We have a 98 A4 automatic that will not go into gear or move at all. When i shift to the 'drive' position there is a loud grinding noise coming from the engine bay (front right side) and it just sits there. If i return to 'netural' the sound goes away. I get the same sound if i shift to 'reverse'. There are no lights up on the dash or codes i can see out of the obd port. Any advise on what to check? I do most of my own work but i broke my foot and i'm in a cast, so all i can do is look and point at things and let my son take over from there. Any suggestions would be apprecitated.
Thanks

 

Do you have a VAG-COM or just a generic obd scanner? You'll need a vag-com to read codes from the transmission, as the generic ones won't work.

 

No Vagcom, just a generic reader. A quick look under the car and the outer cv joint is shot big time. i can move the drive axel a good 1/2" in any direction, so my plan is to replace it. Can a single drive shaft failure cause the whole car not move at all?