Front Final Drive/Transmission Housing Seal, Replacing

Front final drive/transmission housing seal, replacing
- Observe general repair instructions.

Special tools and workshop equipment required





- VW 681 Oil seal extractor
- 3383 Drift
- VAG 1331 Torque wrench
- VAG 1332 Torque wrench
- VAG 1358 A Oil extraction unit

Additional information
A faulty oil seal will allow ATF or axle oil to escape into the torque converter bell housing via the central breather in the oil seal (between the two sealing lips).
A faulty oil seal will also allow ATF to enter the final drive; this will then become over-filled and oil will escape via the breather of the front final drive.

Removing
- Raise Vehicle.
- Remove wheel.
- Remove front right exhaust pipe.





- Remove right-hand drive axle protective plate -arrows-. The third bolt cannot be seen in the illustration.
- Remove right-hand drive axle -1-.





- Remove flange shaft bolt -arrow- (use pin to prevent flange turning).
- Extract oil out of front final drive using oil extractor VAG 1358 A.
- Place drip tray VAG 1306 or equivalent underneath.
- Pull out right flange shaft.
- Remove right-hand transmission bracket.
- Unscrew bolts securing cover for front final drive and remove cover.
- Pull out differential and remove.





- Remove tapered roller bearing outer race -1- for differential and shim -2- (behind outer race) from transmission housing by hand.
Thickness of shim -2- is measured; the shim must not be replaced with another shim of different thickness.
- Remove left-hand flange shaft.





- Pull out oil seal.
The oil seal extractor lever must be applied behind the two sealing lips of the oil seal. Do not apply the lever to the circumference of the seal, as this will damage the contact surface in the transmission. Guide the lever carefully when removing the seal.

Installing
- Examine oil seal seat in transmission for damage; reface surface if necessary.
- Apply gear oil to circumference and sealing lips of seal.





- Push seal onto press piece 3383 with the protruding sealing lip on the seal -arrow- facing toward the tool.





- Drive new seal in onto stop.





- Insert shim -2- and tapered roller bearing outer race -1- for differential onto stop in transmission housing by hand.
- Insert differential in transmission housing.





- Replace O-ring -arrow-.





- Install cover for front final drive.
Tightening sequence:
- Stage 1: tighten bolts -1-, -2- and -3- hand tight.
- Stage 2: tighten bolts -1- to -12- to specified torque in the sequence indicated.
- Remove right-hand transmission bracket.
- Install left-hand flanged shaft.
- Install right-hand flanged shaft.





- Fit flanged shaft bolt -arrow- and secure against turning using a punch.
- With transmission installed, check gear oil in front final drive.
- Install right-hand drive axle -1-.
- Fit right-hand drive axle protective plate -arrows-. The third bolt cannot be seen in the illustration.





- Install front right-hand exhaust pipe.
- Fit wheel.