Re: [T3] Auto Tranny FAQ?

[Jim Adney <jadney@vwtype3.org>]

On 10 Mar 2004 at 12:48, Aaron Clow wrote:

> You're not leaking any ATF are you (over the course of
> several weeks)? My transmission used to shift
> differently until I put more fluid in it. 

The AT has a pump which pushes ATF around. This pressurized ATF moves pistons 
which make the AT do its thing when it's time to shift. Like our engines, there 
is a pickup tube in the sump which draws in this ATF, and that pickup tube 
needs to always be fully submerged below the ATF fluid level. If the ATF level 
drops below the pickup tube, even momentarily, the pump will suck air and the 
shift will hesitate.

It's important that the ATF level be high enough. The level must be checked 
with the engine RUNNING. When the engine ie running, the ATF pump is also 
running and all the fluid passages are filled. This means that the sump will be 
at its normal level, which is lower than when the engine is off and all the ATF 
has drained back down into the sump.

-- 
Jim Adney
jadney@vwtype3.org
Madison, WI 53711-3054
USA

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