Alright...where is the transmission dipstick?????

TIFFANYTDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 13, 2004
Location
Texas
TDI
2004 Jetta -Alaskan Green
We can't find the dipstick to check the transmission fluid in my 04 jetta TDI!?!?!?! There is nothing about it in the manual either! Our friend's father is a manager of the service dept at a dodge dealership. He said that some dodge vehicles are made where you, the owner can't check the transmission fluid. They put a plug in it so that you have to take it to the dealership and pay them to check it or whatever and then they put a dipstick in it afterwards...Is that the case with my JETTA?Help guys...
 

highhilltdi

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Joined
Oct 29, 2002
Location
O-HI-O
TDI
'00 Jetta GLS
You've got to have VAGCOM to check it, and it's not extremely easy then. I wouldn't worry about it, unless fluid is dripping out anywhere you're probably good to go. A good visual under the car should tell you plenty.
 

pepper10

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Apr 21, 2004
Location
Manchester, NH, USA
TDI
:)2002 A4 TDI , 2006 A5:)
It's a new scheme by the manufacturers where they don't put dip sticks in auto trannies anymore. VW, Ford, Dodge, Honda, are all addapting this new method. It is to prevent owners to overfill the tranny and cause it to fail. Manufacturers got tired of changing trannies where the owner failed to do proper maintenance. They now sell aftermarket kits to replace ATF and to check the level, you have to remove a plug on the tranny (don't know which one since I have a manual). In reality, as long as you have no leaks, your ATF level should be fine.
 

weedeater

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 17, 2001
Location
Reston, VA
TDI
Jetta, 2001, Baltic Green
There is no dipstick.

It's a synthetic fluid designed for the 'lifetime' of the car. Realistically, 100kmiles is more like it. So you shouldn't be changing it for a while.
 

Drivbiwire

Zehntes Jahr der Veteran
Joined
Oct 13, 1998
Location
Boise, Idaho
TDI
2013 Passat TDI, Newmar Ventana 8.3L ISC 3945, 2016 E250 BT, 2000 Jetta TDI
When you get to your first timing belt I suggest replacing the fluid and filter at that time.

The transmission uses a special fluid and the level is measured using a thermal method (expansion of a known volume at a given temperature). The level can be checked but if the fluid is not at the correct temperature you will have no idea if the level is correct or not.

Bottom line is don't worry about it.

DB
 

McBrew

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Joined
Oct 30, 2002
Location
Annapolis, MD
TDI
2003 Golf GLS TDI, 5 speed, Silver/Grey
My Sprinter has a trans fluid dippstick... but it's locked! The dealership has a special tool.
 

MacGyver

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Joined
Mar 13, 2000
Location
SW Ont, Canada
TDI
1997 Jetta, black
A few more technological 'advancements' and the only dipsticks in the cars will be between the drivers' seat & the steering wheel...

How long till the hoods are locked shut & only the dealer can access??
 

TIFFANYTDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 13, 2004
Location
Texas
TDI
2004 Jetta -Alaskan Green
you said it.....I can understand the dealerships point of keeping idiots out of the major equipment so they don't screw it up. it would be fine if they didn't charge out the *** to service the cars. I know that the idiot population is growing rapidly...I drive on the road with them everyday! Today was "Pull-out-in-front-of-Tiffany Day"...I wish people would pay attention!!!!!!!
 

Keiller

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May 19, 2004
Location
Tennessee
TDI
2004Jetta GL Spice Red
The local foreign car mechanic showed me how to check the fluid. You shouldn't need to do this, but...when the transmission is at a certain temp. the green torx head bolt in the bottom of the transmission is removed. If some transmission fluid comes out and quickly stops, then it is full. If none comes out of the hole, then the fluid level is low. I don't know how you can tell *how* low, though.
 

Rammstein

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Joined
Sep 3, 2002
Location
Québec city baby, Canada
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Golf 92 D
you said it.....I can understand the dealerships point of keeping idiots out of the major equipment so they don't screw it up. it would be fine if they didn't charge out the *** to service the cars. I know that the idiot population is growing rapidly...I drive on the road with them everyday! Today was "Pull-out-in-front-of-Tiffany Day"...I wish people would pay attention!!!!!!!
I know what you mean, they're everywhere...everytime I go out of my appartment I see a couple...it's scary.


They multiply like rabbits...
 

ymz

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 12, 2003
Location
Between Toronto & Montreal
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2003 Jetta TDI Wagon, 2003 Jetta TDI Wagon
>>I can understand the dealerships point of keeping idiots out of the major equipment so they don't screw it up.<<

How about keeping the idiot dealership mechanics out of the major equipment so THEY don't screw it up ?? (yes, I know, there are some good dealer mechanics, but...)
 

