Transmission filter replacement gone wrong

Gaurdian003

Member
Joined
Oct 9, 2017
Location
Texas
TDI
2001 VW Jetta TDI
Firstly I am no super mechanic, but if there has been a youtube video on it I can copy it like a champ. So when I noticed that my transmission pan had a small seaping leak, I didnt think anything of ordering the atf and a new filter and seal. I watched a youtube video with some kid changing it and felt confident in doing it. I drove it onto my ramps turned it off and let it drain out, then put it in neutral and pushed it back off the ramps. I then made the mistake of turning the car off to refill the atf. I put in what I had pulled out and tried to take the tdi for a test drive. It drove worse than before I changed the fluid. I got it home and found it was gushing atf fluid all over the ground. :mad:Problem is I can't find where its coming from. I then did more research and found instructions that said that if you fill it while its turned off that the atf will come out if the coolers and pumps and will come flouding out of the fill whole. Now I cant seem to get it to stop. Its leaked out at least two quarts of $22 atf all over my driveway.
Please help. I dont have the extra $ to refill this thing every day. :confused:
 

flee

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 19, 2011
Location
Chatsworth, CA
TDI
2002 Jetta GLS wagon
I'm going to take a wild guess that the small spacers came out with the old seal
but didn't get put back in to the new seal. Hopefully you still have the old seal.
 

Gaurdian003

Member
Joined
Oct 9, 2017
Location
Texas
TDI
2001 VW Jetta TDI
I wish that was the case, spacers were put in the seal. Oddly enough the seal isnt leaking at all. Its somewhere near the top of the tranny, I think it's coming out of the overflow, I'm just not sure why or how to get it to stop.
 

flee

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 19, 2011
Location
Chatsworth, CA
TDI
2002 Jetta GLS wagon
OK, I don't think there is an 'overflow'. Maybe the heat exchanger has failed, tho.
 
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