01m?

Found a perfect low miles 02 Beetle but it has a 01M auto. It shifted great! Should I walk away or is there fixes for that auto? Thanks

I think there's a KERMA mod that helps it stay tight for longer than it otherwise would. Time enough to save up for gently used O2J.
What's "low mileage" anyway?

STDOUBT said:

I think there's a KERMA mod that helps it stay tight for longer than it otherwise would. Time enough to save up for gently used O2J.
What's "low mileage" anyway?

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Do you mean a 02 Jetta? This 02 bug has 60K on it, the body is like new and drives great. Thanks for the reply.

O2J is the 5-speed tranny you will need if you decide to change out the OM1 automatic. The O2J is geared for the TDI engine.

OK but the thing is my wife wants a auto, I have three 5 speeds now. She is tired of shifting and her knee is giving her problems. I don't really want to buy her a new one, would rather have a older one. What is this KERMA mod anyway?

If it is currently shifting great, the only things I would do is:
1) drop the pan and change filter and approx. 3.5 quarts of approved atf

2) use a suction device and draw out as much gear lube as possible (I was able to get right at the 3/4 of a quart with simple device) and refill exactly THAT amount with new approved synth. gear lube.

I would inspect the seals for leakage on the output flanges.
With Ross tech you can go in and set the shift setting to "economy" mode and the trans will make "relaxed" shift points.....which is what I like at 232,000 miles.
Wish I had yours with 60K!

I found the KERMA mod info, interesting reading. Prairieview, what and where is the gear lube?

oldbird1965 said:

I found the KERMA mod info, interesting reading. Prairieview, what and where is the gear lube?

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I hope you buy that NB. There aren't many left like that, I bet!
The differential lube is easy to change by removing the speed sensor.
There is a very thorough post by Drivbiwire about doing the trans fluid change in the
maintenance stickie. Order the kit from a trusted vendor and then change it again
in a few weeks/months.

Go for it. I'd say there is better than 50% chance you'll get good usage from that car if maintenance has been kept up.

For what it is worth, I know of an 03 Jetta that has the auto tranny with more than 380k miles on it. The fluid has never been changed. The lady bought it new. Although I've never worked on the car, I know her well as we see her at the bank where she works at least monthly.

flee said:

I hope you buy that NB. There aren't many left like that, I bet!
The differential lube is easy to change by removing the speed sensor.
There is a very thorough post by Drivbiwire about doing the trans fluid change in the
maintenance stickie. Order the kit from a trusted vendor and then change it again
in a few weeks/months.

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I'm thinking that I'll buy it, going to see it again Monday. Thanks for that info.

BobnOH said:

Go for it. I'd say there is better than 50% chance you'll get good usage from that car if maintenance has been kept up.

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Ha, no way to find out maintenance on it. I don't like car lots but its on one! They said 4K but if I go 4.5K they will put in a new windshield and one of the vents is broke. hummmm

AndyBees said:

For what it is worth, I know of an 03 Jetta that has the auto tranny with more than 380k miles on it. The fluid has never been changed. The lady bought it new. Although I've never worked on the car, I know her well as we see her at the bank where she works at least monthly.

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That's crazy mileage on the same oil. She must drive it easy, lol.

Look up post from this guy:

CoolAirVw said:

Oh and read through the 01m series here to educate yourself.
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=248847&highlight=01m

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He is very knowledgeable about Dub tranny's and could help you get the most out of that 60K mile car's tranny. From what I've read, the O1-M can be a great tranny if maintenance is kept up.

You may be due for a T/B as it probably has the factory T/B still in it and early ALH's T/B was a 60 K mile belt. Check the owners manual maintenance section for the recommendation for that car if you buy the car.

Really a great score if you get it. Let us know about the T/B. There are some expensive mistakes people sometimes make when they replace them.

Thanks Ol'Rattler for the link. Forgot about the TB, yes that will be done if I get it. I used to do my 81 Jetta TB all the time but don't want to do the NB ones. Also, it will get the metal pan under it to protect stuff.

I'll let you guys know if the deal goes through.

When these 01m's work correctly.....they are neat....and I hate automatics for the most part.

When they don't work properly....it is pure hell.
For whatever reason, based on my own personal observations, the 2002's "seem" to have greater longevity. But, of course, many of them are said to "bite the lead pipe" at 70,000 miles.

I went ahead and bought it. Got it for 4K total and they are putting in a new windshield. I keep forgetting to take a picture but here it is on their website unless they have taken it down. Thanks to all of you for your help!

http://www.gatewayautoplex.com/auto...-new-beetle-gls-tdi-rapid-city-sd/27506218/I/

Keep this name in the back of your mind: Import Performance Transmission. John builds amazing upgraded 01M transmissions, I've got 2 of them (two different cars) and they are perfect.

The thing about these transmissions is that nobody ever changes the fluids. Use a QUALITY SYNTHETIC (John said these can use Dexron/Mercon synth) and keep them COOL. The factory "cooler" on the top of the transmission is better described as a heater. Transmission pan temps can be north of 220 in traffic, the fluid is breaking down at temperatures that hot. Luckily it is just a couple of fittings to remove and change, and you can install an external cooler that will keep the transmission between 160 and 180 - perfect. Any good Hayden will do you, and mounted in front of the AC condenser, the existing fans will provide the airflow b/c presumably you will have the AC on at the same time anyway in Arizona!

A lot of people (especially here) like to bag on the automatic... Thing is, for a transmission to make it over 200k miles with ZERO maintenance is actually REALLY GOOD performance. Think about how long it could last if it was actually taken care of and had fresh fluid every 40k or so.

What Geordi said, I think these 01ms mostly die because they get EXTREMELY hot in stop and go traffic with the factory cooler. A better cooler design might fix it, but I don't know. If you live in the country instead of a big city with lots of traffic, it would probably never get hot in the first place. I live near the SF bay area, and a normal days drive on a parking-lot/freeway would have my 01m over 200F for hours on end, which cooked my rebuilt trans after only 40k miles.

Personally, I would never buy another 01m car. Swapping mine to a 6 speed manual was the only good way out, but far more work and expense than the car was worth, I like it now, but wouldn't do it again. If you actually want an automatic car, look for something where the automatic transmission has a great reputation or is cheap to rebuild, ideally a car with an extremely common Aisin unit of some kind. Also, after driving w/ the 6 speed, I think the 4th gear in the 01m is way too low for freeway driving with a TDI, the low gears waste a lot of fuel and make a lot of noise.

Good advice! The trans cooler in the 6.0 powerstokes is hugh and I use it in my powerstroke truck pulling 18K 5th wheel. I had to learn the hard way and burned up two trans before learning how to keep it cool. Geordi, I'll keep John in mind, thanks! Where is he located and is it far away, will he ship?

http://importperformancetrans.com but hopefully you won't be needing their services!

Yeah flee, When I get it home I'll do the cooler, oil change and KERMA mod.

I thought that mod has kinda fallen out of favor. Haven't seen it recommended in a long time.

KLXD said:

I thought that mod has kinda fallen out of favor. Haven't seen it recommended in a long time.

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I think if the 01m is acting normal I would leave it alone. 6-10 clicks will probably
do no harm in the long run if you just want to try it out. But remember it can't
be undone once you do it. It is a one-way ratcheting mechanism.
If you decide to increase the engine performance then it might make sense to do it.