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As part of the 60k maintenance there is the nebulous "all wheel controller oil" -- I aim to clear up what exactly that is, and also show just how easy it is to change.
The "all wheel controller" is nothing but a clutch that serves to engage the front differential at varying levels, not unlike a Haldex system in other VW products. This is a wet clutch and it has its own oil.
For the oil, Porsche's parts PDF lists, for the 991.2, part number 000 043 305 40. This part is also listed at sites like Pelican. I went to my dealership and requested this part number, and was told no, I actually need to use part number 000 043 209 33 according to his system. It didn't truly matter since the oils were apparently interchangeable as well. If in doubt, call your dealer and ask for a litre of "front all wheel controller oil, NOT differential oil" for your VIN, they'll get you the right part.
So get yourself a litre of either of those part numbers and have at it. My controller took about 800ml, which is exactly what the FSM says it should take (WM 399055).
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Materials needed:
- 850ml or more of front all wheel controller oil (P/N 000 043 305 40 or 000 043 209 33 -- ask your parts counter if unsure). Should be about $50
Step 1) Get the car in the air.
It must be level. Use a lift, four post or two, or use four jackstands. You'll need room for yourself, the clutch oil container standing upright, and then a little more. About a foot should do, but more is better.
Step 2) Remove the front belly pan.
There are a dozen or so T25 screws, and two 10mm aluminum nuts on the rearmost part of the cover.
The shanks for the 10mm nuts will hold the rear of the cover on. Gently pry the cover downward, being careful not to break the belly pan material.
The cover swings downward 15 to 20 degrees at the rear, and the front should pull out of the lip it's tucked into. I had to wiggle mine back and forth a bit to get the passenger side to free up.
Step 3) Drain the controller oil.
Crack loose the filler plug before removing the drain plug -- this is just a safety check to make sure you'll be able to fill it after you drain it!
Circled are the drain and fill plugs. The drain/fill plugs forward of these are for the differential itself. Arrow is towards the front of the car. A closeup My fluid was very clean coming out at 60,000 miles and 4 years.
Step 4) Clean the drain bolt.
It's magnetic and hollow. Clean it out -- I used a paper towel and a dental pick to coax up as much as I could.
There should only be a fine powder, no large chunks.
Clean it as best you can
Step 5) Fill it back up.
Reinstall the drain bolt, torque to 24 lb-ft, and thread in your transfer pump's feed tube.
I found it was easiest to go from the front and jam the tube as far in as I could, then pull back a few millimeters.
The fill hole has a back to it, so if you pump too enthusiastically it will push a lot of fluid out of the hole.
Mine wept out the fill hole the entire time I was filling. Do not be alarmed if yours does too. The total lost fluid was less than 5cc, and it began pouring out very steadily once it was full. This is normal if your tube isn't a small diameter and able to make the downward angle into the control unit.
Threading in the fill tube from the front of the car Just any old transfer pump works, this is one from walmart with enough tubing to comfortably leave the oil container on the ground while the car was six feet in the air.
My oil container was 850ml, so I just pumped it all in. Near the bottom of the container oil started gushing out of the front clutch housing, so it was full.
Let it weep a little bit, then put the fill plug back in. Torque to 24 lb-ft.
Step 6) Clean up and button up.
Liberally douse the area with parts/brake cleaner, mop it up with some towels, put the belly pan back on, and you're done!
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Worth noting, only about 600ml of fluid came out of my controller, but I was able to pump in the specified 800ml. I have no sign of leaks, and this is the first time it's been changed. Who knows!
Good stuff. You have driven the car since the fluid change and all is good? Easy enough to go into the mfd and look at the AWD screen and push it a bit into some corners. 😁
Good stuff. You have driven the car since the fluid change and all is good? Easy enough to go into the mfd and look at the AWD screen and push it a bit into some corners. 😁
Haven't yet! Waiting on a serpentine belt. All the cross references for my belt resolve to single-sided instead of the required double-sided. Won't be until middle of next week for the car to be mobile again
If it's any consolation, the viscosity of the two fluids felt identical. As far as the MFD all-wheel readout, I think that's only commanded clamping.
Haven't yet! Waiting on a serpentine belt. All the cross references for my belt resolve to single-sided instead of the required double-sided. Won't be until middle of next week for the car to be mobile again
If it's any consolation, the viscosity of the two fluids felt identical. As far as the MFD all-wheel readout, I think that's only commanded clamping.
The car calls for a specific amount of grab up front. Whether or not that requested amount if met is a different story.
For example, it could say "gimme all you got" and expect 100%, but worn clutches (or wrong fluid?) could give only 60%. Not sure if the car would throw a code in that instance.
"asellus" thanks for posting this! I just did my 991.2 Turbo. The dealer told me 000 043 209 33 is the correct fluid. Purchasing it from them was about $75. As you can see in the photos, it is BorgWarner 2000884. Porsche just put their part number on it with a sticker! It is available from Pelican.
Thanks for the DIY. The fluid information saved me $100. FCP Euro is now charging $52 for the fluid. Hennesey Porsche in Roswell, GA is charging $150.
Everything is correct in the DIY, except there are two compartments to change the fluid. If you look in the very front of your picture with the drain and fill plug, you will see the other drain and fill plug. To test if they are connected, I removed all drain and fill plugs. Then, I put in the rear plug and pumped the old fluid into the rear. I did not have any fluid come out of the front. I re-drained the rear and filled it up. I had to order another bottle of fluid. The front drain has a lot more particles than the rear, so I think it is more important to change than the rear.
@Denny Morrow whoa hold up! There are numerous instances where I indicated this is specifically for the controller oil, NOT the differential fluid.
Originally Posted by asellus
As part of the 60k maintenance there is the nebulous "all wheel controller oil" ... This is a wet clutch and it has its own oil.
...
call your dealer and ask for a litre of "front all wheel controller oil, NOT differential oil" for your VIN, they'll get you the right part.
...
Circled are the drain and fill plugs. The drain/fill plugs forward of these are for the differential itself. Arrow is towards the front of the car.
It sounds like you drained the front all wheel controller oil (the wet clutch oil) and the differential assembly itself! Those take two different oils. Make sure you didn't fill your differential with the clutch oil. I'm pretty sure those are different weights and have different friction modifiers (or lack thereof) in them.
Sorry for the confusion. I was looking at my phone for the torque specs earlier. I see my error now. I will double check my fluids and make sure I have the correct ones before I crank it. I filled the controller with the same fluid shown in the thread, so I should be okay. I will double check both before I finish. Thanks for the reply.
this is the cheapest place i have found the BorgWarner AWD controller fluid for anyone that is planning on doing this job soon ($39.95 + $10 shipping as of 7/1/2024)...
05-13-2021, 01:09 AM
60k Maintenance - Front All Wheel Controller Oil
