Christian A

Hey guys this is not a detailed write up or anything just wanted to share with you guys .
,
I’ve been trying to figure out what fluid I’m leaking. It’s not gas, not engine oil, not coolant, Noticed it on my right passenger side cat mostly but it will show up around transmission pan and even towards the rear of the transmission under the transfer case area , it’s practically odorless and it’s golden almost in appearance maybe alittle brownish. I decided to check transmission atf level.
Car is at 152k I’ll do the filter and gasket later while I determine what the heck is leaking

Bought new ATF just incase , looked similar to what I saw from the car but my new one smells fishy. the oil I bought is a bilstein febi copy of the ZF lifeguard 6 . Put car on jack stands ,
Checked ATF level on the car ( inspection plug w/ car idling) ,it was night time so it was dark so while checking accidentally knocked the fill plug off the end of the socket and couldn’t find it while oil came rushing out once it got hot. Dropped about a quart.

It was dark, nasty and had a faint burnt smell , no crazy strong odor but my dad agreed it smelled burned . felt more of an odor than I smelled from the leak on the Cat that I’ve been trying to track.
So that’s to be continued

Anyway, So my tranny could have been a slight bit off from full but not super low considering it dropped a quart pretty quickly.
after dropping a quart and looking/smelling it , I popped open the drain plug and just drained it.
got alittle over 5 quarts out.

There’s a special hook to refill, I just found a cheap one on Amazon $17 , it didn’t fit in inspection plug hole so I shaved it down a few millimeters maybe 2 and it fit just fine.

Used a brake bleeder with long tubing,
I just put 5 quarts back in. Went through the whole thing except the last check and top off.
but I’m wondering , how many quarts should I be getting ? 5.5 quarts exactly assuming .5 stays in oil cooler?

i got alittle over 5 but I wouldn’t say it’s an extra half a quart , to equal 5.5 .I let it cool and called it a day. I’ll probably pop it check atf again tomorrow see if it lets me out more in.

I had a ton of fun though , I don’t say that too much working on this car but I guess since it was super easy with fill/drain plug and hook.

Fouraquest

Let us know how your transmission performs after this. I've heard lots of guys be genuinely afraid of touching a 100k+ mile audi transmission for a variety of reasons. Did you clean the magnets off before reinstalling?

dvs_dave

For the old 5-speed ZF 5HP and earlier trans maybe. No such issues with the ZF 6-speed 6HP as in the D3. Fluid and filter changes are routine and without any known issues, even at high miles. That’s a holdover wives tale from old style transmissions where it could cause issues under certain circumstances. It’ll typically shift noticeably smoother and quicker after a service.

Fouraquest

Good to know. This would be my first time servicing an Audi transmission, although I've done Volvo, Honda, etc.

dvs_dave

It’s not an “Audi” transmission. It’s a ZF transmission, the same as was used in the vast majority of longitudinal engine cars made in the 2000’s. They’re in literally everything.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZF_6...mission#6HP26A

the green amigo

Dropping the pan on an s8 isnt easy like the 4.2's, the downpipes need to be removed from the cats. One of my upper Cat studs broke during disassembly and I had a hell of a time drilling it out and installing a new one. There is zero clearance, so long bits, air hammer and re-tapping was needed. My advice be very careful and take your time with the upper nuts.

Fouraquest

Yikes...I had some exhaust work done previously and one of the flanges was removed to replace those small flex couplings up front. May have to see whats possible without dropping the exhaust...perhaps just a fluid flush?

Christian A

Sorry for ****ty picture . both exhausts with flex pipe are in the way, it’s just stupid . I didn’t want to attempt to loosen the top two bolts connectin that flex pipe with upper cat. I know how exhaust bolts love to break . Besides how the hell did you remove the right ( passenger side) ??? The top two bolts are not only maybe a foot or more away but the amount of space it’s like an “ inch or less” a anywhere around the flex pipe????? In last picture , you can see the top bolt all the way up the flex pipe.

the green amigo

I broke the right side bottom bolt on upper cat. You do not want to do that. I have an entire shop at my disposal and it took me a week to find a solution( no dropping the motor is not a solution lol) . Lots of penetrating oil, good extensions and deft touch with a ratchet will minimize the risk. Certainly doable and straight forward if your studs stay intact.

Christian A

crazy!! So pretty much soak with penetrant/lubricant before anything, and pray!! ??? Hehe
Ive spent the last 15 years parting and selling used Porsche 944 parts, With proper tools, adapters, extension it’s almost all doable. Just may take time so thanks for giving me some hope!!

that’s one thing I’ve learned working on this car and a few others( Porsche Cayenne turbo) it takes alittle more time and intuitive thinking to get things done.