| Author |
Message |
mick av-8
Samba Member
Joined: June 09, 2009
Posts: 35
|
 Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2010 5:53 pm Post subject: RGB oil change |
 |
|
New bee question on the RGB.
I want to drain and change out the gear oil in the reduction boxes and pobably trans.
What is the recomended oil to buy?
Only have the local auto zones and palaces in town.
Not sure if there was something questionable about the grade..like GL 4 vs. 5 or something like that... |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
elliottjohnson
Samba Member
Joined: June 20, 2009
Posts: 160
Location: fresnOakland
|
| Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2010 6:30 pm Post subject: Re: RGB oil change |
|
|
| mick av-8 wrote: |
New bee question on the RGB.
I want to drain and change out the gear oil in the reduction boxes and pobably trans.
What is the recomended oil to buy?
Only have the local auto zones and palaces in town.
Not sure if there was something questionable about the grade..like GL 4 vs. 5 or something like that... |
Richard Atwell has this to say about it. http://www.ratwell.com/technical/GearOil.html
I didn't go crazy looking for GL-4 and put in GL-5 (redline iirc).
EDIT - Oh yeah the typical use the Search feature of the forum statement should apply as well to help you find the answer. This stuff has been discussed quite a bit. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
SCZ9-1-1
Samba Member
Joined: May 20, 2003
Posts: 716
Location: Santa Cruz, CA
|
| Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2010 6:38 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Use 90 weight Hypoid gear oil. You'll need a pump with it as well. I can't remember the exact amounts but you'll need about 4 quarts or so I think.
Take it around the block a few times to warm up the gear boxes and transaxle. Then put a oil catch pan under the transaxle and drain that oil whilst the bus is level. raise up the rear and remove the tires. Drain the RGBs. Make sure you clean off the area around the filler hole on top. replace the drain plugs and fill with the appropriate amount of gear oil. I use a measuring cup for this. Then put the wheels back on the lower the bus and fill up the transaxle while the bus is level again. The transaxle gets filled until oil starts to drip back out of the filler hole on the side. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
bherder
Samba Member
Joined: July 19, 2008
Posts: 374
Location: Portland/Forest Grove, OR
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
elliottjohnson
Samba Member
Joined: June 20, 2009
Posts: 160
Location: fresnOakland
|
| Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2010 8:10 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| bherder wrote: |
| I don't think you need a pump. |
You don't _need_ a pump, but I'd recommend it as well.
As a side note, there is the schematics to build a transmission oil dipstick from the "Local Manufacture of Workshop Equipment":
Edit: added link to oacdp |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
EverettB 
Administrator
Joined: April 11, 2000
Posts: 69809
Location: Phoenix Metro
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
chrome
Samba Member
Joined: March 21, 2003
Posts: 746
Location: back in NorCal
|
| Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2010 8:13 pm Post subject: |
|
|
GL-4 sta-lube amost every napa auto parts nationwide carries it, 1qt per rdux box fill trans untill its full...with your bus level of course, and wheels off is more than fine
_________________
65 21 window
57 T1 ragtop
58 ghia vert
68 fastback
73 Thing
74 Thing
54 chevy 210
63 mercury meteor wagon |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Nitty
Samba Member
Joined: July 07, 2003
Posts: 488
Location: Farthest South
|
| Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2010 8:29 pm Post subject: |
|
|
0.25 liter (0.53 pints) per RGB, 2.5 liters (5.3 pints) in the trans.
3 liters total. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
bherder
Samba Member
Joined: July 19, 2008
Posts: 374
Location: Portland/Forest Grove, OR
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Ian
Samba Moderator
Joined: August 28, 2002
Posts: 4930
Location: 713
|
| Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2010 8:32 am Post subject: |
|
|
when you put in a fresh transmission it does in fact take 3 liters.
i just put in a new trans, i am only going to run synthetic gear oil in it.
i've always used 80w90 valvoline with no issues, except for the smelly mess.
definitely score a pump
_________________
All your Buses are belong to us.
Love and good roads!
IN LOVING MEMORY OF ROB CRESS 1968-2012 |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Unclebon
Samba Member
Joined: May 07, 2009
Posts: 42
Location: WA / AK
|
| Posted: Thu Dec 18, 2014 2:56 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| what if i just want to top off the reduction gearbox oil? would i just fill it to the top? or is there a certain level the oil should be at? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
mandraks
Samba Member
Joined: November 28, 2004
Posts: 7047
Location: Lawrenceville, Ga
|
| Posted: Thu Dec 18, 2014 3:23 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Unclebon wrote: |
| what if i just want to top off the reduction gearbox oil? would i just fill it to the top? or is there a certain level the oil should be at? |
since RGBs and the tranny are connected, and the oil level is checked in the transmission... i say fill up the transmission.... drive it around a little, and check it again. Once the transmission is fine, the RGBs are fine.
