“How to” Change your Manual Transmission Fluid/Oil

[TechnoTrix'd]

Haven’t found a good how-to with pictures on this one gang, so since I did this as part of the clutch swap, I thought I would give it a shot.

Stuff needed:

• 17mm Allen Key Wrench (Sears - $15)('05 or Older Beetles)
• OR a Specialty tool from Metalnerd.com (see wawalkers post down below for URL and picture) for mid-year '05 and newer Beetles
• Funnel w/long snout
• Tube to connect funnel and fill-hole of tranny case (plastic/rubber approx ¼” diameter)
• For 5-speed manual transmissions: 2 qts of SAE 75W90 Full Synthetic Gear Oil (big difference, do not use “Manual Transmission Fluid”, only use Gear Oil!!!)
  For 6-speed manual transmissions: 3 qts of SAE 75W90 Full Synthetic Gear Oil (do not use “Manual Transmission Fluid”, only use Gear Oil!!!)
• Lock-Tite - Red
• Something to catch the fluid in and get it to a recycling center safely (pep boys and other national part/repair chains collect oil/fluids for free)
• Car ramps or jack stands
  
  **Optional: Extension bar for the allen wrench

[TechnoTrix'd]

First make sure that the transmission is warm, but not hot. You want the fluid to be as close to operating temperature as possible to ensure that you get as much of the old fluid out.

Drive out to get a cup of coffee or something from your local convenience store/Starbucks; that will do the trick.

[TechnoTrix'd]

Next, get the car off of the ground. You can use either car ramps (i.e. Rino ramps) or a floor jack to put the car up on jack stands.

Take all safety precaution like chucking the rear wheels and NEVER use the floor jack as the only means of supporting the car.

[TechnoTrix'd]

Remove the fill plug (pic #1) using your 17mm allen key/extension bar to allow the fluid to completely drain out without any vacuum in the tranny casing.

I originally had this as my second step, but thanks to Jian for sharing a personal pain point of draining the gear oil only to find out afterwards that the fill plug would not come out..:eek3:

So, remove the fill plug before you go remove the drain plug to ensure that you will be able to fill it up with new fluids.

[TechnoTrix'd]

Now, next step is to remove the drain plug (pic #2) using your 17mm allen key/extension bar. Make sure you have the fluid catch pan ready.

[TechnoTrix'd]

Next, take a couple of sips from that coffee and open up your fluid containers, removing the protective seal.

Now is a good time to clean up both of the actual drain and fill plugs. The draining takes a few minutes, so you have some time here.

[TechnoTrix'd]

Once the fluid has drained to the point of just a few drops coming out, use a rag and wipe up the area around the drain hole on the transmission housing. Put a little bit of the lock-tite onto the drain-plug threads and hand tighten the drain plug.

Start with hand tightening, as the tranny case is aluminum and the threads are soft!!!

Once snug, use your 17mm allen key/extension bar and crank it down (pic #3). You should be able to get the plug to sit flush with the tranny housing.

There is no torque rating for these plugs BTW.

[TechnoTrix'd]

Take a look at the picture, the two bottles on the right are Manual Transmission Fluid and the one on the left is Gear Oil (pic #4).

DO NOT USE the manual transmission fluid, only use a product that is marked as gear oil with a API GL rating of 5 or better. (i.e. API GL-5+ Hypoid Gear Oil).

[TechnoTrix'd]

Now, use a funnel with the tube attached (cheaper than a pump system), and slide it between the radiator and the upper cooling hoses. Run the tube into the fill hole, and start pouring.

You will use just a little bit less than the full 2 qtrs, and you will know that you are filled when the fluid reaches the bottom of the fill hole and starts to spill out.

Just make sure that your fluid catch pan is still under the car.

[TechnoTrix'd]

Wipe up the fill hole opening area and follow the same steps listed for replacing the drain plug.

Take if for a drive, and re-check the two plugs for any leakages. If you snugged them down to be flush with the tranny case, there won’t be any..

Ok, that’s it, hope the pics help. Not a very complicated thing, but it takes a little bit of time and prep to do it right.

Have fun......TechnoTrix'd...

[kcfoxie]

THANK YOU! I've been needing a photographic how-to on this for a while. I'll do this with my next oil change. Is the drain plug magnetic? Does it collect any metal scraps? Should there be any metal scraps?

[Jian]

nice job.

I would remove the fill plug first, then the drain plug. Just in case you can't get the fill plug out.

this nightmare happened to me.

[wawalker]

The drain/fill plugs aren't 17mm hex anymore on the later models--you will need this tool:

http://shop.metalnerd.com/index.cgi?...D=IT31&code=13

[TechnoTrix'd]

Originally Posted by kcfoxie

THANK YOU! I've been needing a photographic how-to on this for a while. I'll do this with my next oil change. Is the drain plug magnetic? Does it collect any metal scraps? Should there be any metal scraps?

Unfortunately, no. Just metal, not magnetic.

hehe, if you see metal scraps, then you need to work on your shifting...

I am sure that there might be some very small metalic pieces, but nothing you could really see.

Have fun with it...

[TechnoTrix'd]

Originally Posted by Jian

nice job.

I would remove the fill plug first, then the drain plug. Just in case you can't get the fill plug out.

this nightmare happened to me.

That had to be a great feeling... ouch..

[TechnoTrix'd]

Originally Posted by wawalker

The drain/fill plugs aren't 17mm hex anymore on the later models--you will need this tool:

http://shop.metalnerd.com/index.cgi?...D=IT31&code=13

Thanks for the update Bill, I'm still driving around my "antique" from '01 and not aware of these new-fangled-do-hickies...

Guess some engineer needed to justify his job, eh? Not sure why they would spend the time/money to change something as basic as a fill plug..

TechnoTrix'd....

[Color-rado]

change that funky plug out with one out of another vw tranny ( even aircooled ) that way you'll never need the funky tool again...

[wawalker]

Originally Posted by Color-rado

change that funky plug out with one out of another vw tranny ( even aircooled ) that way you'll never need the funky tool again...

Once you have it for that first time, why change?

[wawalker]

Originally Posted by TechnoTrix'd

...Not sure why they would spend the time/money to change something as basic as a fill plug...

Probably for the never-ending quest to make things more difficult and more expensive for us shadetree mechanics!

[marvins_dad]

Thanks for the great How-To!!!