beefsupreme

So I bought an 04 A4 1.8T with the Tiptronic transmission about 6 monthes ago. About 2 monthes after I bought it the transmission started acting up - rough shifts, slipping in first, etc. I figured it was probably low on fluid being from Vegas where it is much hotter than here in Denver and having ~80k miles on the car with no record of ever having the transmission serviced. Hopped on the forums and started doing some digging and found some good write ups on doing the filter and fluid for my transmission (man is that fluid expensive)

All was well for about a month and then the same problems started right back up. Unfortunately at that point I was in the midst of some other financial issues and couldn't afford to do much with it.

For the most part, it has been driving fine - if I stop fast at a stoplight or floor it from a dead stop the tranny shift very rough and slips only while it is in first gear.

Fast forward to last night: leave an office get together and stop at a gas station to grab a pack of smokes and a soda. When I pull into the parking spot I notice that when I turn the key off (shifter in P) it feels like the car hasn't released the drive gears and it moves forward a bit. I think nothing of it and write it off as a WTH?

Come back out and start the car back up (still in P) - the car lurches forward a tiny bit when the engine starts. Okay that was weird... Shift into reverse - nothing.... It sounds like the car really wants to try and reverse but the reverse gear is not engaged. Okay, seriously, WTH? I try a couple of times to run it through all the gears and then turn the car off and start it back up. No change.

Now I am 30 miles from home in a very tight gas station parking lot - not wanting to pay that tow ticket very much. I think maybe I can just shift to nuetral, push it back out and take side streets all the way home in tiptronic mode. Shift her into nuetral and it doesn't roll backwards. Break off, check - nuetral check... Uhmmmmmm. I hit the gas in nuetral and the car lurches forward.

End of story - I turn it off and pay the $200 tow ticket to get the car towed all the way home. Side note, with the engine off we were able to get nuetral to engage, though it took a little bit of a push to do so.

So - I have noticed a puddle on the driveway over the last couple of weeks and was planning on digging in this weekend anyhow - after closer inspection this morning it appears this is indeed the very same fluid I just recently filled my transmission with.

Is this behavior indicitive of being dangerously low on transmission oil? Or should I be looking elsewhere, for instance at the clutches or pump?

beefsupreme

Update: Drained the fluid that I changed a few weeks ago and went ahead and replaced filter again since I dropped the pan to replace the gasket. Filled her back up and still nothing. Tries to go forward in P,N,D,S and does nothing but feels like it wants to in Reverse. I can't get the tach above about 2000 rpms in reverse at all.

Anyone got any ideas on this? I am thinking the Multifunction Switch sounds like a good candidate but don't want to take the throw parts at it until it works approach here.

MF Switch?
TCM?
Trans Rebuild?
Wiring Harness?

turbo510

Just my 2 cents but you could have a torque converter problem. I've never tried this, but I think you should get reverse, neutral, and 3rd gear with the multifunction switch disconnected. Dripping ATF is never a good sign I'm afraid. Something similar happened to my Wife's Passat, dripping ATF too, it was a broken lock-up clutch in the TC, or so I was told. I think its time to find a good trans shop or buy a used/guaranteed transaxle (which is what I did- $950 shipped). you could try disconnecting the electrical connectors from the trans (there are two) and see what happens. If it still won't drive, then the trans has to come out. If you are in So Cal I know where to take it.

beefsupreme

Unfortunately I am in Denver, I am thinking that today I am going to check the transmission mounts. I have a feeling good ole Howard over at the transmission place will be getting a visit from me tomorrow morning tho.

Anyone got any recommendations for good places to look for rebuilt transmissions online if it comes to that?

turbo510

There really isn't too much point in checking the mounts, they could be bad but that wouldn't keep your car from driving. Here is where I got the Passat transmission:

John-Michael Alvarado
Engine and Transmission Store
Parts Specialist
1-888-775-2100 ext. 3743
jmalvarado@lkqcorp.com
www.engine-transmissionstore.com

This was two years ago; front wheel drive only. With freight the total was $975. Add to that a filter kit and fluid (about $60) and the labor to install. I'd suggest you find a transmission shop or Audi specialist that will do this for the labor-only. Shop around and let them know it's a customer-supplied transaxle, and you want a fixed-price. I was a fool and let a shop charge by the hour, got totally ripped-off! This transmission has been working fine, but if the trans doesn't work for some reason, the guy who installs it for you won't warranty it. You can get ETS to exchange it, but all the time and installation money would be lost. That's the risk.

