01Allroad

Help! My 2001 Allroad (~45,000 miles) with automatic transmission is leaking oil around the output flange. I think its the output flange seal. Have anyone done the replacement before, I could use some help. Any step by step instruction? Do I need to remove the exhaust? Both side? How? Looks difficult! How do I remove the drive shaft? Is it normal for the flange seal go bad? Is the DPH brand of replacement seal any good?

Thanks in Advance.

magilla70

you need to slide back the exhaust clamps after the cats so they can swing down and away. Remove the heat shields. Unbolt the driveshaft from the trans flange. Be very careful not to strip the 6mm hex head bolts. You may want to heat the flange with a small propane or mapp gas torch to aid removal. So now you can swing the driveshaft out of the way, just bunjee is to something. The flange has a T-40 in the center of it be very careful...do not strip that either! Once the center bolt is out the flange slides out. Pry out the seal, install a new one, re-install the flange shaft. Now is a good time to re-fill the rear diff with gear oil. The fill plug is on the pass side and easy to access with the cat moved.
Good luck.

millerwd

everyones mechanical aptitude is different. Besides the manual is a great read.

01Allroad

Sure, Bentley is good. But what I am looking for is the real life experiance from AudiWorld member. Has anyone actually done the job, and any tricks that we should know beside the stand procedure from the manual. I would assume with the exhaust high temp, it would be difficult to separate? Am I correct, so, is there a alternate methed that wedon't have to remove the cat?

Any suggestion on the gear oil? Should I use the OE or go with synthetic?

01Allroad

should the transmission filter be changed while the gear oil is drained?