DIY Manual Transmission Fluid Change

[rgiles675]

Does anyone know of a DIY B8 Manual Transmission Fluid change for the S4? I have 60k on the clock and the time is now. Shifting is feeling notchy and 3rd is grinding a tad.

Thanks,
Ryan

[Vogz]

Not much to it. Remove fill plug and then drain plug to drain fluid. Replace drain plug. Check owners manual for capacity and gear oil weight (probably 75W90 GL4) and fill with a good synthetic gear oil with a mityvac or other oil pump until fluid spills out of fill plug hole.

[SteveYem]

Not much to it. Remove fill plug and then drain plug to drain fluid. Replace drain plug. Check owners manual for capacity and gear oil weight (probably 75W90 GL4) and fill with a good synthetic gear oil with a mityvac or other oil pump until fluid spills out of fill plug hole.

Is it not necessary to leave some air space in there to allow for thermal expansion? I've never done this myself so I am just curious.

[Vogz]

Is it not necessary to leave some air space in there to allow for thermal expansion? I've never done this myself so I am just curious.

Filling until it spills out of the fill hole (which is on the side of the transmission) leaves lots of air space inside the trans, usually about 50% of the volume as the fill plugs are usually halfway up the case.

[SteveYem]

Filling until it spills out of the fill hole (which is on the side of the transmission) leaves lots of air space inside the trans, usually about 50% of the volume as the fill plugs are usually halfway up the case.

Ah, makes sense! Not only have I never done the service myself, but I've never even looked to see where the fill plug is and therefore assumed it was at/near the top.

[ellwood]

When I checked under my 2012 the subframe crossbrace was blocking the drain plug. Not a major issue to remove, but I thought I've read that the bolts securing the crossbrace are one time use.

[jsh139]

What's the change interval for the manual trans fluid? It's not listed on the maintenance schedule.

[Vogz]

What's the change interval for the manual trans fluid? It's not listed on the maintenance schedule.

There isn't one. I'm personally going to change mine @ 50K miles for peace of mind.

[Vogz]

When I checked under my 2012 the subframe crossbrace was blocking the drain plug. Not a major issue to remove, but I thought I've read that the bolts securing the crossbrace are one time use.

I personally wouldn't bother replacing them, but if they are, grab some new bolts from ecs beforehand.

[jsh139]

There isn't one. I'm personally going to change mine @ 50K miles for peace of mind.

Gotcha. Let us know if it cures any notchiness.

[Vogz]

Gotcha. Let us know if it cures any notchiness.

I think it shifts just about perfect right now with my stratmosphere short shifter. I like positive shift action though.

[Sceanzo]

I changed mine myself at 50k. Used OEM Audi Manual trans fluid. Shifting became much smoother and the old fluid appeared to be quite dirty/worn

[sh!tmagnet]

I used Motul Gear 300. If you buy/cut down a 10mm(?) Allen key it will clear the cross brace and you won't have to drop it/replace the bolts. You'll need a small funnel or something in there to catch the fluid and direct it into a drain pan. A little messier but saves $30-50 in bolts.

[rgiles675]

I used Motul Gear 300. If you buy/cut down a 10mm(?) Allen key it will clear the cross brace and you won't have to drop it/replace the bolts. You'll need a small funnel or something in there to catch the fluid and direct it into a drain pan. A little messier but saves $30-50 in bolts.

Sh!tmagnet I'm taking your advice and will keep you posted on it later. I picked up some Redline MT-90

[sh!tmagnet]

I managed to find a "low profile" Allen key set. Worked like a charm. The bolt is pretty tight, so you might need to put a cheater bar on the end of the Allen key.

[rgiles675]

I managed to find a "low profile" Allen key set. Worked like a charm. The bolt is pretty tight, so you might need to put a cheater bar on the end of the Allen key.

you wouldn't happen to have a pic of it would you?

