transmission problem -- PRND lit up
#1
10-08-2008, 05:27 PM
transmission problem -- PRND lit up
Hello -- my wonderful 2000 A6 with 117k miles on it has transmission issues. One day it worked fine, the next day it was slipping so badly it was undrivable.
We changed the fluid and filter (had never been done) and now it's even worse.
It goes into "limp mode" (3 gear?) when I rev high enough and drives okay then. I still also have reverse and park.
The lights on PRND are all lit up and a fault code has been generated.
The old fluid exhibited metallic parts and shavings. At the time of the fluid change, no fault code had been generated. Only after I towed it home.
My goal is to determine if it's an electronics problem or if the transmission needs to be replaced, without being ripped off, because of course, a shop makes more money replacing a transmission.
Any suggestions? Clearly, I need to find out the fault code, but is there any other means of testing the electronics? It just seems weird that one day the transmission was healthy and the next day it was terrible.
Many thanks.
We changed the fluid and filter (had never been done) and now it's even worse.
It goes into "limp mode" (3 gear?) when I rev high enough and drives okay then. I still also have reverse and park.
The lights on PRND are all lit up and a fault code has been generated.
The old fluid exhibited metallic parts and shavings. At the time of the fluid change, no fault code had been generated. Only after I towed it home.
My goal is to determine if it's an electronics problem or if the transmission needs to be replaced, without being ripped off, because of course, a shop makes more money replacing a transmission.
Any suggestions? Clearly, I need to find out the fault code, but is there any other means of testing the electronics? It just seems weird that one day the transmission was healthy and the next day it was terrible.
Many thanks.
#4
10-08-2008, 08:55 PM
Hello -- my wonderful 2000 A6 with 117k miles on it has transmission issues. One day it worked fine, the next day it was slipping so badly it was undrivable.
We changed the fluid and filter (had never been done) and now it's even worse.
It goes into "limp mode" (3 gear?) when I rev high enough and drives okay then. I still also have reverse and park.
The lights on PRND are all lit up and a fault code has been generated.
The old fluid exhibited metallic parts and shavings. At the time of the fluid change, no fault code had been generated. Only after I towed it home.
My goal is to determine if it's an electronics problem or if the transmission needs to be replaced, without being ripped off, because of course, a shop makes more money replacing a transmission.
Any suggestions? Clearly, I need to find out the fault code, but is there any other means of testing the electronics? It just seems weird that one day the transmission was healthy and the next day it was terrible.
Many thanks.
We changed the fluid and filter (had never been done) and now it's even worse.
It goes into "limp mode" (3 gear?) when I rev high enough and drives okay then. I still also have reverse and park.
The lights on PRND are all lit up and a fault code has been generated.
The old fluid exhibited metallic parts and shavings. At the time of the fluid change, no fault code had been generated. Only after I towed it home.
My goal is to determine if it's an electronics problem or if the transmission needs to be replaced, without being ripped off, because of course, a shop makes more money replacing a transmission.
Any suggestions? Clearly, I need to find out the fault code, but is there any other means of testing the electronics? It just seems weird that one day the transmission was healthy and the next day it was terrible.
Many thanks.
If the car has over a certain mileage (predominately anything over 100,000) and the fluid has never been changed
DO NOT CHANGE IT!
In my experience, it only "ups the ante" of a possible failure
Is your car a 4.2 model by any chance? They are prone to transmission failure.
Pull out the transmission's dip stick and smell it. If it smells burnt (trust me, you'll know if it smells burnt) then you will need to have it pulled and most likely have it rebuilt by a reputable and trust-worthy tech.
Last edited by Coors; 10-08-2008 at 09:02 PM.
#6
10-09-2008, 11:58 AM
The only dip stick on an old Audi is the guy that buys one - including me -
You have to remove a plug on the side of the transmission to check the level and it has to be a a particular temperature.
The metal shavings indicate something was amiss before you did the fluid change and all you did was stir it up. I don't think your going to find a magic fix... It is time to spend money -- a lot of it
You have to remove a plug on the side of the transmission to check the level and it has to be a a particular temperature.
The metal shavings indicate something was amiss before you did the fluid change and all you did was stir it up. I don't think your going to find a magic fix... It is time to spend money -- a lot of it
#7
10-09-2008, 02:13 PM
Yeah, lots of money to replace this baby. $6500 is what my shop quoted and best I can find online is $2700 for a used tranny and $1500 to install. Plus, OBTW, $500 in fluid. Yow. Need to find that ECF part sitting under a tarp in someone's garage 
Thanks for the help, everyone.
Thanks for the help, everyone.
#9
10-10-2008, 01:39 AM
Well, that much to repair a car that is barely worth more than that is absurd. Trade it in.
My own 97 2.8 Quattro, the tranny check is supposed to be a plug on the bottom of the pan. Tube sticking up into it, temp just right, pull the plug, if it DRIPS out, you are full, if it doesn't, it needs fluid pumped up and in, if it pours out, it is overfilled..
I hate that they don't have a dipstick. Seems that they REQUIRE you to go back to them, for a few hundred bucks service charge.
15 bucks per litre PS fluid and 22 buck antifreeze SHOULD make them happy, but obviously not.
Cheers,
George
My own 97 2.8 Quattro, the tranny check is supposed to be a plug on the bottom of the pan. Tube sticking up into it, temp just right, pull the plug, if it DRIPS out, you are full, if it doesn't, it needs fluid pumped up and in, if it pours out, it is overfilled..
I hate that they don't have a dipstick. Seems that they REQUIRE you to go back to them, for a few hundred bucks service charge.
15 bucks per litre PS fluid and 22 buck antifreeze SHOULD make them happy, but obviously not.
Cheers,
George
#10
11-24-2008, 06:37 PM
Joining this thread late, because my case just might help anyone who goes through what I've just been through. Audi A6 1997 2.6. V6 Avant. The first case of limp home - lights on PRND lit up, stuck in 2nd gear and with the gear change causing a jolt, etc. I was driving the family on holiday when all of a sudden the radio went off and the brake light warning appeared. I could have lived with that but clearly couldn't go through an entire holiday in second gear. I had to get a tow home and then rent a car for the holiday (later I claimed it back on the holiday insurance so was not problem). I had it take to an Audi dealer as I felt certain the gear box had gone. They charged me so much money for "tracing the fault to ECM" and "rehousing switch gear". Second time (just this week) the brake light bulb went and also the radio failed and the car went into limp home mode. After reading various forums on the web, I decided to just try all the tricks to see if I could save some dealer cash (nearly £200UK). I simply checked all the fuses (replaced two) replaced brake light bulbs (which cleared the warning lights, but not the limp home mode) and then disconnected and reconnected the battery which cleared the limp home mode. Now all OK and my wonderful old family bus is back in full order. I truly hope someone with the same issue finds this and it they get the same fix without paying the dealers. Quite why the VAG engineers thought that is better to be towed home than be without a radio or a brake light for a while is quite beyond me.