Adam,
That big green thing is the plug that covers the hole through
which the timing is checked. DON'T pour anything in there or your
clutch is toast!!!
Actually, you can remove a plug on the side of the gearbox
(with the car sitting level) and if the fluid is just at the level of
the threads then you are okay. I don't make it a habit of checking
it unless I see leaks under the car and it smells like gear oil. It
would probably be just as easy to get the car up on ramps and drain
and refill the gearbox instead of messing about with trying to guess
if it is at the proper level. On the bottom side of the differential
housing (the driveshafts come out of the side of it) is a big plug
that takes a 17mm hex wrench (Sears has them) to remove. Be creative
if you don't have one, a VW wheel bolt with two nuts locked together
will get the job done. Call your local AdvanceAuto and order two
quart bottles of REDLINE MTL. Put the plug back in on the diff side
once it has slowed to a drop or two a minute (having driven the car
and warmed up the fluid will make it flow quicker). On the top side
of the gearbox is the reversing light switch, behind and to the right
of where the clutch cable passes through the flange on the front.
Remove it and with a small funnel you can pour in the new fluid and
you are done. Check your Bentley for the correct amount needed, but
2 quarts seems to stick in my mind. That will help some with the
stiff shifting but I'd also consider all the bits and pieces that
make up the shift linkage: "dogbones", bushings, etc........Jack
Just wondering how to find any kind of dipstick or bolt to unscrew
to check the transmission fluid. I havent have the tranny serviced
in about 12 months and the shifting is getting a little stiff. I
wanted to take a look at the color & level of the fluid, but I cant
figure out where to look. Most stuff has been pretty straighforward
since i started doing things myself. but till now ive never done
anything regarding the tranny.
Looking down under the hood there is a large greenish inverted hex
nut screwed into the top of the tranny, closer to the block. Is that
it? I havent touched anything yet.
The car is a 1991 Jetta GLi.
Thanks for the input. -Adam
