General Repair Instructions

Maximum possible care and cleanliness, as well as proper tools, are essential for satisfactory and successful transmission repairs. Also, the generally applicable basic rules of safety naturally apply when performing repair work.

A series of generally valid instructions that apply to individual repair operations-otherwise listed at several points.

Transmission
^ Do not run the engine or tow the vehicle if the oil pan is removed or if there is no ATF in the transmission.
^ When exchanging the automatic transmission, the levels of the ATF in the planetary gearbox and the gear oil in the final drive must be checked and corrected if necessary.

^ Before installing the transmission, check the installation dimension of the torque converter.
^ When installing the transmission, make sure that the dowel sleeves are correctly seated.
^ When the transmission is removed, secure the torque converter to prevent it from falling out of the transmission.
^ Thoroughly clean connection points and surrounding areas before disconnecting.
^ Place removed parts on a clean surface and cover them with foil or paper. Do NOT use cloths with lint!
^ Carefully cover or close open components if repairs are not to be carried out immediately.
^ Install only clean parts. Do not remove replacement parts from their wrapping until just before installing them.
^ Rules for cleanliness when working on the automatic transmission .

O-rings, seals, gaskets
^ Always replace sealing rings and gaskets.
^ After removing gaskets, always inspect the contact surface on the housing or shaft for burrs resulting from removal and for signs of damage.
^ Coat O-rings with a thin coat of Vaseline to prevent rings from squeaking when installed.
^ Always use only a small quantity of Vaseline. Other greases cause operational problems in the hydraulic control.
^ The open side of each sealing ring faces the fluid to be sealed.
^ After installing, check the gear oil and ATF levels, and correct if necessary.

Circlips
^ Do not over-stress circlips.
^ Replace circlips as necessary.
^ Circlips must be properly seated in their grooves.

Nuts, bolts
^ Bolts and nuts attaching housings and covers or the valve body must be loosened and tightened in stages in accordance with the specified tightening sequence or method.
^ Loosen bolts and nuts in a sequence opposite to the tightening sequence.
^ If no tightening sequence is specified, bolts and nuts attaching housings and covers must be loosened and tightened evenly in stages and in an alternating diagonal pattern.
^ Tightening torques specified in repair procedures are for non-lubricated nuts and bolts.
^ The threads of bolts which are coated with locking fluid must be cleaned with a wire brush and coated with AMV 185 100 A1 before installation.
^ Always replace self-locking nuts.

Bearings
^ Install needle bearings with the inscribed side (thicker metal) facing the drift.
^ During installation, lubricate all transmission bearings using the fluid in which they are bathed in the transmission.

Adjustment shims
^ Measure adjustment shims in several locations with a micrometer. Different shim thicknesses make it possible to select the required thickness precisely.
^ Check for burrs or damage.
^ Install only perfect, undamaged shims.

On Board Diagnostic (OBD)
Before carrying out repair work on the automatic transmission, determine the cause of the malfunction as precisely as possible .