Date:         Thu, 20 Jul 2006 21:52:49 -0400
Reply-To:     robertmstewart <robertmstewart@MAC.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         robertmstewart <robertmstewart@MAC.COM>
Subject:      AT Fluid Burping out of ATF Dip Stick Tube? Causes Trans
              Malfunction, 88 Auto
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1"

Hello everyone, 

I have a question for you, my 88 Auto with a used good condition Tranny all
of a sudden today started to fail and I am at a loss and need your
feedback...

(The short version is this: ATF burping and how does a perfectly working AT
go to a non-functioning AT?)

Hereıs the background:

The vanıs past owner before the person I purchased it from was a VW Mechanic
and the prior owner and he installed another auto trans from another good
working vanıs tranny several years ago.

I have had the van since January 06. Since then the transmission has been
shifting normally, and for the last month I have been traveling 3-4 hour
trips from Long Island to Upstate NY and doing some serious highway driving
and mountain driving. Usually I put in at least 8 hours of solid driving per
weekend for 4 weekends. All in all the van has performed great..

Hereıs where the story starts.. Just before my first long trip (4 weeks ago)
I check all fluids, stupidly I did it when the van was cold, and in doing so
thought the ATF was low so I added just a little bit to what was in there,
now after about 3hrs of driving, I pull into the driveway at my destination
and park the van, well I see ATF fluid burping out of the Dip Stick tube!
Not much just a little 1/4 cup. I figure itıs just the overflow kicking out.
I check it in 10 minutes and the level is fine.

Well 4 weeks pass and I drive it pretty hard to and from the LI to Upstate
NY, 8 hrs per weekend (3x) all is good. Today I start the van up and drive 1
mile away from the house in Long Island to the grocery, on the way I can see
smoke from the back of the van, it smells like the ATF burping and leaking
onto the exhaust. I park at the grocery and see it burping out, about 1/4 ­
1/2 cup.  I do some shopping come back 15 min. later, and drive the 1 mile
home, all seems fine. No smoke. After it cools down a bit I check the ATF
fluid and it appears a bit low, so I top it off with Dexron III and
accidentally over fill it but not by much.

About 4 hours later I get in the van and drive back the same direction about
1 mile to go to the post office and immediately I can detect something is
not right. 
At the stop light with the brake on I can see the rpmıs go from about 875
and revs to about 1,000, then levels off again, normally at idle it stays
right at 875. I thought the surging was strange. I then continue to drive
and again I see the smoke occurring again from the back of the van, smells
again like ATF on the exhaust, now I decide to head right to me local
standard mechanic not my VW guy cause he was closed.

The local guy tells me the burping is normal if there is to much ATF in the
case. So he checks the fluid and he says the level is good. He tells me to
bring it by in the morning as I wanted them to check the brakes since I just
had all the brakes replaced (the original ones were too rusty). I then
decide to take a little drive just a mile down the road along beach to let
the fluid cycle through and burn off the stuff was sitting on the exhaust
and I thought that maybe taking it up to highway speed would be good, to get
the fluid really circulating. Bad idea...

As I drive this simple little straight route I notice the transmission is
not engaging right, when I take my foot off the brake it usually goes
forward on its own, this time nothing.. I have to gas it. Then it gets
progressively worse. It goes into 1st, then second, then it revıs and then
goes to 3rd, and then I thought, oh crap! I have problems. Time to get it
back to the mechanic!

Well To late, I turn it around to go back the mile I came and now at the
stop light I give it gas and it goes now where!

I am stuck during rush hour and everyone is honking, my flasher are on, but
people donıt pay attention. I signal for them to go around me. People are
screaming, others understand..

I call the mechanic and see if they can come by and push me the 4 blocks to
the garage, he says he canıt.  I then call AAA to haul my van back, but
right after I decide to start the van and try... Well it starts to move,
each time I stop itıs a crap shoot to whether it will move. It never gets
past 1st gear. I have to literally move my body a little forward to try and
coax the van to get in gear and move, but somehow I get to the garage. While
the engine is still hot I check the ATF level, I see a hair on the end, but
it was pretty try. 

So what is going on with all the burping and how does a perfectly working AT
go to a non-functioning AT?  The mechanic suspected that the AT is
overheating.. What does this mean? I just hope this does turn into a massive
money pit now.....

I hope someone here can shed some light on the burping issue, and why all of
a sudden the transmission would not engage...

Thanks in advance, 
Robert

-- 
Rob
NYC/Long Beach, NY
88 Wolfsburg, Silver