SO about a month ago I decided to tackle the DSG fluid change myself. I’m very mechanically inclined (fix airplane for a living). So I did everything by the book drained the old fluid, took pan off to gain access to internal filter, replace that, installed the pan with a brand new gasket and brand new bolts and torqued the 15 bolts 10nm. I filled it up and used a vag-com to reach the desired temp. to drain off the access. Well about a week later I kept smelling DSG fluid while sitting at a stop for awhile, so I decided to crawl underneath and check for leaks, sure enough it was leaking right between the pan and the transmission, right past the new gasket, so I thought I must have not done something right, so I snugged the bolts up more to see if its going to stop, sure enough it kept seeping past the gasket still. Well I decided to get another gasket and redo the whole job. So I did everything per the manual again 10nm for the bolts blah blah, well another week later and I smelled the DSG fluid again, now mind you I used alcohol and a clean rag to clean up any spills that may have gotten around the DSG. I crawled under the car again and sure enough its still leaking so I snugged the bolts down some more and it’s still seeping between the pan and the transmission. So I’m at a loss, do I take it to the dealer (my dealer in town is horrible so the closest other one is an hr away) and let them mess with it, or do I install another gasket using another new gasket AND RTV this time. I’m just not sure what to do.
I had something similar happen when i drained my 6hp several years ago.
The pan gets under pressure so your going to need a little more help sealing the pan. The RTV is a good idea. One of the most imporntant things to keep in mind is when you tighten down the pan use a bolt tightening pattern that follows what you would do with an intake manifold. Use an X cross pattern to help make sure you dont create a high leverage spot in the pan to transmission face
Good points, I’ll attempt it here soon, hopefully the RTV works.
Take note on where the leak is coming from on the pan. See if it was also leaking last time in the same spot. Check the pan to make sure its not warped. The RTV has worked for me and lots of the other guys as well. You dont need to really glob it on just a nice thin amount all the way around. Check both the pan and the surface of the trans. clean and rough up both sides. The RTV will take to it better.