You guys have a great site here, I'm glad I found it. I have an '84 5000S(automatic trans., 087 type) that howls while in park. It goes away for a bit when put into gear but returns while speeding up. It sounds as if it is winding itself up. It shifts fine and I am in the process of flushing(draining) the transmission fluid. How can I asure myself that it is the trans. before doing something drastic, like a new one? I am more of a car 'explorer' as opposed to a mechanic but am not bashful about attempting to fix things(I am a beginner and I cant afford dealship prices!).
Thanks in advance

It might be the torque converter but that is hard to say without some additional testing. Check the differential fluid to make sure you have some and that it is not cross contaminated with ATF, it shouldn’t be red. 089 and 087 are notorious for this problem. I have had an 089 (4-cyl) die a violent death as a result of a dry diff.

Ahhh transmission, may you rest in peace! Thanks for the advice however, the information was usefull in diagnosing the dilema. Would you know where you can find QUALITY used or rebuilt transmissions?

So what was the diagnosis?

You can look on line for a rebuild kit and a remanufactured torque converter. Rebuilding an automatic is not that difficult, its nothing more than part swapping. The only problem is special tools that you will need for pulling bushing and driving them back in. I even managed to get around this for the most part by using a bunch of cut washers to pull bushings out, for seating them back in I bough an inexpensive bushing driver kit.

Before I condemned the tranny itself, I would have the differential looked at.

Audi, in those years, had a bad diff lube, wore the teeth off the pinion gear, wore out and siezed the front bearing, wore out the bearing seat.

Loud howl, whether in park, drive, or reverse, but intermittent. Replaced mine, found out later that Audi had a recall on the cars, would repair/replace defective transaxles, due to the inferior lube.

Local Audi dealer said they would replace the lube, Audi USA said they would replace the unit, free of charge.

Back then, about 94, tranny rebuild kit was about 125 at one dealer here. Offramp is correct that it is a very easy rebuild, but DO watch what order and how many discs you stack. X above the notch, X below the notch.

Not real easy to pull the unit, as it comes out in 1 piece, as a transaxle, not as just the tranny. Just no room to pull the tranny only.

I could do it with my eyes closed, back then, because the replacement I bought was really filthy, converter full of shit, rebuild, run for a while, sieze a valve, pull, replace a clutch pack, ad nauseum. Got really good at it.

Check the recall list for 92, 93, 94. I think it was May 93 or 94 in which I found it, in Consuner Reports, should be on a gov. website, somewhere.

Cheers,

George