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RE: How to check diff fluid level?
> Look in the Bentley, 39.3. This has a good picture of your
> 089 xmission.
> You will see the "fill plug". It is on the drivers side, just
> below the
> firewall but recessed into the side of the diff. Go to Sears
> and buy the
> 17 mm hex wrench, <$8.00. I had to use a 12" piece of pipe to
> get enough
> leverage to remove the plug. When you get the plug out, just
> stick your
> finger in the hole to check the level. I use a 60 cc syringe
> to fill the
> diff.
>
> I found that if you take a little time in the index, it pays off. Also
> use post-it-notes to highlight subjects that you just happen to come
> across.
Great suggestions Al! When you have to do a bit more than top off the
fluid, I've run funnels with hoses in various configurations ... usually
spilling a bit of RedLine on the floor in the process. I was recently at a
hardware store and found a contrption that threads on the bottle cap and has
a long enough tube to reach the filler hole. The novel feature that caused
me to buy the thing was that it had a built in shut-off valve in the cap. I
haven't had a chance to try it yet, but I'm thinking that it will make
things much easier.
Another note ... here again primarily applicable to those doing a
replacement rather than a refill ... the transaxles in at least the early
quattros (perhaps most all) has two drain plugs, one main drain near the
front differential, and another one in back near the center diff. There is
only one fill hole, you have to wait for the fluid to drain through bearings
to get to the diff itself. You should measure out the fluid per Audi's spec
... and expect the fluid to begin overfilling some time before the full
amount is installed. Wait a while and then try to get the rest of the fluid
into the tranny. You might even want to think about filling the transaxle
with the car on a bit of an incline, or with the left front corner of the
car on jack stands.
Steve Buchholz
San Jose, CA (USA)