[sh!tmagnet]

The Allen key or the cheater bar? Allen key is literally just a shorter length on the 90* end. So rather than being say an inch long there its only half an inch (hence why you can just cut down a regular sided one with a grinder or something if you needed to. By cheater bar I just mean something that will give you more leverage. Used the 10" handle from a bottle jack

[rgiles675]

The Allen key or the cheater bar? Allen key is literally just a shorter length on the 90* end. So rather than being say an inch long there its only half an inch (hence why you can just cut down a regular sided one with a grinder or something if you needed to. By cheater bar I just mean something that will give you more leverage. Used the 10" handle from a bottle jack

Nice when you changed the fluid did you notice any improvement?

[sh!tmagnet]

Might have been a bit placebo, but seemed better. Did it at 60k. Did the rear diff at the same time. Trans took about 3.5 to 4 litres. Rear diff about 1 litre

[rgiles675]

Might have been a bit placebo, but seemed better. Did it at 60k. Did the rear diff at the same time. Trans took about 3.5 to 4 litres. Rear diff about 1 litre

I have about 62k and I'm getting a little grinding on 3rd. I'll keep you posted...Just had the damn clutch fixed and now this..

[sh!tmagnet]

Recommend doing the diff too, then its done at the same time. Do you have regular or sports diff?

[rgiles675]

Super easy job. Put redline MT90 in and I used a syringe that holds a half quart of oil from Harbor Freight to pump the fluid into the trans. Worked really good and super clean. Shitmagnet the idea on cutting the key worked great..Super easy job but still have a little grind in 3rd..think I need a new synchro.


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[LarryFisherman]

Super easy job. Put redline MT90 in and I used a syringe that holds a half quart of oil from Harbor Freight to pump the fluid into the trans. Worked really good and super clean. Shitmagnet the idea on cutting the key worked great..Super easy job but still have a little grind in 3rd..think I need a new synchro.


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Do you remember how short you needed to cut down the Allen key for clearance? I bought an ultra low profile set but my guess is I still need to cut it down a bit to clear the brace.

[Fresh.S4]

did mine last week.
you almost HAVE to remove the cross brace (at minimum you'd need to almost remove the back bolts to let the brace hang as much as possible)
an allen key could work if you chopped all except maybe a 1/4 stub (long enough to fit inside the bolt hole)

I just resued my stretch bolts because... well i just did lmao.

also mine took a little more than 3 qts (so get 4 just in case).
use the harbor freight fluid pump that screws into the oil bottle


since your changing fluids, might as well do the sport diff and transfer case in the back also. thats much easier and each side only requires 1qt each.

im @132k and this was the first flush i did. Tranny feels wet and smooth
I also did the extended slave at the same time and i think that was a MUCH better noticeable improvement.

[ccssid]

did mine last week.
you almost HAVE to remove the cross brace (at minimum you'd need to almost remove the back bolts to let the brace hang as much as possible)
an allen key could work if you chopped all except maybe a 1/4 stub (long enough to fit inside the bolt hole)

I just resued my stretch bolts because... well i just did lmao.

also mine took a little more than 3 qts (so get 4 just in case).
use the harbor freight fluid pump that screws into the oil bottle


since your changing fluids, might as well do the sport diff and transfer case in the back also. thats much easier and each side only requires 1qt each.

im @132k and this was the first flush i did. Tranny feels wet and smooth
I also did the extended slave at the same time and i think that was a MUCH better noticeable improvement.

What were the exact fluids used for the 3 different locations? On the rear diff...atf side...what did you do to bleed it.?

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[Fresh.S4]

i used oem for all 3 fluids.

ecs has the transmission fluid
and shopdap has the cheapest sport diff/transfer case fluid.

there are drain plugs for each side of the rear differential.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWJD9WoL1Fg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIwvkeeQO9Y

anything else just ask, it sounds like a task but its actually rather easy. also i forgot to mention but when doing these flushes, the front and rear end have to be leveled so its best to put the whole car on jack stands.

[ccssid]

Thanks...going to change mine in the spring. Using OEM from fcp euro for the rear diff and going to try:.

https://www.blauparts.com/ravenol-ma...EaAv8eEALw_wcB

From Blauparts for trans.

Did you throw any codes regarding the transfer case. Some say it requires bleeding.

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[mahhdd]

Anyone do a Redline trans fluid change and have a 1st gear that's more difficult to push into when it's cold?

