A4 TDi 110 auto 1998 127k

I am having some issues with the auto box. The symptoms are as below:

1. When the box is cold the first up change is very harsh and jerky. Within 30 seconds of leaving my drive I stop at a junction. When I depress the accelerator to pull away nothing happens for a few seconds, the engine revs and then the car jerks forward. Within a few minutes of driving all seems fine.

2. In general the up changes are smooth when the car is warm, however if I initiate kick down or a firm down change the gear change is harsh with a jolt.

3. Sometimes when stationary if I select Reverse, nothing happens and it seems to take several seconds before the gear is selected and the car moves.

Are these worrying or just signs of an old/tired/cold box?

Last gearbox filter/oil change was 18 months ago. I really can't remember if I had these issues before.

Any advice much appreciated.

Stu.

 

No.
There are lots of old trannies out there that don't do that. Right away I think low fluid. As tranny fluid heats up it expands and helps mask the low pressure symptoms you get at low temps. ATF does not just evaporate. Are there signs of red fluid leaking out of the trans?

 

Not sure if I can see any leaking fluid. Thanks for the advice about the ATF fluid I will see what I can do about checking the level.

Stu.

 

Update:

My Indy has checked the car over and says the fluid level is fine and the fluid looks good. The car is giving no fault codes but he did pick up on the initial jerky changes but couldn't come up with an explanation.

Finding out if I have a soon to be knackered box is something I want to know, so should I be looking at taking the car to an auto-box specialist and if so would my local Audi dealership be the place to go?

Stu

 

Just to be sure, ask your indy mechanic how exactly he checked the level, assuming your TDI has the usual 5HP19 transmission. If it was "leveled car, ran the engine until trans was warm, then removed check/fill plug, and it barely dribbled out, with the engine still running, then it was done correctly. If the engine was not running at the time, the level will be too low without a doubt.

If the transmission does need removal to repair or replace, the dealer is usually the last option, because they'll want twice what that A4's worth.