oil on DSG box?

cristoaca · Nov 17, 2018

I took the splash guard off to change engine oil (20k) and noticed oil residue as shown in pictures below. Is it on the transmission DSG box? Has anybody seen similar on theirs? When I did the 10k oil and filter change, everything was clean. Also, during that filter change, there were no accidental leaks on surrounding parts from the oil filter cap/housing.

GreenLantern_TDI · Nov 18, 2018

Yes that is the DSG transmission. Could be rear main seal tho. Dont wait to handle this You have powertrain warranty till 60k miles. Id call your local vw dealer and have them handle it.

oilhammer · Nov 19, 2018

Clean it off really good and drive it a bit and recheck. Might be a little seepage from the drain plug or something more serious like the case halves. Not sure I'd worry a whole lot about it right now.

cristoaca · Nov 19, 2018

I'll do that. Thank you.

Nuje · Nov 19, 2018

When I went to change the DSG filter at my 64K km DSG fluid change, the filter housing was barely more than hand-tight (and "tight" is probably over-stating it; maybe more like hand-"snug"). Gotta think it came from the factory that way.

Maybe yours is a bit loose, too (?).

oilhammer · Nov 20, 2018

They are not very tight, and they do not need to be.

Nuje · Nov 20, 2018

Spec is 25Nm, I think. Which, yes - not super-tight. But certainly a lot more than "I could twist this off with my bare hands".

cristoaca · Nov 20, 2018

oilhammer said:
Clean it off really good and drive it a bit and recheck. Might be a little seepage from the drain plug or something more serious like the case halves. Not sure I'd worry a whole lot about it right now.

I cleaned it today and will recheck in a week or two.

I understand that the vent is located on the top of the case. I've been parking the car on unlevel spot, front down. Can this contribute to the leak if it's overfilled? Oil residue was found on the bottom, the rear and around it (rear) toward the top of the DSG case. This would make sense if the parking was with the front up. Brian please correct me if I'm wrong.
This Golf was bought as new/stop sale vehicle. I was told then that the fluids and filters had been changed. If that included DSG oil/filter change, can the oil from the filter case on top (bad o-ring...??) make its way down to the box halves as shown in the pictures?

Nuje · Nov 20, 2018

I would suggest that the most likely cause is exactly what you suggest there - the leak isn't where you see it, but rather the lowest point on the car and thus, where the oil (leaking from somewhere above) is migrating to.

Might be worthwhile to remove the airbox and see if you can put a wrench on the top of the DSG filter (not sure if you'd have to remove the battery as well to do this; you certainly need to remove the battery if replacing the filter) and see if you can give it a little twist. Again - doesn't have to be "Hulk"-tight.

cristoaca · Dec 7, 2018

Hey guys, I tried to get to the DSG oil filter but couldn't figure out how to remove the air box. Are the two rubber posts keeping the air box locked in place? I couldn't find the hex bolt mentioned in video tutorials. I will appreciate your advice.

pebjr · Dec 7, 2018

There are 3 rubber posts.
Remove the battery.
Loosen the clamp for the MAF sensor.
You should be able to pull up at the rubber post and the air box should come out.
There are 3 screws and one nut in the right back that needs to be removed so you can remove the plastic battery holder.
The DSG filter will then be accessible.

Blue_Hen_TDI · Dec 8, 2018

Did my DSG service today. There's definitely two rubber posts and ONE BOLT securing my airbox ('15 GSW). The bolt is on the rear side of the airbox, pretty much dead center, and could be obscured by a cable. It's 10mm hex outer or T-25 inner, your choice.

cristoaca · Dec 8, 2018

Thank you both. I'll take another look. Do the rubber posts require any unfastening before pulling straight up?
We all are referring to removing the whole air box without taking the top off and filter element out, right?
Another question: I know that the intake hose on top comes off by loosening the spring clamp. How does the box connect to the narrower hose (arrow in the picture) located under the larger intake hose?

Nuje · Dec 8, 2018

That little hose underneath is just a "slip-fit" (for lack of a better term) - it just slides on/off its mate from the bottom of the airbox.

cristoaca · Dec 12, 2018

Update

I didn't see any leak at the filter cap and decided to take it in on Monday morning. They called today and said the leak was coming from the seal between the case halves. VW advised replacement of the whole DSG transmission. They said it would be shipped from Canada and expected to have it by Friday, installed and ready by Tuesday. They also said that they have seen this problem before.