[Fresh.S4]

Thanks...going to change mine in the spring. Using OEM from fcp euro for the rear diff and going to try:.

https://www.blauparts.com/ravenol-ma...EaAv8eEALw_wcB

From Blauparts for trans.

Did you throw any codes regarding the transfer case. Some say it requires bleeding.

Sent from my moto g power using Audizine Forum mobile app

theirs nothing to bleed lol. it drains out like a normal oil change.

[ccssid]

theirs nothing to bleed lol. it drains out like a normal oil change.

What I was referring to can be seen at 11:09 in the enclosed video.

https://youtu.be/2T4nAcoZDbI

Even an indie shop near me mentioned something about this issue pertaining to my S4 .

Here is an article written by same gentleman. When you get to the pertinent section, he refers to "priming" the rear differential (I mistakenly referenced "bleeding" ).

https://forums.audirevolution.net/t/...ce-rs5/10268/2

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[LarryFisherman]

Anyone do a Redline trans fluid change and have a 1st gear that's more difficult to push into when it's cold?

Based on my research people have had similar or mixed results with redline. If you can’t find any threads I can dig up some links.

Redline amsoil and motul are all pretty heavily used or recommended. I don’t need to deal with cold weather but still went oem to be safe

[Fresh.S4]

I followed the fcp video and they don't mention anything about using vcds. They say to spin the wheels to move the fluids around.

The diy is interesting that he lists other parts of the trans that have drain ports. But I never drained those out. Unless that's for automatics.

[LarryFisherman]

This may be a dumb question but do the non-sports diff peasants need to worry about regular differential fluid changes?

[ccssid]

I followed the fcp video and they don't mention anything about using vcds. They say to spin the wheels to move the fluids around.

The diy is interesting that he lists other parts of the trans that have drain ports. But I never drained those out. Unless that's for automatics.

...

[S4'ed]

The regular Diff has one fluid ("gear-oil") in it, no bleeding needed after changing it.

A Sport Diff has two fluids in it.
- Gear oil for the diff gears (same as the regular Diff).
- ATF for the hydraulic fluid pump and clutches for the "Torque Vectoring" part.

If you change the ATF, then you are supposed to us a scan tool (like VCDS) to run the pump/open the valves, to bleed the hydraulic section. Probably not really needed, as long as you recheck the ATF fluid level after you drive the car around a bit.

[LarryFisherman]

after changing the trans fluid, lifetime fluid my ass. Old fluid looked gross compared to new and shifting feels noticeably better. Highly recommend for those who haven’t yet. Cutting the Allen key worked great too, but you will most likely need some kind of cheater bar to crack the drain/fill plugs

[Hangn]

if changing fluid I would use nothing but genuine vag oil

[ccssid]

Finally addressed trans fluid and rear sport diff fluid in my 2011 s4 6mt (ob4 trans) Ordered 4 liters of the following for the trans and I chose the FCP oem package for the differential. I know this has been addressed several times, but I included a few tidbits which may be beneficial to some.

https://www.blauparts.com/audi-s4-ma...synthetic.html
https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/aud...vw-g052145s2kt

I was able to get the transmission drain plug out without removing sub frame member (in this case the Alu Kreuz by Eurocode). Using the following 10mm wrench there was more than enough room . ( I used a leftover 6” piece of ¾” copper, I had laying around, as a cheater bar)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000E7XK74...t_b_asin_title

removed approx 3.25 liters of fluid and put back approx 3.5 liters of fluid. The worst part was cleaning up the fluid that got onto the topside of the Alu Kreuz. Otherwise no issues. I used the a brake bleeder pump (had to cut off the end connection on the hose….I will use a coupling when I reattach). I tried using the filler tube on the liter bottle of fluid, but ended up with a mouthful of trans fluid.

https://www.ecstuning.com/b-schwaben...0aAlMUEALw_wcB

For the rear differential I only changed the mtf portion for the time being (I am old and ran out of energy getting up and down from under the car). The changing of the fluid was rather uneventful. I had to attach smaller hose inserted into the brake bleeder hose in order to fit into the differential fill plug port. Put in about 900ml fo fluid. Removed a bit less.

