General Repair Information

• Carefulness, cleanliness and the correct tools are required for transmission repairs to be successful. The usual basic safety precautions also, naturally apply when carrying out vehicle repairs.
• Some general repair information that applies to several procedures throughout this article is summarized here. They apply to this service information.

Guided Fault Finding, On Board Diagnostics (OBD) And Test Instruments

• Determine the cause of the malfunction as accurately as possible using Guided Fault Finding  , OBD  and Test Instruments  before starting any repairs on the transmission using the Vehicle Diagnostic Tester.

Special Tools And Equipment

For a complete list of special tools used in the Service Information. Refer to Workshop Equipment and Special Tools.

Oil, Environmental And Disposal Regulations

• Handle transmission fluid, axle oil and other fluids with care.
• Dispose of the drained fluids properly.
• Follow the legal environmental and disposal regulations.
• Follow the information provided on oil packaging.

Transmission 

• Do not run engine or tow the vehicle when the oil pan is removed or when there is no transmission fluid.
• Always clean the connection locations and the area around them before loosening.
• During installation, make sure that the alignment bushings are fitted correctly.

O-Rings, Gaskets, Seals 

• O-rings, gaskets and seals must be replaced.
• After removing gaskets, examine contact surface on housing/shaft for burr resulting from removal or for other signs of damage.
• Thoroughly clean housing joint surfaces before assembling.
• Replace paper gaskets, thoroughly clean sealing surfaces and completely remove old seals.
• Lightly coat the seals with ATF along outer circumference and along the sealing lip.
• Coat the O-rings with transmission fluid or Vaseline before inserting them so they are not crushed during installation.
• Do not use any other lubricants in the gear oil area. Otherwise there is a danger of malfunction of the transmission hydraulics.
• The open side of the seals point toward the fluid to be sealed in.
• When installing the new shaft seals, make sure the sealing lip does not run on the same point as the sealing lip of the old seal (use insertion depth tolerances).
• Follow the guidelines for clean working conditions. Refer to GUIDELINES FOR CLEAN WORKING CONDITIONS .

Fasteners 

• Do not overstretch the circlips.
• Replace damaged or stretched circlips.
• The circlips must fit completely inside the groove.

Bolts And Nuts 

• Loosen the bolts opposite the tightening sequence.
• Nuts and bolts which secure covers and housings should be loosened and tightened crosswise in stages if no tightening 3 is specified.
• Replace the self-locking nuts.
• Use a wire brush to clean the threads of bolts that were screwed in with locking compound. Install the bolts with Locking Fluid :AMV 185 101 A1  .
• The tightening specifications stated apply to non-oiled nuts and bolts.