinced me that their gospel regarding fluids was worth following. This is a shop dedicated to all things VW, Audi, and Porsche.

It's all they do, and they do it well.

One can order BG products from GTA, or go to the site:

https://bgfindashop.com

...which will list shops near you that sell BG products.

Having said all of that, I have used Mobil1 ATF and the Audi ATF with success.

kourt
_________________
2001 Eurovan Winnebago Camper

[dbeeby]

[Technoblau]

[Technoblau]

[tdibiker]

Well dang, I had finally committed to the Maxlife fluid. I just read up on the change back in 2023 when I hadn't even started using it yet. Now to see if I can find BG fluid somewhere and go do some fluid changes.

I believe the Multi-function switch oring is a 22x3mm and I was able to find one at my local Advance recently. I learned the hard way that you can't just pull it out, ha. Either do it during a fluid change or use the jack-while-running method.
_________________
95 EVC 217k
03 EVMV 367k
04 Vista 89k
00 Jetta TDI 384k
07 Touareg V10 TDI 83k
97 F250 WVO 411k
00 996 Conv 180k
....and others