more pics

 

So I should do this as one long post, but I have a short attention span and have a lot of other stuff going on. So lots of short posts.

Anyway, that is all you need.

I paid $192 at Suncoast. It also came with a new drainplug and washer but you do not need that. If you use aftermarket fluids and filters you can do this for less than $100. I paid about $650 at the dealer at 40K miles

 

Tool needed:

10mm allen/hex socket
16mm socket
torque wrench that can go from 8 to 33lbs

Ramps
jack stands
jack
pan to catch oil
fluid pump

device to measure trans temp (I used the NT510)

gloves - thick ones, you are near the exhaust

 

Nice!

When I did tranny fluid change on my BMW I just let the car idle when refilling the fluid. No need to measure the fluid temperature. I suspect you can do the same here since at idle the tranny fluid won’t overheat so the temperature should be correct.

 

You can probably do it without the exact temp. But if the temp gets to warm then you get a false reading could have too much fluid

Now for the process.

Step 1 - and this is the most important. If you can do this, the rest of the process will take less than an hour. Check the fluid level. To do this drive the car a little. Don't want the trans up to temp, just warm, not hot. Then jack up the car evenly. This is really not hard. Getting the front end off the ground and a jack stand under the front jack points is hard because there is no where to jack up the car up front. But since you don't need to take the tire off, pull the front on ramps. The back is easy. There is a lot of frame to use. So jack up at the jack point and put a jack stand under the frame. make sure the car is level. Remove the under body panel with its 17 bolts and 2 plugs.

And this is the checking process.

With the car running watch the temp. When it gets to 30C open the check valve. If fluid comes out you are good. If not wait until you get to 40C. If still no fluid by 40C you level is low. Don't add now, but just so you know.

Turn off the car.

You just accomplished the hardest part

 

Two questions:

1. I assume the 3rd pic shows the check valve? Where is it? Any reference to other obvious parts nearby?

2. Why do you need to check fluid level? My understanding is you can just drain the old fluid and refill new fluid to the correct level. The current fluid level is irrelevant?

 

Ok going to work from my phone. The pics get turned all kinds of funny directions when I post from my phone.

Yes. Third pic is check valve. It is on the drivers side of the PDK above the filter. You need the gloves because when the car is running the exhaust is near it and you hit your hands.

The check before is so you know about how much fluid to put back.

Just replacing how much you took out is not any easier than just measuring the level.

I removed 4.6L of fluid. When the car was cold and not running, I put back in just over 4L back in before it started to spill back out.

In order to add more fluid I had to start the car. Then I could pump in more fluid.

The problem without watching the temp would be that if the transmission gets to warm it spits a lot of fluid back out of the hole.

This makes sense in my mind so I will try to explain it. I started the car so I could get more fluid in. The car took forever to go from ambient temp to about 100. After that it shot up quickly. When it was 104 (40C) I started adding fluid. Like 600cc. Then it started coming out of the hole rapidly. I put the plug in. The trans temp was now 146. When it cooled down and I went through the check procedure it was low and I had to add more.

So you could do it without a temp sensor if you are sure your level was correct before and you get all the fluid added before the temp gets up to 122.

Does that make sense? It does in my mind.

 

So more pics

 

So checking the fluid did 2 things. Let you know that the level is OK and let’s you know that you can put more fluid in.

Now drain the fluid from the transmission

 

Remove the filter housing with a 16mm socket. It sits on the left has side of the PDk. Inside is the paper filter. It just pulls off. Lubricate the o ring on the new filter and put it back on. Replace the housing. Torque is 8ft/lb

View attachment 211170

 

Now put the plug back in the bottom of the PDk. The kit I ordered had a new plug and washer. Size is 10mm hex. Torque to 33ft/lb.

When I had the dealer do it last time they did not replace the washer or the plug.

 

And final post for the night. This is what I used to fill it. It was $4.85 from Walmart. I searched the store for an hour. It is not by the gear lubes but by the outboard motor and boating stuff. I had the old ATF bottle. You need a bottle with the old small opening to get the pump to fit. And the yellow tip at the end
makes it easy to put in the fill hole

View attachment 211178

 

Ok. I got it why you need to use the check valve.

Do you have a pic showing the PDK drain plug’s general location? What’s the correct temperature when refilling the fluid? 100-120F? I assume you refill fluid through the check valve hole?

Great write-up!

 

I read that you need to use the Porsche PIWIS system to open some valves in the trans to do this job properly. So if you go to an indy, they need to have this system. Is this not correct?

 

Looks like the PDK on the Macan is a VW unit. Not sure you need the PIWIS to do the fluid change.