I pulled the pan off the used transmission to install the filter, but also to check for metal chips or excessive sludge. It was clean enough, so I was comfortable that it was OK. Now would be the time to include new transmission mounts if the originals are cracked or broken. They're about $50 for the pair. As for the ATF, I use Valvoline MaxLife. I have that in the three VAG vehicles with the ZF 5-speeds in our family.

Naturally another option is to have your transmission done by a transmission shop. They'd fix yours or install a rebuilt one. This way you'd get a warranty; the guy I know warranties for three years (and also uses MaxLife).
If you'd like, I could ask him to estimate what he'd charge, so you can compare with your local places.

beefsupreme

So I think I have the problem narrowed down to the Valve body and given how it happened I am wondering if it just got clogged with crap that was floating around inside the transmission when I swapped the fluid the first time. Wondering if it may not be a good idea to just take it out and drive it forward for a while, increasing load gradually and see if I can get it to clear up - but thought I would shoot it out to you guys first to see if you thought that may just be a bad idea. The transmission is not switching into limp mode at all, and appears to be operating normal in drive.

Pete@ECSTuning

I would not do this. I hate to say it, but if you car has been leaking fluid, how much fluid was in it when you cracked into the tranny?

beefsupreme

I know for a fact that in the transmission there is 6 quarts, because I just put them in last weekend

That being said, there is still one unresolved leak where the CV Axle goes into the front differential, however, since I filled it over the weekend, there is about a quarter sized leak spot under the car and the car hasn't moved.

Pete@ECSTuning

Oh good, I was under the impression that you had lost lots of fluid between fill ups/services.

beefsupreme

Still fighting transmission problems. Some searching today revealed that the ZF-5HP19 is infamous for having a bad Reverse Clutch Drum that brakes due to a bad design. The symptoms are pretty similar to what I am experiencing and with what I found today I think I am getting closer to the problem.

The Symptoms:
- No reverse - engine is under load but the car doesn't move
- Fits the broken drum clutch issue
- Drives forward in Park and Nuetral
- Most likely a clogged valve body from what I've been told - could fit if broken pieces of the drum clutch got into the valve body.
- No codes in the TCU
- Used a Snap-on diag computer which detected the TCU, thus telling me were there any codes in the TCU it would have read them.

What I've tried:
- New filter, gasket and fluid (twice)
- Measured through wiring harness
- Measured resistance across solenoids
- All were within acceptable tolerance I would think (the shift solenoids are specc'd 33-35, they were all sitting around 27.5)
- Tested mechanical condition of all solenoids by dropping 12v across them - all function correctly mechanically, ie are not frozen.

There was a little bit of sludge in the pan (mainly around the magnets) when I drained the fluid the first time (~80K on the car without a transmission service recorded). Dropped the fluid again 6 weeks later and there was a very miniscule amount of sludge in the bottom of the pan. No metal shavings or anything that looked like aluminum. It should be noted that I have not *flushed* the transmission, merely drained it to service the filter and replace a leaky pan gasket. The fluid has never smelled burned so I have a very difficult time believing it is a clutch pack (as a few mechanics have suggested)

Anyone have any experience with this transmission?

I would assume that nothing inside the bell housing should move, at least not while the transmission is still inside the car; and as you can see in my video, there is quite a bit of play in whatever that piece is. I am thinking that this is the problematic clutch drum.

Here are some links to some people describing the clutch drum issue, apparantly it is quite common in this transmission but appears to happen mainly in the BMW 323i series which uses the same tranny.

Hope to hear from you guys, I will likely place a call to A of A on monday morning if this is indeed due to the poor design of the clutch drum and with the amount of complaints online regarding the issue, I am very surprised there isn't a recall or *at least* a TSB about it from Audi.

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuCpxArdAeI

Google search for 5HP19 No Reverse will reveal tons of people who have had broken drum clutch issue