Most people will call that a filter. If you (well maybe not you, but anybody
else) went to order one most likely they would ask for a filter and gasket
and the parts flunky would think of it the same way. While it may in fact be
a 'strainer' (the Bentley even calls it an oil strainer), I was concerned
that your post would cause somebody that didn't know better to think that
there was nothing at all in there. You can argue semantics if you want but
it'd better to not give misleading information.

I was looking at 'outboard' fluid filters; I know some people have rigged
some sort of interface where the ATF oil cooler goes to run the fluid
through 'fin type' coolers and I was wondering if the fluid pressure through
this circuit is sufficient to accommodate one of these outboard filter rigs
and still properly run the tranny system. Anybody have any information or
have any experience with this?

Cya,
Robert

----- Original Message -----
From: "Evan Mac Donald" <macdonald1987@SBCGLOBAL.NET>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Saturday, February 25, 2006 6:45 AM
Subject: Re: AT Problem

>    <SNIP>
>  BTW, there is a fluid filter in the auto tranny- goes right on the bottom
> of
> the valve body, you can't miss it.
>
> THAT is a strainer, not a filter. It follows the same conceptual path as
> the oil "filter" in Type I Beetle engines. A filter would be something
> with an element that can remove things smaller than grains of sand. And
> that lousy copper / brass screen, while useful against rocks and twigs,
> isn't a suitable filter for the requirements of an automatic transmission.
> IMHO, YMMV, YGWYPF.