I didn't know if I should agree on having the phase 2 fix during this service too while the car is with them. My thought is that is best to fix one issue, make sure that there's no need to revise anything related to it, then go back and have the emission fix phase 2 done. The advisor pointed out that some work would have to be repeated (removal of subframe, etc) if I come back at a later time, and it might as well be done now.

What are your thoughts regarding having both jobs done now versus separately?

Thank you.

GreenLantern_TDI · Dec 12, 2018

cristoaca said:
I didn't see any leak at the filter cap and decided to take it in on Monday morning. They called today and said the leak was coming from the seal between the case halves. VW advised replacement of the whole DSG transmission. They said it would be shipped from Canada and expected to have it by Friday, installed and ready by Tuesday. They also said that they have seen this problem before.

I didn't know if I should agree on having the phase 2 fix during this service too while the car is with them. My thought is that is best to fix one issue, make sure that there's no need to revise anything related to it, then go back and have the emission fix phase 2 done. The advisor pointed out that some work would have to be repeated (removal of subframe, etc) if I come back at a later time, and it might as well be done now.

What are your thoughts regarding having both jobs done now versus separately?

Thank you.

The two jobs are completely unrelated for trouble shooting issues so id say 2 for 1 special. If either has issues it should be simple to know which is the cause.

740GLE · Dec 14, 2018

id lean towards two separate visits as well.

mopower · Dec 14, 2018

I'd do two separate visits as well.

cristoaca · Dec 29, 2018

update

I picked the car up yesterday. Transmission was replaced and emission modification 2A completed. Maybe not my best decision, according to your advice too, but I took the chance.
Car drives well for as little as I got to test it. In D it seems to be shifting at higher points.
The shifting lever catches slightly when taking out of P, it needs to be pushed forward a little first, then the lock button releases more easily. At the end of testing it out yesterday it was not as clunky but still noticeable compared to before the repair.

There is a somewhat high pitch noise (bearing, belt?) from the engine at idle, heard when the hood is up. Not sure if because engine was cold or this happened before and I just didn't notice.

Paperwork indicates that the dealer was advised by VW to replace transmission based on the pictures that the dealer submitted.

Blue_Hen_TDI · Dec 29, 2018

cristoaca said:
I picked the car up yesterday. Transmission was replaced and emission modification 2A completed. Maybe not my best decision, according to your advice too, but I took the chance.
Car drives well for as little as I got to test it. In D it seems to be shifting at higher points.
The shifting lever catches slightly when taking out of P, it needs to be pushed forward a little first, then the lock button releases more easily. At the end of testing it out yesterday it was not as clunky but still noticeable compared to before the repair.

There is a somewhat high pitch noise (bearing, belt?) from the engine at idle, heard when the hood is up. Not sure if because engine was cold or this happened before and I just didn't notice.

Paperwork indicates that the dealer was advised by VW to replace transmission based on the pictures that the dealer submitted.

Keep an eye (ear?) on the noise and head back if there's something obviously not right. As far as function of the gear selector, if it doesn't feel right, go back and get it fixed. It's still a relatively new car, still under warranty, and you should be completely satisfied with it. If there's a local guru nearby, it might be good to pay them $50 (just throwing out a number) to get a second opinion. I recently (Oct 2018) had my BMW 335d deleted, tuned, and full bolt-ons in Dallas, GA (a NW Atlanta suburb) by AARodriguez Corp. Andrew is a TDI and BMW diesel specialist and I highly recommend him. He's not a shadetree guy. He has a nice, and growing, shop with several employees and they are all diesel-heads. His website: https://www.tunemyeuro.com/

Best of luck with everything.

cristoaca · Dec 29, 2018

Thanks a lot! I'll contact him.

Lightflyer1 · Dec 29, 2018

Just so you are aware if you delete and tune your VW you will more than likely kiss your extended emissions warranty goodbye. It also covers more than just the emissions stuff so make sure you are willing to give that up before getting a delete and tune done. Good luck!

cristoaca · Dec 30, 2018

I'm not interested in delete. I want to get a second opinion on the engine whistle and the gear selector issue.

Thank you for pointing out the benefits of the warranty though. It is great, and I hope VW honors coverage for ALL items connected to it for the duration stated.

Lightflyer1 · Dec 30, 2018

AARodriguez has always been great with the business I have done with them. Hopefully they will be able to help you out as well. Good resource to have locally!

oil on DSG box?

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