Raxum

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 11, 2004
Location
San Diego CA
TDI
98 Beetle
Over filling the trans fluid, putting in the wrong fluid, and the fact that if it does't have a leak then it's not low. Are the main reasion most manufatures have stoped putting dip sticks on the trans.

Some manufatures (isuzu) have had fires from being over filled.

Having the correct trans fluid is even more (ok just as) important as the correct oil.
 

McBrew

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Oct 30, 2002
Location
Annapolis, MD
TDI
2003 Golf GLS TDI, 5 speed, Silver/Grey
I was told years ago (by a guy who owned a trans rebuilding shop) that OEMs were goings to start making "sealed" transmissions. He said one of the reasons is that the dipstick is one of the only sources of dirt in an otherwise clean transmission. Just a bit of dust or lint on a rag used to wipe the fluid off the dipstick is enough to snowball into a much larger problem down the road. The engine lubrication system is designed to deal with lots of soot and junk... but an automatic transmission is a much more "sterile" environment. According to him, the sealed transmissions should last much longer.
 

redmondjp

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Joined
Jul 1, 2004
Location
Redmond, WA
TDI
'96 Passat Sedan
. . . He said one of the reasons is that the dipstick is one of the only sources of dirt in an otherwise clean transmission. Just a bit of dust or lint on a rag used to wipe the fluid off the dipstick is enough to snowball into a much larger problem down the road. The engine lubrication system is designed to deal with lots of soot and junk... but an automatic transmission is a much more "sterile" environment. According to him, the sealed transmissions should last much longer.
LOL!! The main reason why automatic transmissions fail these days is that they have design problems (such as using el-cheapo plastic parts inside) and/or can't handle the torque put out by the engine. Remember back in the 1970s when American cars had the Turbo 400 (GM), C6 (Ford), or the Torqueflite 727 (Mopar)--these trannies would go easily 150K miles behind big-block motors in cars which weighed over 2 tons--sure the pan started leaking right after you drove it off the lot, but the basic guts of these units were bulletproof. Now we have crappy automatics in all kinds of cars and trucks (any fwd v6 ford product, mopar minivans, etc). But I digress . . .

The #1 thing that could be done to make automatic transmissions last longer would be to install a decent filter in the pressure line from the pump to the oil cooler (usually inside the "cold" side of the radiator). I have rebuilt half a dozen automatics myself, and the "filters" used are basically to keep chunks of broken tranny parts from getting into the pump--they let all of the small metallic wear particles through, causing wear of the valves and other parts inside.

I used to work at a company which made aerial lift equipment which was all hydraulically operated, and we used 10-micron filters or better to keep wear particles out of the system. We also used ATF by the truckload as the hydraulic fluid, and all of the hydraulic component manufacturers said to filter it BEFORE putting it into the hydraulic system, as it apparently could have wear particles in it from the factory. Now automatic transmissions don't have as small of tolerances as the load-holding valves we used in our hydraulic systems, but they are still hydraulic systems, and particles in these systems cause components to wear out.

So, anybody for making a retrofittable kit to filter your ATF? I've thought about it many times but have never gotten around to it.
 

MrMopar

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Joined
Mar 1, 2003
Location
Bloomington, IL
TDI
none
Remember back in the 1970s when American cars had the Turbo 400 (GM), C6 (Ford), or the Torqueflite 727 (Mopar)--these trannies would go easily 150K miles behind big-block motors in cars which weighed over 2 tons--sure the pan started leaking right after you drove it off the lot, but the basic guts of these units were bulletproof.
I'll be the first to back that statement up. I've owned a few trucks (mostly 1980s Dodge Ram pickups) that all have the 3-speed automatic trans that was bulletproof. Nary a problem out of them except having to adjust the shift bands somewhat frequently. Anyone and everyone that I run into with a new (say 1995 and up) Ram pickup can't stop talking about how the transmissions on the new models are complete junk. If you know a bunch of people who own these trucks, you'll likely know someone who's had major trans problems in the first 40,000 miles of ownership.

I don't know why Chrysler in particular can't make an auto trans that's good, but I do know that the old ones were some of the best.
 

McBrew

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Joined
Oct 30, 2002
Location
Annapolis, MD
TDI
2003 Golf GLS TDI, 5 speed, Silver/Grey
I have owned two Chevy vans and one RV on a Chevy chassis. All three of them had turbo hydromatic 350 transmissions (4 speeds). I never hade a single problem with any of them. They were fantastic transmissions as far as reliability and longevity. However, I have owned a few diesel Mercedes and never had a problem with any of the auromatic or manual transmissions. My last car, a 1983 300D, had 410,000 miles on it when I sold it. The original trans is still in the car with over 460,000 miles on it. It was even used to tow other vehicles... with a combined weight of over 8,000 lbs!

Personally, I think an unreliable automatic trans is a sign of very poor engineering. I have never had a transmission failure... and most of my vehicles have had more than 200k miles on them.
 
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