The most difficult part of this (at least for me) was screwing the fill plug back in. With oil on my fingers ( oil would be seeping from fill port) I could not grip the 5mm plug . Tried using socket to hold the plug. . Tried with short extension. Tried with universal….could not get a grip. Tried with 5mm wrench from set above…no luck . Ended up dismantling the 5mm wrench from this set:

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Kobalt-8-Ke...Set/1000372007

Bingo….I had sufficient grip to start the filler plug . Took me longer piddling with this plug than the entire job.

Now, getting the car up on all four’s was easy. I jacked up the front drivers side enough to put Harbor freight ramp under the front wheel and enough to get a jack stand under the rear jack point ( front and rear go up at the same time). I adjusted the jack stand so car was level and also making up for the minor slope of my garage floor. Did the same on the passenger side and also left the jack in place for good measure.

https://www.harborfreight.com/13000-...waAqtZEALw_wcB
https://www.harborfreight.com/automo...nge-58346.html

I will do the atf side of rear diff in the near future, Access is plentiful for both 5mm plugs. Note: I have AWE Touring exhaust, as different exhaust setups may change the clearances.

Almost forgot to mention. Althought I have not yet driven that far with the new trans fluid.....shifts are smooth as silk.

[Fresh.S4]

Finally addressed trans fluid and rear sport diff fluid in my 2011 s4 6mt (ob4 trans) Ordered 4 liters of the following for the trans and I chose the FCP oem package for the differential. I know this has been addressed several times, but I included a few tidbits which may be beneficial to some.

https://www.blauparts.com/audi-s4-ma...synthetic.html
https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/aud...vw-g052145s2kt

I was able to get the transmission drain plug out without removing sub frame member (in this case the Alu Kreuz by Eurocode). Using the following 10mm wrench there was more than enough room . ( I used a leftover 6” piece of ¾” copper, I had laying around, as a cheater bar)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000E7XK74...t_b_asin_title

removed approx 3.25 liters of fluid and put back approx 3.5 liters of fluid. The worst part was cleaning up the fluid that got onto the topside of the Alu Kreuz. Otherwise no issues. I used the a brake bleeder pump (had to cut off the end connection on the hose….I will use a coupling when I reattach). I tried using the filler tube on the liter bottle of fluid, but ended up with a mouthful of trans fluid.

https://www.ecstuning.com/b-schwaben...0aAlMUEALw_wcB

For the rear differential I only changed the mtf portion for the time being (I am old and ran out of energy getting up and down from under the car). The changing of the fluid was rather uneventful. I had to attach smaller hose inserted into the brake bleeder hose in order to fit into the differential fill plug port. Put in about 900ml fo fluid. Removed a bit less.

The most difficult part of this (at least for me) was screwing the fill plug back in. With oil on my fingers ( oil would be seeping from fill port) I could not grip the 5mm plug . Tried using socket to hold the plug. . Tried with short extension. Tried with universal….could not get a grip. Tried with 5mm wrench from set above…no luck . Ended up dismantling the 5mm wrench from this set:

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Kobalt-8-Ke...Set/1000372007

Bingo….I had sufficient grip to start the filler plug . Took me longer piddling with this plug than the entire job.

Now, getting the car up on all four’s was easy. I jacked up the front drivers side enough to put Harbor freight ramp under the front wheel and enough to get a jack stand under the rear jack point ( front and rear go up at the same time). I adjusted the jack stand so car was level and also making up for the minor slope of my garage floor. Did the same on the passenger side and also left the jack in place for good measure.

https://www.harborfreight.com/13000-...waAqtZEALw_wcB
https://www.harborfreight.com/automo...nge-58346.html

I will do the atf side of rear diff in the near future, Access is plentiful for both 5mm plugs. Note: I have AWE Touring exhaust, as different exhaust setups may change the clearances.

Almost forgot to mention. Althought I have not yet driven that far with the new trans fluid.....shifts are smooth as silk.

Should of just followed my methodology and you wouldn't have taken shots of oil to the face 👀👀.

[ccssid]

Should of just followed my methodology and you wouldn't have taken shots of oil to the face 👀👀.

I agree. Prior to using the pump, I was enticed by the following Blauparts Blog..note image #9:

https://www.blauparts.com/blog/audi-...8-chassis.html