Hi all, recently my A4 transmission started acting up. I'm in the process of trying to figure out what the issue is. the engine is the 2.8 v6 and its the awd. Reverse is there and seems fine. When you put the car indo drive it seems to wait a moment before going into first, when in first it slips bad and will move a few feet then it acts like it’s in neutral again. There is check engine light on and I plan on checking it out and I know that will put me in a direction but before I replace anything I want to see what you guys think. Is the computer for the trans a common issue or do you think I'm looking at a rebuild? I've heard about converter seal issues but reverse still has good pressure. Thanks for any input.

 

I looked into the tcm yesterday. Took it out of the box and the wires and connections looked ok, no corrosion to mention but the floor was damp. I also noticed when put into drive you can feel it go into gear, after a few seconds it clunks a second time. The gear selector is working as it should and it doesn’t show all the gears on at once like some others have experienced when the trans is in "limp" mode. Any input would be appreciated thank you.

 

you honestly dont want to pay for a tranny rebuild your looking at 2500 easily if i was you i would drive it until the tranny goes out than find a used tranny somewhere or do a manual swap

 

I am going through a simular thing,only that my transmission isn't"slipping"it's just not going into 4th gear,it'll kick back down to 3rd with a slight jerk.

I drive her in tiptronic mode now,i just tip her from 1st to 3rd and leave her in 3rd,it shifts down as it should when slowing down.this is my 2nd TCM,i replaced the one that was in her when i purchased her not even a year ago,Feb will be a year. Now i am going to have to replace the replacement!

The Transmission control modules are known to die on our automatic B5's,wear and tear is rare i've read,its normally because of water damage to the passenger side floor,(where the TCM is located) that caused the TCM to short.

I am in the process of looking for a used TCM locally and on the Audi forums,i've yet to find one for a decent price,imthedevil is going to set me up with some he has but they are not the same serial number as the one i have,so i don't know it it will work with my 2001 A4 AWM Auto.

 

Andrew I agree 100% with you, I love my car but I'm not sure i would want to spend the money on a trans, I would rather fix it with a used trans. However, before I condemn the trans I want to rule out any other plausible causes. Is there a way to test the TCM?

 

Pulled code P0733, incorect 3rd gear ratio.

 

Here is my vag-com read out:

VAG-COM Version: Release 311.2-N





Chassis Type: 8D - Audi A4 B5

Scan: 01,02,03,08,15,17,25,35,45,55,56



Address 01 -------------------------------------------------------

Controller: 4B0 906 018 CH

Component: 1.8L R4/5VT G 0001

Coding: 16251

Shop #: WSC 63351

2 Faults Found:

17887 - Brake Boost Vacuum System: Mechanical Failure

P1479 - 35-10 - - - Intermittent

18034 - Powertrain Data Bus: Missing Message from TCU

P1626 - 35-10 - - - Intermittent

Readiness: 0000 0000



Address 02 -------------------------------------------------------

Controller: 8D0 927 156 DF

Component: AG5 01V 1.8l5VT USA 1010

Coding: 00002

Shop #: WSC 06435

3 Faults Found:

17118 - Gear 4 Incorrect Ratio

P0734 - 35-10 - - - Intermittent

17114 - Incorrect Gear Ratio

P0730 - 35-00 - -

18258 - Powertrain Data Bus: Missing Message from ECU

P1850 - 35-10 - - - Intermittent



Address 03 -------------------------------------------------------

Controller: 8E0 614 111 A

Component: ABS/EDS 5.3 QUATTRO D10

Coding: 0273004284

Shop #: BB 24334

No fault code found.



Address 08 -------------------------------------------------------

Controller: 8D0 820 043 P

Component: A4 KLIMAAUTOMAT D58

Coding: 00140

Shop #: WSC 63351

No Faults Found

or DTCs not supported by controller

or a communication error ocurred



Skipping Address 15-Airbags



Address 17 -------------------------------------------------------

Controller: 8D0 920 980 Q

Component: B5-KOMBIINSTR. VDO D12

Coding: 02244

Shop #: WSC 19411

1 Fault Found:

01315 - Transmission Control Module

49-10 - No Communications - Intermittent



Address 35 -------------------------------------------------------

Controller: 8L0 862 257 N

Component: CV-Pump, Alarm, RC D16

Coding: 16232

Shop #: WSC 63351

6 Faults Found:

01367 - Central Locking Pump Run Time Exceeded (Likely Leak)

35-00 - -

01371 - Alarm triggered by Door Contact Switch: Driver's Side

35-00 - -

01374 - Alarm triggered by Terminal 15

35-00 - -

01370 - Alarm triggered by Interior Monitoring

35-00 - -

00955 - Key 1

09-00 - Adaptation Limit Surpassed

00956 - Key 2

09-00 - Adaptation Limit Surpassed



Address 45 -------------------------------------------------------

Controller: 4B0 951 173

Component: Innenraumueberw. D03

Coding: 00101

Shop #: WSC 63351

3 Faults Found:

01380 - Alarm triggered by Anti-Theft Sensor: Rear Left

35-00 - -

01382 - Alarm triggered by Anti-Theft Sensor: Front Left

35-00 - -

01383 - Alarm triggered by Anti-Theft Sensor: Front Right

35-00 - -



End -------------------------------------------------------

 

I did a quick google, and it looks like its time for a filter/fluid change (which is EXTREMELY hit or miss)

 

If it slips or won't go into gear when its cold, but runs fine after about 2 or 3 miutes then your probably just low on fluid. Other than thay you have some kind of communications issue between the PCM and TCU and between the airbag module and the TCM, may be a loose connector somewhere, maybe the TCU is failing.

 

I'm going to drop the pan this weekend when I have a day off. The temp of the trans doesn’t seem to effect the symptoms. I Pulled the TCM back out and opened it up for kicks to see if I could find a burned diode or transistor. Everything including the capacitors checked out in a visual check, I'm decent with electronics and I can usually find the obvious "burned" boards. It really seems like the trans has some internal issue like a clutch pack slipping but the weird part is the way the car drops in gear twice when I put it into drive. Does anyone have a fluid schematic for these transmissions? I cant get it up to speed to see if the trans acts normal above 1st. Like I said before, reverse dose not slip so I think that rules out a pump?
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