Leaking 02J and noise in reverse

skyking1

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 10, 2013
Location
Washington
TDI
2003 beetle 2002 beetle
Posting this for a friend third hand, so it will take a while to answer any questions. His son's car, away at college and possibly has to come home.

" He said his transmission started making a weird noise based off axle rotation (as best as I could get from him) and was leaking transmission fluid from the bell housing. He thought he had a little time to look into it and resolve the issue."

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
 

Dh4276

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 22, 2019
Location
South Carolina
TDI
2006 Golf GLS TDI, BEW
Input shaft seal, probably low on fluid and no getting good lubrication to the gears thus making noise. Should probably check level and top off if he has to drive it home.


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skyking1

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 10, 2013
Location
Washington
TDI
2003 beetle 2002 beetle
It's already leaking, so you think it would make the drive? I suppose it will be trashed bearing already.
 

eddieleephd

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 27, 2012
Location
Battle Ground, Wa
TDI
2002 jetta Wagon
Fill her full is the best bet.
I replaced my transmission for $500 just a couple months ago. Easier and cheaper than new gears.

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Dh4276

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 22, 2019
Location
South Carolina
TDI
2006 Golf GLS TDI, BEW
It's already leaking, so you think it would make the drive? I suppose it will be trashed bearing already.

Depending on how bad the leak is and how long the drive. But filling it up is a must before driving it. Damage has most likely already been done. $500 transmission is probably cheaper than a tow home.

Unless it’s pouring out, it should at least get him home so it can taken out and see what needs to be done from there.


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mr.loops

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 24, 2010
Location
Kelowna
TDI
2002 jetta, 2003 Bora 1.8T
My guess would be based on how bad the the leak was.

If it was a slow leak coming from the bell housing I would say input shaft seal

If the leak was substantial (huge puddle) I would say the transmission suffered SMS - diff/roll pin/rivet let go and put a nice hole in the box

Noses (grinding/popping etc) emanating from the transmission is never a good sign.

Before doing anything I would drain some oil out of it an inspect it for clues.
Gold glitter is fine- carry on, but if your seeing chunks of metal falling out, get the car towed home


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carl20320

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 15, 2020
Location
SW WA
TDI
2004 Mk4 Golf GLS TDI 5spd
Thanks Skyking for posting this and to those offering advice. It is my son that has the transmission issues. Home is in Washington state and college is in Florida. Filling it up and driving it home really isn't an option. He just found out this afternoon that his school is closing Sunday afternoon and he has to be out by then.

He only drove it a very short distance once it started making the noise which he described as kind of a whirring noise with a click that seemed to be related to each rotation of the wheel. I believe he said the noise only occurs in reverse. He has been looking around and TDi's just don't seem to be much of a thing in his area but I suspect we can find something. Might have to expand our search for a donor if that becomes necessary.

I"m flying out tomorrow and we will drain fluid and look at it and determine whether we need to pull the transmission to determine the extent of the damage. We will see if we can find a replacement if necessary or perhaps just replace an input shaft seal if it is only something simple.
 
Last edited:

gforce1108

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 2, 2006
Location
Newburgh, NY
TDI
04 Jetta GLS BEW, 14 Audi A7 V6 TDI, 13 Porsche Cayenne V6 TDI
I would bet more on the diff pin wearing through the case or similar damage over it being the input shaft seal. Unfortunately you can't tell until the trans is dropped.
 

mk4mr

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 26, 2019
Location
Mid Tenn.
TDI
1999 Jetta TDI
A couple of other suggestions. While you are checking things out, give a good look at the fluid level in your brake reservoir. There's always a chance that your slave cylinder is leaking into the bellhousing. It may not be likely, but it's a possibility. There is also a chance that you may be getting odd clicking noises from a worn axle. Once again, it may be wishful thinking, but it is part of the overall rotating assembly, and could sound different in only one direction is it is worn badly. I have pulled a couple of 02Js that had holes in the bellhousings from something that came loose internally. I may try to post a pic of the worst one if I can find it. Good luck!
 

BobnOH

not-a-mechanic
Joined
May 29, 2004
Location
central Ohio
TDI
New Beetle 2003 manual
That's what I was thinking, be sure it's not leaking oil or brake fluid. If it is in fact transmission fluid you need to remove and repair. Anecdotal- They seem to usually leak at the other end, not inside the bell housing.
 

carl20320

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 15, 2020
Location
SW WA
TDI
2004 Mk4 Golf GLS TDI 5spd
A couple of other suggestions. While you are checking things out, give a good look at the fluid level in your brake reservoir. There's always a chance that your slave cylinder is leaking into the bellhousing. It may not be likely, but it's a possibility. There is also a chance that you may be getting odd clicking noises from a worn axle. Once again, it may be wishful thinking, but it is part of the overall rotating assembly, and could sound different in only one direction is it is worn badly. I have pulled a couple of 02Js that had holes in the bellhousings from something that came loose internally. I may try to post a pic of the worst one if I can find it. Good luck!
I'll have him make certain on the brake fluid. Pretty sure it is not the axles. They were replaced before we drove the car across to Florida last year... as was most everything else that normally wears... other than the transmission.
 

skyking1

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 10, 2013
Location
Washington
TDI
2003 beetle 2002 beetle
It punched out the end of the boss. Case is toast. Anybody in Florida have a spare trans?
 

gforce1108

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 2, 2006
Location
Newburgh, NY
TDI
04 Jetta GLS BEW, 14 Audi A7 V6 TDI, 13 Porsche Cayenne V6 TDI
It punched out the end of the boss. Case is toast. Anybody in Florida have a spare trans?
Depending on the internal damage - it's not too bad to swap parts around. My 04 lost a diff rivet and it blew out the engine side of the case. I bought a junk trans and used my gearsets and the other transmission's case and and added a LSD (could have used the "new" diff, but ARP doesn't make ring gear bolts for the late 04+ transmissions).
 

carl20320

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 15, 2020
Location
SW WA
TDI
2004 Mk4 Golf GLS TDI 5spd
The car will sit parked at son's school. They have a gated lot they were allowing students to leave vehicles if necessary. Our plans on what to do are really up in the air right now with all the pandemic issues. It depends on when he gets to go back to school. The current plan involves a rebuilt transmission so he has a warranty instead of installing a used that we know nothing about. When will we install it? Well, that all depends on what his school ends up doing and when they allow students back on campus. If that is too far off, we will end up going out and installing it and driving it back.
 
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