Well folks, it looks like I'm heading towards being one of the fellow D2 owners with a transmission going bad.... It's got the FUN transmission with 127K miles on it. But I want to run a few things by you guys first.

A week ago, I got into the car and cranked it up. It'd been raining steadily all day. I was parked on a hill and since I was facing down that hill, I never had to give it gas to get going. I coasted a couple hundred feet to the traffic light and stopped at the red light. I noticed that the car was starting to idle a littlr roughly. I stepped on the gas when the light turned green and as you all know, the check engine light came on flashing. I immediately pulled off the road into a parking lot and shut it down. Refired and the problem went away. I'm thinking a coil is going down.

I take it to a friend to get the codes read and it tells that #6 cylinder is the issue. I order a coil for it and a set of plugs just because I don't know when the last set went in. Anyway, it turned out to be the spark plug not the coil. When I removed the plug, I could see a series of cracks in the porcelain. Problem fixed.

The day before yesterday, my wife tells me the car is starting to "miss" as she explains it. So I took the car for a drive. It's not missing. The thing is shuddering mildly as it shifts. A couple of times it was pretty noticeable. Letting off the gas and easing back on made it go away.

Yesterday, my wife takes the car to work and she calls me to tell me that it's still shuddering and she wants me to drive the car home. I stop by and get the car. The shuddering is now getting more noticeable and when you're stopped at an intersection, I can feel the transmission try to grab and lurch ever so slightly..

I've owned this car for a year and half and it is immaculate. However, the service records from the previous two owners is "lacking" to say the least. I've changed the oil and done some service to it myself. Replacing the plugs the other day leads me to believe they could have been the original plugs. They where Bosch's with the VW/Audi symbol on the porcelain. They were in decent shape though. Just that one had a crack. I'm also going to assume that the trans fluid has never been changed on it either.

I'm going to order a fluid change kit and hope this fixes the shifting shutter. The trans does not go in to LIMP mode. I'm also going to get the codes off it. I just wonder if the ignition problem may have caused an issue with the ECUs. I'm changing the fluid regardless. But I'm going to reset the computer while I'm at it.

However, ANY advice and input from you guys would be greatly appreciated.

Dave Cantrell
03 A8L
87 5000SQ
87 944

 

It would probably be a good idea to get any codes out of the transmission before doing any work.
As far as resetting the computer , which computer were you resetting the tcm or ecm? What is the purpose? Is it to clear misfire codes that were stored? If not you should not erase any computer memory for there is freeze frame data stored from when or if it recognized a problem which is helpful in diagnosing a problem. Erasing fault codes is not a way to correct a problem.

 

has a VAS 5051 or a VAG 1551 OBD machine. The closest Audi dealer is 120 - 150 miles away. Will the other "nicer" OBD reader systems talk to the TCU? Can anyone recommend a OBD machine that I can get that will do the job?

Thanks to any help I can get..

Dave

 

Ross-Tech: Products

If you are a person who wants a really good tool for the money the Vag-Com is the way to go. It is hands down the best bang for the buck when it comes to diagnostics & repair of VAG vehicles.

 

grab one right now. But the cost is a bit much right now. Especially if I'm facing a trans rebuild/replace.

 

the OBD connector for the TCU? The ECU is under the dash on the driver's side. The TCU connector is supposed to be under the ashtray in the console. Nada.. Nothing there except a cover. Popped the cover and even pulled off the side of the console thinking the connector may have popped loose and fell out of sight.. Nothing there....