Passat auto sticking in 2nd/3rd gear...Help!!!!

jimmybash

Member
Joined
May 25, 2006
Location
Manchester UK
TDI
99, passat tdi sport 4 speed auto
Hi guys,
gret site!!!
Just wondering if anyone can solve my problem.
ive got a 99 passat 1.9tdi sport. red I on the back if that helps.
about 3 months ago it just started sticking in i think 2nd gear and not changing to third until the revs had gone to about 35000 and the car was traveling at about 48mph and on the motorway was in 3rd until about 85mph and even then didnt feel like it was really in 4th as the revs were still very high and no real power left in the accellerator. it also didnt change to 1st when i came to a stop. it was still in 2nd so had to put my foot down to get the car to move.
i took it to a local dealer who advised me to take it to a local garage the deals with these auto boxes and they said that it was a 'speed sensor' fault so i had it replaced.. 2 days later after the fault code was cleared by them it was back and the car was in 2nd again although this time somtimes it would change normally and sometimes stuck in 2nd it was pot luck on it it would work or not when i started it up...
i took it back to the garage and they said that it must be the aout tranny so i had a rebuild done...£800 later i thought 'at least it will work now' 3 days later....problem back but now in 2nd virtually all the time... so i take it back and the garage now says its an ecu fault and change it for a known good one that they get for me from a local garage. it works again for 1 day and.....problem back.
yesterday i was seaching the forum for answers and tried unplugging the Maf this gave the car a new lease of life and after i tried the soft reset ho[turn key,hold accellorator to floor ect.it seems fine for a while but went into 2nd again last night.... soft reset works again.....now im stuck............help please...
 

getdamemo

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 14, 2006
Location
DFW Texas
TDI
01 Jetta 1.9 TDI GLS 279K
Can't tell you real answer, but, sounds like tranny is in limp mode. Just gets you to garage to get it fixed. Try searching forums for limp mode or something similar.

What VW dealer tells you to go somewhere else. My dealer would fix the problem. In the US any work done at VW has a 12 mo./12K mile warranty.
 

jimmybash

Member
Joined
May 25, 2006
Location
Manchester UK
TDI
99, passat tdi sport 4 speed auto
vw dealer said that they use the garage for repairs on auto trannys as they are an approved repairer.

Car does go into a sort of limp mode but its intermittant. its in limp mode but then goes back to normal changing on the same trip without even stopping the engine... strange.

the garage say that after they rebuilt the tranny everything is fine in the auto box mechanically and it must be an electrical fault.

i tried unplugging the maf and that gave me a hell of a lot more power but havent had it unplugged long enough to see if the tranny still goes into limp mode.

does anybody know the rpm-speed that these sort of auto boxes normally change gear at?????

mine seems to cange from 1st to 2nd and 20mph, 2nd- 3rd at 38mph, 3-4th at 65.
revs seem high at about 28000 in the 2nd to 3rd gear change.

i also seem to be hearing a sort of whoosh/hissing noise from the engine as i put my foot down hard on the accellerator.
 

rdkern

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 21, 2004
Location
Humboldt Co CA
TDI
Passat 1997 silver (sold after 11 years), Jetta 2000 atlantic blue
Is this the 4-speed slushbox? We in the former colonies didn't get a Passat with auto trannie TDI - no Passat's in the 90's except for 96+97.

The 4-speed in our 2000 Jetta changes awfully low unless you have the go-pedal close to the floor.

Do you have the option of another dealer? A few hundred miles might be worthwhile to get someone who knows what they're doing.
 
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