Transmission Slipping

[turtle1026]

I have been experiencing some slipping in my automatic transmission, particularly in the 3-4 shift. After experiencing it, I changed the transmission fluid. It seemed to help a little, but it is still slipping. Is there a rebuild kit for these transmissions? I have read some other posts that are mostly negative on these transmissions. I have no intention of swapping to a manual so I would like to work through this if possible. By the way, when I changed the fluid, I pulled the pan and there was no significant damage noted on the magnets. Generally, it looked good after the 105,000 miles I have on the clock.

 

[thundershorts]

would you describe the shift as flaring between 3-4 or just a soft shift without definition? Does the lockup in 5th feel positive with definition?

 

[turtle1026]

The 3-4 shift shows a quick blip upward in RPM as it moves from one gear to the next. It feels like a slipping clutch does in a manual. 5th gear doesn't seem to hunt so I think it is locked okay. I hope I answered your questions.

 

[thundershorts]

if its a very slight flare in the 3-4 shift, rather than more extreme, it might be a case of slightly low fluid. Without being able to drive it myself, obviously I can only guess on its performance. May I assume that you used Pentocin or another quality fluid? I would suggest you check fluid level as soon as possible, and if that isn.t found to be the issue, possibly find a trusted tech to evaluate it and get back to us as to what his opinion is.

 

[rarmstrong]

Did you use a VAG to determine the fluid level? I think it is a must due to no dipstick and its difficult to know exactly you have the correct fluid level without it. It is temp based.

 

[thundershorts]

another possible cross check would be how much fluid did you use after pan drop/filter ?
mine takes 6.5L after an overnight draining. Several here have found that the factory fill from ZF is a little more than we can get in filling it the prescribed way. the difference in volume of the Fluid over a 30F range is negligible, so if you don't have vcds, and measure temp some other way, you should be ok.

 

[turtle1026]

I will be changing the fluid again this weekend. I wanted to get a good flush. I did the work last time when it was warm, but I did not get precise temp on the refill. I will be more precise this time around. I use block 019 line 1 looking for 35-45 deg C correct? I am using valvoline max life dex/merc.

 

[thundershorts]

I'm not sure that fluid is one to use. Personally I'd stick to Pentocin or VW fluid. I looked and didn't see anything about Valvoline use in ZF's. I did see it was cheap.
You are dealing with an expensive transmission so its not the time to try saving a few dollars on a cheaper fluid. Perhaps it was a good thing I asked you about what fluid you used.

 

[turtle1026]

this link shows that it is manufacturer recommended

http://www.myturbodiesel.com/1000q/b5/auto-transmission-ATF-fluid-change.htm

 

[thundershorts]

that link's writer basically recommends the same stuff I did, he mentions that zf approves Valvoline, however thats his posting, not ZF's. It may indeed be true, but many here would agree, stick to the tried and true products, its too expensive to experiment. Is the reason price? You are reporting a problem with shifting. I'd use . Fluid which the writer of that link used, he could have used a cheaper fluid but didn't.

 

[turtle1026]

It was more based on availability. The plan was to flush, so why pay more? I saw that it was okay to use and easily went over to buy it at a regular parts store. Remember, the shift issue was before the fluid change, and now is only slight. It is likely due to underfill as well as mix with old fluid. I understand the tried and true approach using VW fluids and I respect experienced opinions. I don't waiver when it comes to engine oil, but their washer fluid sucks. I guess ATF fell somewhere in the middle of those 2 for me. I will go forward with the final flush this weekend. If it runs fine, then I may switch to VW fluid to be sure. New fluid should be fine from either manufacturer at least for a short time. If there is still a problem I will need to dump the fluid anyway.

Am I referencing the right measuring blocks on my previous post? Are there rebuild kits available if needed?

 

[turtle1026]

Found it in block 7 line 1

 

[thundershorts]

plenty of kits available if that answers your question. What were you planing to do with a kit?

 

[turtle1026]

If it turns out to be wearing of the friction discs, then a new set would be a good idea. The gears are fine due to no metal on the magnets. If fluid doesn't correct the engagement issue then I would think a rebuild is required if the problem gets worse.

 

[thundershorts]

Its easier to say than do. The slipping you've described can be from a number of things, which would require a long dissertation. If you were planning on attempting an overhaul yourself, you might be in for a few surprises, the least of which might be the cost of a master genuine zf kit,900.00, which should be used. other hard parts inside become judgement call from experience of the rebuilder. You will be money ahead to just buy the vw reman unit if it comes down to needing rebuilding.

 

[turtle1026]

That's good advice. I still hope it doesn't come down to that. It actually seemed to run better today.

As a side note, I did a little experiment today on the trans temp. The temp was 75 degrees outside when I started the car this morning. The trans temp was 30 C. In 4 minutes the temp was up to 35 and in about 10 minutes it was up to 45. For those trying to estimate their temperature for trans fill, that may help a little. Assuming outside temp is similar, running your car from 5-10 minutes should put you within range.

 

[thundershorts]

The level positioning of the car during the check/fill procedure probably has a lot more relevance to accurate filling than 10-20 degrees C temp differention

 

[turtle1026]

Update: after the second drain and fill the car seems to be shifting much better now.

 

[thundershorts]

you stopped using the Valvoline?

 

[turtle1026]

No, it is running on the valvoline now. It is just the second fill so the old fluid is now much less in the mix. I also changed the filter.