How do you chech or change or fill the transmission fluid on a 72 VW Super Bug?

Answer 1

To check the fluid, you jack the car up, remove the transmission fill plug and stick your finger in the hole. If you can't feel any fluid, you need to add some.

The fill plug is on the left side of the transmission. It's a 17mm Allen bolt. I've seen long-handle 17mm Allen wrenches and sockets with pieces of 17mm Allen wrench welded into them. Both work. Anyway, unscrew this bolt and stick your finger in the hole.

To fill the transmission, start by jacking the car up, removing the left rear wheel, and removing the fill plug. Don't drain your transmission if you can't get new fluid in! You'll need to refill the transmission with a little over two and a half quarts (2500ml actually) of 80W90 hypoid oil. It comes in a bottle with a pointed tip. Get three or four feet of hose that will fit the tip of the oil bottle and a drain pan. Remove the drain plug (fill plug in your hand, of course) and let the transmission drain. While you're waiting, look close at the drain plug. There's a magnet in it, and there should be a little bit of metal shavings stuck to it. Clean them off. If the plug looks like a porcupine from all the metal shavings on it, start saving up for a new transmission. Once the trans is drained and the plug is clean and reinstalled, stick the hose through the wheelwell into the fill hole on the trans and start slowly adding oil to the trans. Leave the drain pan under there because you fill the trans to overflowing, let the excess run out and clean the side of the case after you screw in the fill plug.