Procedure for changing 85 Vanagon gear oil?

[levi]

I'm guilty of never changing the gear oil fluid. Never! And I know it oughta be done cause it's tough shifting.....so, after an hour of fruitless search results?
(I did get the procedure for air cooled , not sure that'll help with this 85 1.9 )
Is it a 17 mm bolt I need to find?
Is there also a drain plug? or do I need a turkey baster to pull fluid?
I don't want to stir up the gl4 vs. gl5 controversy...I'm going with the redline mt-90.
A gallon of that stuff be enough?

[r39o]

How about you poke your nose under there and look? An 85 sits high enough so you can do that. I know, I was just under there the other day. The standard drain VW drain / fill plug is 17mm. Go look in the Bentley or your owners manual for fill quantity. Ya fill till it runs out. If you filled a gallon in, my gosh that would be amazing. BTW: You will need a pump to put it in.

It is an awfully good idea to put in magnetic plugs and do not overtighten as they are tapered.
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"Use the SEARCH, Luke" But first visit the Vanagon FAQ!

1990 Multivan EJ 22, Rancho trans 0.82 4th, Small Car front AC, CLKs w/ 215/65-16, homemade big brakes 303mm, Konis, Recaros, etc....

Click to see my ads for Cup holders, Subaru clutch fix and CLK wheels (no wheels currently)

[[email protected]]

i'm able to get the fluid in there without a pump. i use the quart (i think its a quart?) size bottleand you can tip it upside down and get the end in the hole. get some rags and cardboard cause you'll probably lose a little.... mine is an 82 so maybe the ability to do this is not there on a watercooled.

[Ericthenorse]

Somebody needs a nap...... What you are looking for is a big 17mm allen wrench. to use on the plug at the bottom of the tranny. the book says that you can use 3.7 quarts, but that is for a new tranny. You will not be able to get all of the old stuff out, so I would guess it will take about 3 quarts. This stuff is thick, so don't let it fool you . When it starts to spill back, give it a few seconds and see if it has leveled off. You can stick the end of your finger in and feel around to see how close you are. You can probably get a big 17mm allen socket at your local parts store since it is the same size as a lot of other Audi and VW cars...
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'69 bug--rusty as hell
'91 vanagon carrat-slammed,5 speed,4 wheel disks,17x8.5's

[angelchild]

to fill it, I used one of those bendy accordian end funnels.....put the end into the fill hole, and accordian bended it so the funnel was facing up and resting on suspension 'parts'...then you can pour your tranny oil in from the side reaching in just above & in front of (or was that behind?...can't remember) the wheel (a light helps to make sure your pouring into the funnel!)
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64 Cal-Look Beetle

[Ericthenorse]

It comes out here... park on a hill , or jack up the front of your van to help it all run out.

It goes in here. passengers side, up near the front of the tranny, about 1/3 of the way up.

I would like to thank my EXTRA 5 SPEED... for helping me in this demonstration.....

(you heard right... I might be letting a perfectly good 5 speed go up for sale at a bargain price....)
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'69 bug--rusty as hell
'91 vanagon carrat-slammed,5 speed,4 wheel disks,17x8.5's

[buspor63]

Hey Eric, I noticed the bike wheel, do you race 'cross?

[r39o]

Why do they insist on painting them blacK???? Too lazy to do some scrubbing? It sure does not make spotting leaks any easier. UGH. Rant off...
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"Use the SEARCH, Luke" But first visit the Vanagon FAQ!

1990 Multivan EJ 22, Rancho trans 0.82 4th, Small Car front AC, CLKs w/ 215/65-16, homemade big brakes 303mm, Konis, Recaros, etc....

Click to see my ads for Cup holders, Subaru clutch fix and CLK wheels (no wheels currently)

[levi]

Thanks guys, you're making it impossible for me to put this off any longer, and that's just what a lazy bastard like me needs.........put in my order on the oil about 5 minutes ago.
A 5 speed huh? Damn, don't tempt me......

[Ericthenorse]

No 'cross racing, but I did just get a hardtail mountain bike to do a little ammature downhill. They have a "Clidesdale" class that is made just for us big fat bastards(6'5"-275lbs)
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'69 bug--rusty as hell
'91 vanagon carrat-slammed,5 speed,4 wheel disks,17x8.5's

[Paulbeard]

Now I wonder if this has ever been done to mine? Swepco 201 seems to be the preferred brand, so that's ordered…

No shifting problems but it does whine a bit. Maybe this is why.

I wonder how much will drain…
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Currently -> Frida: 87 Tizian Red (mostly) Vanagon GL Westfalia w/ 2.0L ABA conversion
Formerly -> Steward of a 73 Super Beetle (Beater) and 67 Beetle 1300 (Little Max) both names by POs

[davideric9]

Just to add to the conversation, the owners manual states that the transmission oil does not need to be changed.

from page 102:
The final drive requires hypoid oil SAE 90,
which does not have to be changed.

How can this be? Well the reason we change engine oil is because of the gasoline and combustion contaminants, which break down the properties of the oil's ability to lubricate. The transmission is a closed box with a magnet to collect all the wear particles from the gears and bearings. So if you think about it a little, what is there to change the chemistry of the transmission oil? I think I changed mine because it made me feel better, that and a little fear.
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1987 Syncro Westfalia, stock (bought 1994)
1986 Syncro Westfalia SVX, 3 knob (bought 2008)
1987 Westfalia (bought 2010)
1988 Wolfsburg GL (bought 2012)

[Merian]

it still needs to be changed - VW did not think people would be crazy enuff to keep their vehicles for 30 years

change it every 5-10 years or 75-100k miles, which ever comes first

from discussions with chemists, engineers and tech reps. at various oil co.s (boutique included), they all think the shelf life of engine or gear oil is no longer than 5 years

OTOH, it sits still and may separate on the shelf, so if used it will be mixed and you can maybe extend the interval some

OTOOH, a deda vanagon can sit for a long time too - and they die pretty frequently
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[Sodo]

[Bleyseng]

Swepco 201 90w has always been the oil of choice. It seems VW changed from every 30,000 miles of the Lifetime when all the auto manufacturers were advertising their cars as needing less maintenance ( time wasted in the dealer's shop).
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70 Ghia Black convert-9/69 build date-stock w/133k 1600 SP-barn find now with a rebuilt tranny and engine
77 Westy 2.0L w/Ljet, Camper Special engine-95hp and with LSD!(sold)
76 Porsche 914 2.1L L20c, 120hp Djet (sold)
87 Syncro Westy Titan Red 2.1L 2 knob 100k miles

[Sodo]

[dgbeatty]

Step one. Set you van on the rear bumper. Remove drain plug. When oil stops running out reinstall drain plug.
Step two. Set van back on wheels. Fill with specified amount of oil. Check level as per manual. Adjust as necessary.

Yes, I did write manuals in a former life.

[Merian]

Thicker oil just HAS to offer better separation between the metal parts...


but only if it flows in between them and it may be too thick to do so.

Besides, the separation may be limited by other factors.
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[Rorke]

As I read elsewhere in my samba studies...

Open the fill port before draining. Otherwise, you might successfully drain the gear oil only to discover that the fill plug is stuck and you are unable to fill

[kamzcab86]

For those reading along who have automatics, there is no drain hole for the differential (where the gear oil goes). You'll either very carefully loosen the pan bolts and tilt a corner down to drain, or siphon/suck the fluid out of the fill hole:

(borrowed pic)