Has anyone on here ever changed their own trans fluid and filter on a A4 C6?? I have the Alldata service info but it's pretty vague. Can someone tell me the approximate quarts needed to refill and any pointers etc etc.....

 

The amount of quarts should be in your manual. Just follow the TSB. Make sure the car is on a flat level surface. Put the car through each gear for approx. 3 sec while running then pull the plug and fill till it slowly oozes out then replug.

 

I have the same tranny in mine and I believe it is something like 14 quarts but it is in the manual if you do the flush to change out all fluid unless you do a partial change depending on the condition of fluid but I would rather have all new Amsoil atf in it vs. the Majority left in tranny being Dexron 3 mixed with Amsoil because the whole idea is to get rid of all the fluid and bring in the new fluid.

I put out a thread on this a few weeks ago and go no responses.
I was wondering is there a DIY yourself on the A-4 also just like on the rear end diff which is an excellent guide and easy to understand. I can't find anything for the A-4 DIY for 2005 A4 Corvette.

 

Its really not that difficult. If your going to do a full drain you are going to need to drop the pan as not that much tranny fluid will come out of the drain hole. The back passenger side bolt on the pan is a real PITA to put back in and the pan is not easy to get off either. The rear leaf spring gets in the way. I dont have the patients to right a diy but Im trying to give you some specific info. Those are really the hardest parts. If you want to do it the easy way take it to a shop and have them do a tranny flush. That is the only way you can get a true complete flush.

 

Do a search in the C-5 section. The C-5's have the same trans.

 

Is it true that I have heard that those power tranny flushes can damage or cause problems in the auto transmission?

Obviously you need a machine to do this so a DIY Auto trans maintenance would be just to drop the pan, clean it and replace the filter and add whatever fluid you can get out because you won't be able to get it all out.
So is this very difficult? Or is there an easy way to do it this way?
You could also repeat the above procedure and get out the older fluid a little at a time and bleed in the newer trans fluid?

 

Ive never heard that the flush mashines can damage them but Ive also never used one either.

A DIY would just be to drop the pan replace the filter and replace as much fluid as you can. You can also pump the fluid out of the pan as well with a hand pump purchased from the auto parts store. That personall they way I will go next time. The pan on the a4 tranny hits the rear leaf spring on the passenger side right corner and with the tranny guts hanging down into the pan slightly it makes it hard to get off all the way. The back bolt on that side is also a real PITA to get back it.

 

I will send it to the dealership instead

 

Also, it wasn't mentioned that to fill it it must be running while you do it. Some people tend to be a little uncomfortable with this. And, you have to watch for the exhaust pipe that runs near the fill hole, as it gets warm before you have pumped the nearly 2 gallons of fluid that it takes to fill it.

When I did mine I bought a drain plug and installed it in the bottom of the "bubble" on the pan, so no more removing the pan. As said above, it is a pain to get the pan down. You will turn it and twist it every which way and right about the time you're going to give up, it will just fall off.

 

thanks It sounds like a job for the dealership with a powerflush to get rid of all the old fluid Dexron III and switch over to a synthetic fluid like Amsoil or Redline

 

Yep. Next time Ill just pay to put the fluid in their machine and leave this one to someone else. Ive done all the work on my car but this is just a PITA for no good reason.

 

Yes and I think you need about 14 quarts or more if you have the A-4 2005 auto trans.

 

yeah its quite a bit. like 50 bucks worth of tranny fluid. Kinda silly.

 

Forget the flush, it's a ripoff:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/1569948163-post19.html

I will say the filter change is the most difficult part of the job. Actually, it's not so much the filter that's hard to change as you just pull it down and the new one just pops back up there. The pain-in-the-azz is the seal for the filter in the transmission case that you have to change. There's a special tool for removing it but I was more worried about damaging the case in way of the sealing surface with the special tool than using my alternate method. The seal is a metal "tube" with rubber at the top (for the seal to the case and the filter) and it flares out a little at the bottom of the tube where it meets the case. I use a very small, thin blade screwdriver and hammer to separate the bottom of the seal where it flares from the seal bore and then continue hammering the seal towards the center until I can grab it with some needle nose pliers and pull it out. My method is guaranteed to "move" a little metal where the flare contacts the case (makes a little notch), but it occurs at the bottom of the seal bore where it makes no difference....smooth it out and install the new seal. Also, the next time you replace the filter, you can put the screwdriver in the same "notch" to remove the seal much easier the second time. The special tool goes from the top of the seal and can gouge the seal bore from the top which is where the seal seats...too risky for me.

For people afraid of the exhaust, get a hand pump and run the hose up to the fill hole...it's too easy. I haven't done a C6 A4, but the C5s don't seem to have problems with any bolts or the pan/spring interference. Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

It would be over $100 for a case of Amsoil which is 12 quarts that plus a few more.

 

Sounds good to me

 

This is the exact method I used also. Easy to do, you just have to work slow and be very patient.

I dropped the pan, changed the filter, and then cycled 11 quarts of Amsoil ATF by doing drain & refills with a hand pump.

 

Thanks for the info but I will send it to the dealership when the times comes for a powerflush and either use the Dexron 6 ATF that dealer has on hand or bring in my own case of Amsoil transmission ATF fluid that is Dexron 3 comparable at this time. Amsoil hasn't got an approval yet for the Dexron 6 which is fully synthetic atf fluid but when Amsoil does come with a Dexron 6 I may get that.
The Dexron 3 isn't synthetic but at least the Dexron 6 is synthetic and does supersede the Dexron 3 as an added flid.

 

I finally got around to dropping the pan and doing the service. Yes, the pan is hard to get off. I ended up loosening the nuts on the transmission mounts and prying the tranny up while wiggling the pan around. I don't know if it would have came out otherwise.

It went back together pretty smoothly except I had all the bolts started and was about to tighten them when I realized I forgot to put the magnet back in the pan. GRRRRR, had to take it back off.

It took about 6 quarts of John Deere fluid to top it off once it was all back together. I was expecting it to take more, but thats what it took for it to ooze out the plug once warmed up.

 

Do you notice if it runs any different?
Give yourself credit where it is due that's a tough DIY job