Need advice on automatic transmission

[Hinzipwo]

I have a 2001 auto tdi jetta that i bought in november of last year. i havent taken it on a road trip because i am scared of the trans breaking as i was told that it is worse for wear. the car surges when im going steady speeds and slips sometimes on acceleration. i want to take it on a trip about 70 km but i am scared i'm going to break something. what is your guys opinion based on the limited info, do you think i would be okay travelling that far?

(dont tell me to swap the trans, trust me i know. its coming)

 

[Nero Morg]

In before someone says manual swap it...
Yes these transmissions are known for sucking butt. The biggest problem with them is the valve bodies wear out faster than the rest of the trans, and due to low engagement pressure it blows out the clutches. There's a good chance you can revive it with a replacement valve body. I've restored 3 01m's with just a valve body and flush with good results.

 

[Hinzipwo]

In before someone says manual swap it...
Yes these transmissions are known for sucking butt. The biggest problem with them is the valve bodies wear out faster than the rest of the trans, and due to low engagement pressure it blows out the clutches. There's a good chance you can revive it with a replacement valve body. I've restored 3 01m's with just a valve body and flush with good results.

thanks for the response nero, im not looking to fix this transmission i am already in the process of setting up a manual swap, (just ripping out the parts from the parts car) i just wanna know if i can drive longish distances without worrying about getting stranded with this 01m

 

[U4ick]

No

 

[Hinzipwo]

No

what could go wrong? im just curious. my thinking is if im on the highway the whole time not switching gears that it would make it?

 

[JohnTF]

I have not done much with VW autos yet , but have rebuilt a number of fords ,chevys , chyr.
Pain is the ass stuff like not being able to do normal auto trans maintenance - no dip stick , no dip stick tube to easily add fluid , no ability to adjust bands for wear , no easy access for test pressures for diagnosis .
There may be other issues but a few as compared to trans I have worked on .

Then normal [ last 50 yrs + ] typical life life of A.T. with lack of maintenance 150 mile +/- .

See lots of VW trans running at 200 + miles [ wheres the problem ] nothing is perfect / does not have issues , but without having one driver driving all cars with A.T. for comparisons / seems like VW trans are not as problematic as forums / youtube talks about .

Since you just got this and have given little to no history [ millage ??? ] , I would not count on it , but if you drop the pan [ inspect whats in pan ] change filter & refill & test level ---- do not forget to measure what was drained out .
Then see if some performance came back .
So without you possibly knowing more , and us having more info , it's hard to say , except to do the service I mentioned [ or have someone that knows what to keep an eye out for ] to get an informed idea what you can expect ?

 

[Andyinchville1]

70 KM is not that far ...

If it were me and I wanted/ needed to do the trip , I would.

Just drive it easy, keep a good cell phone with you, road flares, survival gear , and good towing insurance and have fun until the 5 speed goes in.

Andrew

 

[Nero Morg]

I second this. It's going to get worse and worse until you just have no more movement. Typically you'll feel it get worse way before it just straight up gives up the ghost.

 

[burn_your_money]

Buy CAA and go for it.

 

[compu_85]

You could try.. I dunno, servicing the transmission and see if it starts working better?

Any time the transmission is slipping, it's rapidly self destructing.

-J

 

[Hinzipwo]

You could try.. I dunno, servicing the transmission and see if it starts working better?

Any time the transmission is slipping, it's rapidly self destructing.

-J

I'm not gonna spend resources and time on fixing a transmission that's just gonna get pulled from the car in a month anyways, i just would rather not blow it up before i'm ready to swap lol

 

[mk4tdiguy]

I'm not gonna spend resources and time on fixing a transmission that's just gonna get pulled from the car in a month anyways, i just would rather not blow it up before i'm ready to swap lol

Just take er easy and maybe throw some Lucas trans slip additive in haha if you cross your fingers hard enough it might even improve lol

 

[Hinzipwo]

Just take er easy and maybe throw some Lucas trans slip additive in haha if you cross your fingers hard enough it might even improve lol

that's a good idea i honestly never thought of that i wonder if that would make a difference. i hear once that in vcds you can change the mode of the trans between factory eco and performance, i wonder what that would do

 

[BobnOH]

I'll give a 3rd to the "go on the trip" sentiment. Plan for the best, prepare for the worst. Especially if it's mostly on a limited access roadway, it won't be doing much shifting.

 

[Hinzipwo]

I'll give a 3rd to the "go on the trip" sentiment. Plan for the best, prepare for the worst. Especially if it's mostly on a limited access roadway, it won't be doing much shifting.

yeah it would be most if not all highway kms, there is a really big hill though that is deterring me even more lol.

 

[compu_85]

I'm not gonna spend resources and time on fixing a transmission that's just gonna get pulled from the car in a month anyways, i just would rather not blow it up before i'm ready to swap lol

Dropping the pan, spraying the filter out with brake cleaner, and refilling with multi-vehicle ATF (which is not the correct ATF but is better than no ATF) wouldn't cost much at all.

-J