_________________
regards
Uli
----------------------------------------
'53 3-Fold Oval, L35 Metallic Blue, looking for a narrow hatch panel |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
DCVW1966
Samba Member
Joined: September 10, 2009
Posts: 4
Location: Highland, Ca
|
| Posted: Wed Jun 23, 2021 4:07 pm Post subject: Re: RGB oil change |
|
|
| Ok, I have a question here. I just put in a fresh rebuilt transaxle with reduction boxes. I replaced all the wheel seals and torqued everything. I was told to fill the transaxle and it will gravity feed the reduction boxes. Then go back and check the transaxle level and top it off. Now, should there be any drip out of the weeping hole on the backing plate, or did I overfill or screw something up? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Eric&Barb
Samba Member
Joined: September 19, 2004
Posts: 24733
Location: Olympia Wash Rinse & Repeat
|
| Posted: Wed Jun 23, 2021 6:16 pm Post subject: Re: RGB oil change |
|
|
| DCVW1966 wrote: |
| Ok, I have a question here. I just put in a fresh rebuilt transaxle with reduction boxes. I replaced all the wheel seals and torqued everything. I was told to fill the transaxle and it will gravity feed the reduction boxes. Then go back and check the transaxle level and top it off. Now, should there be any drip out of the weeping hole on the backing plate, or did I overfill or screw something up? |
Not if you have everything done up right. Do you have the axle nuts snugged down well? If not that drums will not seal up against the seals inside.
Much easier to fill RGBs, then do the center section and quicker also. Doing that just thru the center section will result in having to fill and check, fill and check, fill and check...
_________________
In Stereo, Where Available! |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Bruce Amacker
Samba Member
Joined: December 26, 2007
Posts: 1786
Location: Cleveland, Ohio
|
| Posted: Thu Jun 24, 2021 6:23 am Post subject: Re: RGB oil change |
|
|
| Eric&Barb wrote: |
Much easier to fill RGBs, then do the center section and quicker also. Doing that just thru the center section will result in having to fill and check, fill and check, fill and check... |
Plus you'll be running the RGBs low or dry for a while until oil gets there. Fill the RGBs first.
Wise men will put magnetic tranny drain plugs in their RGBs to catch the metal dust from the gears before it gets in the bearings.
_________________
'66 Deluxe Bus
'65 Standard Bus
Build threads:
'66- http://www.leakoil.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=2888&sid=54d8dedfb3822f99c7f2ea430cb4e856
'65- http://leakoil.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=4263 |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Clara
Samba Member
Joined: June 14, 2003
Posts: 12399
|
| Posted: Thu Jun 24, 2021 9:33 am Post subject: Re: RGB oil change |
|
|
| DCVW1966 wrote: |
Ok, I have a question here. I just put in a fresh rebuilt transaxle with reduction boxes. I replaced all the wheel seals and torqued everything.
I was told to fill the transaxle and it will gravity feed the reduction boxes. Then go back and check the transaxle level and top it off.
Now, should there be any drip out of the weeping hole on the backing plate, or did I overfill or screw something up? |
Let me guess, you were told that by someone who does not drive a VW with RGBs. 
That oil moves s l o w l y, especially when cold. (You might want to leave your gallon jug in the sun to warm it up)
Nope, fill the boxes first, till they are full. Spin the drum while filling and you will see when it starts to burp bubbles. That means the box is full and draining into the center, bubbles coming from the center up the axle tube into the box.
Then do the other box.
Put wheels on, let bus off jack onto its 4 wheels.
Fill the center till oil level is at bottom of fill hole.
Do make sure the rear axle nuts are torqued before filling, or oil will weep.
This does mean drop the bus onto its wheels, torque axle nuts, jack back up and remove rear wheels.
Checking gear oil level (and topping as needed) is part of the 6,000 mile service. As we don't tend to drive these 12,000 miles each year, I recommend doing this once a year.
Changing gear oil is part of the 30,000 miles service.
_________________
The Obsolete Air-Cooled Documentation Project http://oacdp.org/ |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
