Transmission completely dead
#1
06-01-2013, 07:06 PM
Transmission completely dead
2001 1.8t Quattro EFQ trans. 180kmi
Symptoms - Absolutely nothing from trans. No matter what gear nothing seems to happen. Almost as if there is no pump pressure. Also only starts in neutral. The shifter DOES lock and unlock the parking pawl.
Backstory - Owner was driving with no issues, stopped to go into convenience store, came back out and started engine. Transmission completely dead.
So far - Since owner told me transmission shop said "the fluid looks a little burnt", you need either a new TCU or new transmission - I thought I needed to refill the trans to start troubleshooting as I have read on here about pump bushings and seals leaking heavily. Opened the drain and lo and behold about a 3 liters of blackish fluid came out. I understand this fluid should be nearly clear. There is a MIL, but no ODBII codes. The LCD display is of course pretty bad but I don't think I can detect a limp mode display. A friend has a VAG-COM I will borrow next week.
So now I don't really know what the true story is. So some questions for you guys.
Would a completely dead TCU cause the trans not to do ANYTHING? It seems this trans should change gears via solenoid but I would guess it would still at least go into 1st/reverse even without a TCU connected at all. I can also see the TC is spinning with the flex plate.
I doubt a pump or anything else would completely fail without some catastrophic noises or behavior beforehand. I have no issues pulling the trans and disassembling but thought I'd run these questions by you guys first. All the searching I've done does not point to any of these symptoms. Thanks.
Symptoms - Absolutely nothing from trans. No matter what gear nothing seems to happen. Almost as if there is no pump pressure. Also only starts in neutral. The shifter DOES lock and unlock the parking pawl.
Backstory - Owner was driving with no issues, stopped to go into convenience store, came back out and started engine. Transmission completely dead.
So far - Since owner told me transmission shop said "the fluid looks a little burnt", you need either a new TCU or new transmission - I thought I needed to refill the trans to start troubleshooting as I have read on here about pump bushings and seals leaking heavily. Opened the drain and lo and behold about a 3 liters of blackish fluid came out. I understand this fluid should be nearly clear. There is a MIL, but no ODBII codes. The LCD display is of course pretty bad but I don't think I can detect a limp mode display. A friend has a VAG-COM I will borrow next week.
So now I don't really know what the true story is. So some questions for you guys.
Would a completely dead TCU cause the trans not to do ANYTHING? It seems this trans should change gears via solenoid but I would guess it would still at least go into 1st/reverse even without a TCU connected at all. I can also see the TC is spinning with the flex plate.
I doubt a pump or anything else would completely fail without some catastrophic noises or behavior beforehand. I have no issues pulling the trans and disassembling but thought I'd run these questions by you guys first. All the searching I've done does not point to any of these symptoms. Thanks.
#2
06-04-2013, 01:16 PM
When I did my trans fluid change, the fluid that came out was really dark but it was working fine. If I remember correctly, new transmission fluid is a dark green color. Also, you are correct about the TCU (also called a TCM). Without it connected you should go into limp mode and have at least one forward gear.
#3
06-04-2013, 06:27 PM
When I did my trans fluid change, the fluid that came out was really dark but it was working fine. If I remember correctly, new transmission fluid is a dark green color. Also, you are correct about the TCU (also called a TCM). Without it connected you should go into limp mode and have at least one forward gear.
Does anybody know if this tranny has a hydraulic pressure test port??
-Mark-
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