Audiology

I am so sad! Last Thursday, my son attempted to drive to school in our 2001 A6 (2.8L) wagon and from the start, the transmission went into failsafe mode. There were no indications of a problem before this -- just from a cold start it did this.

He took it to the garage -- an independent mechanic that specializes in Audi, BMW and Mercedes -- they checked codes and the Gear Ratio Monitoring Code 17114 came up. The code would not clear (or kept returning). They said this usually means it needs a new transmission, though a $400 transmission fluid change may fix it.

Has anyone had luck with a fluid change in these circumstances? Any other possibilities with this code? I guess I am just surprised that the transmission would fall all of a sudden like that with no prior warning. This would be my lifetime 3rd transmission in a vehicle. The previous two ('66 MGB and '90 BMW 525i) definitely showed symptoms before failing. Both of those were manual transmissions, though, and this one is tiptronic.

On a related note, I checked out inventory at car-part.com and it seems that transmissions for this model come in EKC, EKD, FAS and EZZ -- how do I tell which one I have?

Thanks for any help!

ezveedub

That fault means there is slippage detected inside the transmission. Fluid flushing will not correct this and your better using that money towards repairs than fluid flushing. If you can slide under the car, there is a green ZF ID plate on the bellhousing. It will have the 3 digit transmission coded stamped on it.

rohit13

i hate to say it but a fluid change will not help one bit. unless your car 200k and the tranny fluid has never once been changed there is a small possibility. usually people who get this end up changing transmission and some even go for a 6 speed swap. and 400 for a fluid change sounds kinda high. it should be 250-300.

how many miles are on the car?

did you ever change the fluid?

Audiology

Thanks for both of your responses ezveedub and rohit13. I thought the fluid had been changed even recently with a prop shaft seal leak repair, but looking more closely at the repair order, no, I don't think so. The car has 112000 miles. I am thinking we need to say goodbye to :-( What I don't understand is how this just happened so suddenly. I just would have thought it would have given some signs. I have had the car since 2004 (bought a lease return) and prior to this, the most major thing I have had go wrong with it is needing a new catalytic converter. It really has been a very reliable car, apart from cracked CV boots, brakes, and the usual wear and tear stuff.

rohit13

its the "LifeTime" fluid that kills it. it should be changed before 80k.

and then the automatic transmission in our cars arent very strong to begin with. (from what ive read)

i would think that changing the fluid in your car might help, but when you said the code came back immediately that really slims the chances.

ezveedub

Not sure, but you can always try to find a used transmission, but the price would have to be very good, as a rebuilt is about $2K. I'm actually tearing down my ZF transmission soon to do some repairs myself, as the rebuilt prices are just a tad too high for me.

Audiology

I found a used transmission from a Passat donor with 42K miles for $625, 6 mo parts warranty (or $843 with 1 year parts and labor warranty). The garage is very reluctant to put in something from a salvage yard but said they would do it. However, they said that I should try the fluid change first. The mechanic said if it was his car, that's what he would do. I wish I had a crystal ball!

ezveedub

I would only take a small sample of fluid from the drain plug to see if its black. If so, I would not even attempt to change the ATF. The fault your getting is from slippage determined by the input and output speed sensors. When the TCM sees a difference it does not recognize, it throws that fault, which usually means a clutch or brake circuit is slipping. When one of these clutch or brake linings wear out, it turns the fluid black from the worn clutch linings. Paying for ATF on a bad transmission will be wasting your money, more so if they charge $400, which could go towards another transmission. The other issue is determining why the lining wore out also, as that means there could be pressure issue to that circuit. I would have the fault erased and then see how quickly the fault comes back. This will let you know how bad the issue really is. If it comes right back, then its really having an issue. Only other thing I can think of is the speed sensors them selves, which requires a bit more diagnosis with a scanner reading the inputs off of them.

ezveedub

Oh, also keep in mind, you have to match your transmission code to make sure the Passat trannmission will work. If the VW Passat transmission code is different, the TCM will have the incorrect software for it to work properly.

Audiology

The Passat and my current transmission are both "FAS" -- is this what you mean?

Sigh -- this has been one of the hardest car-related decisions I have ever had to make. Did I mention that they originally quoted me $5777 to repair it with a remanufactured unit? Of that, $4070 was the unit. $5777 is more than the car is worth. But I just invested in valve cover gasket replacement a couple of months ago, so do I keep it limping along? Or quit now?

I have never had a car at the point of discard. This time, I am just exhausted from all the decision making. And on top of this, I am now worried about my '07 A4 transmission also, which seems to sometimes go into Drive with a bit of a bump. Is that one going to go too? It has 71K miles. Next time it is serviced, I will definitely have the fluid changed.