golf clipper auto gearbox fluid change

Hi

Just removed the gearbox oil sump on my 1989 1.8 auto golf cabriolet as instructed by haynes manual in order to drain the oil and clean the filter
slight issue now as i cant find the filler plug to fill the gearbox oil back up?
seen a few different ideas and pictures on various forums but still no luck
theres no dipstick protruding from the top of the box as some people suggest either ….

any help much appreciated.
thanks
alex

There isn't a filler plug, you fill it up through the (massive!) dipstick tube. The top of the dipstick is curved downwards so it's hard to see when covered in road grime as it's hidden down by the distributor. If you haven't got a dipstick, well, are you sure it's an auto?

Don't forget, to flush it fully you need to do it twice as loads of fluid stays in the torque converter when the engine's not running. Best way is to get it up to running temperature (drive 5-10 miles from cold) drop the sump, bin all the fluid, refit the sump and fill it back up with fresh. Then warm it up again for another 5-10 miles, drop the sump again, bin all the fluid and change the filter and sump gasket before refitting the sump. The fluid level is checked with the engine running, gearbox up to temperature and set to N or P. The level should be between the two stamped dimple marks on the dipstick.

Under no circumstances start the engine without any fluid in the gearbox!

Makes a huge difference when flushed correctly - did the Corrado and the pan only had an inch of what looked like chocolate milk in it. Massive improvement afterwards

Stone

cheers for the help!
found the dipstick afterall, was hiddin under a few pipes which obscured it from view lol *dumbass*

all done and it runs/drives a lot smoother
cheers!

Glad to be of assistance

It makes such a difference, especially when pulling away from a stop. Need to do mine but waiting for the weather to cheer up! I have a theory that a lot of the people who have driven autos and not liked it would change their minds if they drove a correctly-maintained one…

Stone

I don't see whats not to like. its rapid of the line since I did the change, and its not as if its difficult to drive.
im gonna run it a few months and probably do it again in the summer just to get some more of the cr*p out!

alex

Yep, so long as the throttle and kickdown cables are adjusted correctly the 0-30 times are scarily quick! Cruising in 3rd seems pretty much the same as it would be in a manual - 70 at 3200-3500rpm on mine.

Easy way to check for low ATF level is to floor it from a standstill - if there's a slight hesitation then you need a little more fluid, the ATF pump struggles briefly before building pressure when the level's low.

Enjoy it!

Stone