Hey everyone, I have an 02 coupe A4, 36,700 miles......

Last Fri. night I was out, nothing out of the usual going on, I gave it a little punch off the line, it went shot up to 45mph, and never shifted, just hit the rev limiter and stayed there. I took it on the highway to see what I could see.

Turns out, 1st gear is still there, won't shift into 2nd, 3rd is still there, and won't shift into 4th. I later found out reverse is gone too. I drove it in the next morning to the dealership I bought it from, it's GM Certified with 39,000/39months warrantee, so that's okay......but has anyone ever heard of the tranni going out after 36,000 miles (no mods). When I would go slower (35-40mph) and come to a stop, it sounded like I was grinding gears or rocks were wedged in there or something.... pretty bad.

I dont' drive it hard and bought it with 22,000 miles, don't know how the previous owner drover her, but seemed to be flawless when I bought it. It's my first vette and been my dream since I was 16. Now I'm heart broke, don't know if I can rely on it. I don't want to get rid of it, but need something that I can trust.

Anybody seen this on so little miles with the tranni dieing?? Any thoughts are appreciated.

 

Sorry, I forgot to add one thing, no codes showed up at all, this was completely out of the blue. I still had the codes from the previous thread I posted "DIED, HELP I'M FREAKING OUT". Those are the only codes shown, all with H's on them.

 

Josh, I don't think your tranny died. The PCM controls the shift points. Your problem is probably related to the washing you took from the incident in the other thread. You may have gotten water into some of the WeatherPak connectors, the PCM DID get wet, or there is a problem with the battery as mentioned in the previous thread also. I wouldn't worry about this too much, these cars are pretty tough. I am surprised that there are no new codes though. I am anxiously awaiting the dealers diagnosis. Please let us know what they find

 

 

As soon as I know, you guys will know.

Gears 2,4, and reverse are totally gone though??? they grind and sound like they're dragging on the ground or something?? pretty bad, would a wet computer make the tranni do that, or make those noises??

I've thought these vettes were tough, that's what I keep telling everyone, I've never heard of a tranni going out this early, on any car, ecspecially on "the almghty C5 American Legend", it's not like I race it and have any mods. It's my everyday driver, but I just cruise it.

I'll keep you guys updated, any other thoughts??

 

Oh, you didn't say you have a grinding sound. It still could be related to the PCM but now I'm thinking the tranny MAY have been compromised...
Actually, I'm wondering if the ABS is malfunctioning and the rear brakes are shot and you are grinding your rear calipers. Traction Control or Active Handling issues relating to the BCM. This is getting interesting...

 

Actually (not that it matters) I did mention it in my second paragraph, last sentence, talking about at lower speeds......anyways, (no offense)

I don't think it is the brakes, I'm completely missing gears 2 and 4 and reverse (they have disappeared) and it grinds from the center of the car, right behind the arm console, sounds like rocks are caught up in it or something's dragging, just sounds horrible. I still can't believe it.

 

Sorry, missed that. Does it grind more on tight turns?

 

No, not at all with turns or corners, just when I'm at slower speeds going straight and slowing down, mainly hear it cause road noise is gone, but also when I have it in park, it makes a whining and slight grinding noise (and I'm not even moving)......just thinking about it makes me wanna cuss. ha

What do you think?

 

Broken/stripped Reaction Shell in the transmission. Trust me. Transmission will need removed and repaired/rebuilt/upgraded

 

So, what do you think the dealership will do?

Just repair the crappy one, or give me a new one? Does this involve the rear axle at all? Can I trust the tranni after this??

 

YOU'RE DEAD ON THE MONEY!!.....I just got the call from the dealership, it's the reaction shell cover, it was cracked.

What now, what does that involve? They said all the gears still looked good and everything else was okay......

Should I be concerned for other parts of the tranni or gears down the road due to this??

Thanks

 

Hi Josh,

From everything I've read over the years, the A4 tranny is pretty tough and since you don't have any mods, it is unusual that it would die so quickly. Our trannies are not like the onese from Chrysler. It could be that the previous owner took her to the track one too many times. I suspect the dealer will know what's wrong once he opens her up. Make sure you don't drive it any more till it gets fixed. The more you drive it, the more chances you have of stressing other parts. Let us know what happens and sorry for all the problems you've had. Don't lose hope, the C5 is a very well built car. She just may have had a rough previous life.

 

Well, she's been at the dealership since Sat. morning, it happened the night before.

They just said it's the reaction shell cover is cracked, what would cause this. I'm pretty good to it, I don't rag it??

 

Anybody have a picture of a "reaction shell cover"?

What does it do, what's it connected to, will other parts be effected?