John, 

Thanks for this info, what's a good cleaning run?

My mechanics all charge around $85 an hour.

Do I need to take it a professional Transmission mechanic?

Do I even think of going to a place like Midas?

My closest VW mechanics are very finicky, they are bit lazy too. Old timers.

They are good but hate to get really messy.

Rob

on 7/20/06 11:15 PM, John Lauterbach at lauterba@bellsouth.net wrote:

> One good thing about the Vanagon AT is that it is relatively simple and a
> good, honest AT shop should be able to fix the problem.  My guess would be
> that some of the critical fluid passages are clogged up and the internal
> fluid pressures aren't correct.  It may be that all the transmission needs
> is a good professional cleaning.
> 
> John
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "robertmstewart" <robertmstewart@MAC.COM>
> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
> Sent: Thursday, July 20, 2006 9:52 PM
> Subject: AT Fluid Burping out of ATF Dip Stick Tube? Causes Trans
> Malfunction, 88 Auto
> 
> 
> Hello everyone,
> 
> I have a question for you, my 88 Auto with a used good condition Tranny all
> of a sudden today started to fail and I am at a loss and need your
> feedback...
> 
> (The short version is this: ATF burping and how does a perfectly working AT
> go to a non-functioning AT?)
> 
> Here�s the background:
> 
> The van�s past owner before the person I purchased it from was a VW Mechanic
> and the prior owner and he installed another auto trans from another good
> working van�s tranny several years ago.
> 
> I have had the van since January 06. Since then the transmission has been
> shifting normally, and for the last month I have been traveling 3-4 hour
> trips from Long Island to Upstate NY and doing some serious highway driving
> and mountain driving. Usually I put in at least 8 hours of solid driving per
> weekend for 4 weekends. All in all the van has performed great..
> 
> Here�s where the story starts.. Just before my first long trip (4 weeks ago)
> I check all fluids, stupidly I did it when the van was cold, and in doing so
> thought the ATF was low so I added just a little bit to what was in there,
> now after about 3hrs of driving, I pull into the driveway at my destination
> and park the van, well I see ATF fluid burping out of the Dip Stick tube!
> Not much just a little 1/4 cup. I figure it�s just the overflow kicking out.
> I check it in 10 minutes and the level is fine.
> 
> Well 4 weeks pass and I drive it pretty hard to and from the LI to Upstate
> NY, 8 hrs per weekend (3x) all is good. Today I start the van up and drive 1
> mile away from the house in Long Island to the grocery, on the way I can see
> smoke from the back of the van, it smells like the ATF burping and leaking
> onto the exhaust. I park at the grocery and see it burping out, about 1/4 �
> 1/2 cup.  I do some shopping come back 15 min. later, and drive the 1 mile
> home, all seems fine. No smoke. After it cools down a bit I check the ATF
> fluid and it appears a bit low, so I top it off with Dexron III and
> accidentally over fill it but not by much.
> 
> About 4 hours later I get in the van and drive back the same direction about
> 1 mile to go to the post office and immediately I can detect something is
> not right.
> At the stop light with the brake on I can see the rpm�s go from about 875
> and revs to about 1,000, then levels off again, normally at idle it stays
> right at 875. I thought the surging was strange. I then continue to drive
> and again I see the smoke occurring again from the back of the van, smells
> again like ATF on the exhaust, now I decide to head right to me local
> standard mechanic not my VW guy cause he was closed.
> 
> The local guy tells me the burping is normal if there is to much ATF in the
> case. So he checks the fluid and he says the level is good. He tells me to
> bring it by in the morning as I wanted them to check the brakes since I just
> had all the brakes replaced (the original ones were too rusty). I then
> decide to take a little drive just a mile down the road along beach to let
> the fluid cycle through and burn off the stuff was sitting on the exhaust
> and I thought that maybe taking it up to highway speed would be good, to get
> the fluid really circulating. Bad idea...
> 
> As I drive this simple little straight route I notice the transmission is
> not engaging right, when I take my foot off the brake it usually goes
> forward on its own, this time nothing.. I have to gas it. Then it gets
> progressively worse. It goes into 1st, then second, then it rev�s and then
> goes to 3rd, and then I thought, oh crap! I have problems. Time to get it
> back to the mechanic!
> 
> Well To late, I turn it around to go back the mile I came and now at the
> stop light I give it gas and it goes now where!
> 
> I am stuck during rush hour and everyone is honking, my flasher are on, but
> people don�t pay attention. I signal for them to go around me. People are
> screaming, others understand..
> 
> I call the mechanic and see if they can come by and push me the 4 blocks to
> the garage, he says he can�t.  I then call AAA to haul my van back, but
> right after I decide to start the van and try... Well it starts to move,
> each time I stop it�s a crap shoot to whether it will move. It never gets
> past 1st gear. I have to literally move my body a little forward to try and
> coax the van to get in gear and move, but somehow I get to the garage. While
> the engine is still hot I check the ATF level, I see a hair on the end, but
> it was pretty try.
> 
> So what is going on with all the burping and how does a perfectly working AT
> go to a non-functioning AT?  The mechanic suspected that the AT is
> overheating.. What does this mean? I just hope this does turn into a massive
> money pit now.....
> 
> I hope someone here can shed some light on the burping issue, and why all of
> a sudden the transmission would not engage...
> 
> Thanks in advance,
> Robert