Mads

Hi

my '89 S4 AT seems to be loosing ATF from from the transmission
I have been trying to check if there still is enough ATF in the transmission, but i find it pretty hard to see if its empty or if there is to much.
What do yo think ?



Is ther anybody who have a write up on how to change the ATF ? i would be nice with some pic's

Mads

Garth S

At operating temperature (~80c), the ATF should be between the top two marks with the engine running and the car absolutely level. I cannot determine the level in the pic - but will offer the opinion that if your car has lost fluid to the garage floor after sitting all winter - that is almost 'normal': the reservoir cap is below the ATF level when at rest, so it often leaks slowly.
The WSM 38-138 cover fluid & filter change and there are many good links to be found here . Look on the left panel for the first one .... and thoroughly clean up that mess before opening anything

Mads

The car i level on the pic.

Mads

Mrmerlin

Hi I would get a can of brake cleaner and spray the tank down till it is free of all the muck that is growing on your tank put a catch pan under the tank to get all the gunk. after this I would start the car with E brake on and run it through the gears, after this look under the carwith the engine running and in park and see where the level is, when the car warms up the level will rise due to liquid expansion. If the car has been sitting then the ATF fluid will all drain back into the pan and the level will be over the top of the fill cap,with the engine not running.So if the cap has a dirty seal or it is not tight then you will have a small leak. Stan

Pfunde

Mads, try ATM in Birkerød, they can also check the pressure to make sure in doesn't "burn" bremsebåndene ( got no idea what it's called in english)

the flyin' scotsman

The fill levels are as Garth suggests and from your picture it looks like there's to much fluid. The first you got to do is clean up the mess beofre you touch one nut or bolt.

In summary; you drain both the transmission and torque convertor through there respective drain plugs. Remove the transmission 'sump', remove filter and cover gasket. Fit new filer,gasket and the cover, torque to spec. Refit drain plugs with new gaskets, torque to spec. Fill the tranmission/reservoir with fresh oil, start the car get the transmission warm and with the engine running, fill the oil to the correct level, between the 2 upper marks.

borland

As suggested, check the level with the engine running at idle and the gear selector in "Park".

The reservoir has a clear window that will appear to "draw a line" marking the top surface of the fluid, and below the line will be dark brown. Your photo shows the level at the top of the scale.

When you shut off the engine, it's normal for the level to rise giving the false impression of being overfilled.

borland
90' S4, Slate Metallic

Tony

Looks like there is too much fluid.
The level will rise when you shut the car down..it may then leak out of the cap.
Start the car and look again and see if there is a difference.

david928

Last year I left my car in the garage for three weeks while I went on a vacation. When I got back there was a large puddle of ATF on the floor. When not operating, gravity will cause the fluid to drain out of the torque converter and into the sump (and out onto the floor if there are any small leaks).

John Pirtle

Be sure to wipe all the gunk away from the rear of that ATF tank. Then put a light behind it. That will help see where the level is.

Be sure your car is properly supported before crawling under with a running engine!

Schocki

Warm the car up by DRIVING it a couple of miles and check the fluid level again. My GTS did the same thing if it sat for more than a week. Here is the fix: After you checked the fluid level, shut the car down and remove the red cap. Clean it and check the rubber seal in the cap. If the rubber is very hard or cracked replace it. I actually bought some baffle material from www.realgaskets.com and cut my own gasket.
Tighten the cap fingertight and use the small nut on top of the cap to tighten it a little more. A gearwrench is very handy in this tight spot. This will give you a good seal and stop future leaks, worked for me and now you know why they put the plastic nut on top of the cap

Trust me I German and only Germans understand the deep thoughts about Porsche engineering Prost!

Mads

Thanks for all the advice, hope i have time to pick up the car next weekend.

Mads

Chris

Make sure the o-ring seal is still fitted to the cap, otherwise it will leak from there, most of them seem to go missing over time.

Chris