VW beetle with 235,000 miles
I have a beetle with 235,000 miles on it..and transmission shifts great through all gears going down road....but sometimes it has a 3 second delay when I put it in drive to kick in....so I jacked car up leveled it out and made sure the temperature was up to operating temperature and unscrewed the transmission drain plug and the fluid started coming out so I quickly put the plug back in because I didn't have any fluid to replace it with....so with that said.... should I take the plug all the way out with car running to see if alot drains out or a little?? I hate the way this set up is made it's BS...so could it possibly be full? Or is transmission just wearing out? Thanks
When is the last time the transmission was serviced?
Absolutely never to my knowledge...I just want to make sure the fluid level is correct before I assume the transmission is going bad...but this is a dumb set up on this car
Unfortunately the chances of the transmission still being OK after that many miles and no fluid changes is pretty small. Usually if there is no dipstick the fluid level is checked at the fill plug but there will be a manufacturer-specific procedure for doing so.
Could I replace the valve body and it possibly fix it?
I would not count on it. The problem with not servicing a transmission for so long is mainly that the clutches and bands shed their friction material into the fluid. Replacing the valve body won't fix that.
Is there any videos or articles on rebuilding a transmission from start to finish....in the event I have to do it myself... because no way I could afford a new one or to have someone else do it
Is there any videos or articles on rebuilding a transmission from start to finish....in the event I have to do it myself... because no way I could afford a new one or to have someone else do it
I don't think that's feasible. Back in the days of 2 and 3-speed hydraulically-controlled transmissions it was possible for a sufficiently skilled shadetree mechanic to overhaul them. Modern computer-controlled transmissions are extremely complex and even transmission shops frequently don't rebuild them correctly.
You could attempt to install a low-mileage used transmission but that's a real gamble and with a modern car might involve having to program the replacement with a dealer-level scan tool.
I would just double-check that the fluid is at the correct level and drive it until it drops, putting money aside for replacement vehicle.