I recently bought a 94 100 (non quattro) 2.8L V6 wagon. I was experiencing several seconds of lag when putting the car into gear and when shifting. At one point it got stuck in second gear I believe. I took it to the dealer to get checked out. After diagnosing a wire break they said they read no codes so I would need a new transmission. I asked them about changing the tranny fluid and they said it should never need a tranny fluid change. This seemed strange to me so my three questions are:

1. Should I send it back to the dealership to get a tranny fluid/filter change anyway before I go through all the hassle of changing out a transmission?

2. Are there any other particular items I should get checked out first before swapping the tranny?

3. If I must make the switch, I found a used 92 100 (non quattro) tranny at a salvage yard. I do not know whether it is a wagon or sedan. I'm assuming the year difference doesn't matter since its still a 90-94. Are there any other questions I need to ask the yard to make sure it's the same tranny as my car?

Thanks in advance. I have only had the car for a month and it was bought as-is.

 

Im guessing its the 3 speed?
yeah, that transmission is TERRIBLE.
I had an 89 100 with the non quattro transmission, and we replaced the tranny about 5 times thru its 200,000 mile lifetime.

if that makes sense.

 

I am sorry to hear that. Did you get a refurb or simply a non-refurb used one.

 

IMHO it's worth the tranny fluid flush and filter change before swapping the tranny. Especially if you are first thinking about going to a salvaged tranny who's history is unknown.

I think the '93 salvaged tranny should fit the '92, but I'm not certain. I have a '92 100 S and there are two possible transmission codes during the '92 model year. I don't know if both are interchangable on a '93, but since the engine is the same I would think it is. Perhaps someone else can confirm.

 

Good advice from Kraysaw, a fluid change might do wonders...
There is no such thing as a "lifetime" oil...all fluids on these cars must be changed, regardless of what any dealer says.

It might be something as simple as the level is too low. The "delay" in the shift, is a classic sign of low fluid.

The 92-94 cars are identical, so they should be a good match, regardless if it's a sedan, on an avant.
If the worst case scenario happens, you confirm the transmission years for your car from Shokan, and they really know thier stuff.

 

i did have the same problem in my 94 100 s i just disconect the battery ror half hour after that the car was running peerfect