 

No. The Macan has a different version of the PDK than the 911. The 911 requires the PIWIS in order to change the fluid. I have a service manual for a 911 with a PDK and it explains the process. I also have the service manual for the Macan and though it also says to use a PIWIS, it is only used to check the temp which can also be done with many other devices such as the NT510 that I used.

 

OK. Summary of where we are.

We jacked the car up level.
We opened the fill hole on the side of the PDK
Put the plug for the fill hole back in, BUT just finger tight so you can remove it.
We replaced the old filter and O ring and tightened to 8. Ft/lb
We drained all the fluid from the bottom of the transmission and put the plug back in and tightened to 33 ft/lb.

Now for the fill procedure:

WARNING - do not start the car without fluid or you will cause a lot of damage. That’s what the manual says anyway.

1 - So with the car off, put in as much fluid as you can. I got in almost 4L

2 - hook up gauge for reading trans temp and start the car. Go through all the gears and place back in park.

3 - when the trans temp gets to 30C or 86F climb under the car and remove the fill plug.

3A - If fluid comes out, you are done. Put the plug back and you are done

3B - if no fluid comes out, keep watching the fill hole. This is where a second person may help. Watch the fill hole as the temp increases. If fluid comes out before the trans temp gets to 40C or 104F then you are done. Put the plug back in.

3C - if no fluid comes out when the trans gets to 40C the start adding fluid until fluid starts coming back out of the hole.

3C1 - this is where you have to vibe careful. The trans temp can not get above 50C or 122F or you have to wait for it to cool down and start again.

3C2 - if you have fluid coming back out above 40C and below 50C you are done. Put the plug back in.

Warning. These are approximate times just to give you an idea. The trans temp rises exponentially. It took 10 min to get to 30C. 5 min to get from 30C to 40C, and 2-3 minutes to get above 50C.

Torque for the fill plug is 33 ft/lb. My car did not have a crush washer on the fill plug. The parts manual does not show a crush washer for the fill plug. My car was serviced at the dealer for the last fluid change. I did not use a crush washer.

The repair manual says to replace the crush washer? If you want to use one, the fill plug and drain plug are the same part so order an extra crush washer.

I will post pics later today of the locations of everything.

 

Not sure why the procedure is so complicated.

When I did the ZF transmission fluid change on my BMW, all you need to do after step 3 is open the fill hole and refill fluid until it starts to overflow. Then, you are done.

At step 3 after the transmission is warmed up, you should go through all the gears (P, R, N, D) again (press the brake while doing this).

 

Oh. And before you put the under body panel back on drive the car for a while checking for leaking. If it leaks you will never know.

 

This is great, thanks! Two questions:

First, how did you jack it up so you could get completely under the car?

Second, specifically what manual are you referring to?

This could save me enough money to buy a QuickJack.

 

Thank you for this write up. A few questions just to insure I understand.
You have the front wheels on ramps. You say to go through all the gears and place back in park. This is P- R-N-D-1 And are you doing this with the engine just at idle?
Is there any danger of the car trying to move with any torque to the front wheels?

Thanks again!!!!!

 

Jacking is easy. You don't really need the quick jack or the rennstand but you will save enough money to get them if you want. The real benfit of those is getting the front end off the ground with the tire off. You don't have to remove the tire.

Pull the front tires up on ramps. Then jack up the back of the car using the jack points and place jack stands under the frame or jack up the frame and put the jack stands under the frame.

Takes trial and error to get the height correct. But I can tell you that 2 ton jack stands from auto zone sitting on patio pavers are the exact height and size to support the car level from the jack points.

Going thru the gears is safe, to get out of park you have to have the foot on the brake. I went R, N, D, 1 and then back again, pausing in each gear for a few seconds.

Then manual I bought somewhere on line. It is a pdf wtih 6700 pages.

 

There are many YouTube videos for this procedure. Search VW DSG transmission fluid change.

In the videos on VW cars, there is another plastic tube inside the drain hole that has to be taken out. I don’t think Macan has it. Instead, Macan has a separate fill hole.

 

Great idea. Most of the you tube videos I saw had the bottom fill and the top filter. But there are a couple that are the same. I’ll look at work tonight for a link and post it.

 

@grim can you stickie this thread? Thanks!

 

This is the closest I could find but they do 2 things different. They drop the pan to change the filter, which does not need done. And they fill the car with a machine.

But...at then end they show where the fill plug is. The macan has a heat shield over it so it was hard to get a good pic, but at the end of this video you can clearly see the fill hole and how it works.

I look for more later