1999 A4 help, please
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 45,954
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St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11
1999 A4 help, please
got an old '99 ragtop with the A4. Car has 96,000 miles on it and, for the past three years, has averaged 2,200 miles per year. Battery has drained completely every winter until trickle charging won't even help it. I install a new battery every March and life goes on. Been a mild winter so I install a new battery and take her out and the tranny is slipping every once in a while. Nothing major, but when it goes from third to fourth, it comes out a little and then goes right back in. Have I messed it up by not driving it enough? Will a fluid and filter change be enough or do I need an overhaul? I tried a search, but found nothing addressing this issue. I know I don't drive it, but I would like to keep the car. TIA. 
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 1,096
Likes: 110
From: Fredericksburg Virginia
Can you tell us when the last trans service was done? Have you checked the fluid level yet? Does it do it all the time, when cold, when hot or anything like that? After that info then I am sure you will get some more advice.
Chris
Chris
Drifting
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 1,761
Likes: 235
From: North Carolina
got an old '99 ragtop with the A4. Car has 96,000 miles on it and, for the past three years, has averaged 2,200 miles per year. Battery has drained completely every winter until trickle charging won't even help it. I install a new battery every March and life goes on. Been a mild winter so I install a new battery and take her out and the tranny is slipping every once in a while. Nothing major, but when it goes from third to fourth, it comes out a little and then goes right back in. Have I messed it up by not driving it enough? Will a fluid and filter change be enough or do I need an overhaul? I tried a search, but found nothing addressing this issue. I know I don't drive it, but I would like to keep the car. TIA.
Just for clarification, when you mention that "when it goes from third to fourth, it comes out a little and then back in:
are you refering to the actual shifter not going fully into a locked position in 4th and sliding up to 3rd? Or the tranny actually slipping out of 4th to 3rd.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 3,163
Likes: 6
From: Oceanside California
"coming out a little, then back in" suggests the torque converter is locking and un-locking. Not sure if a fluid change will help any. But I do know that after an upgraded converter, I had to have tuning done the get the converter to stay locked up. It would jump out of lockup and go back in erratically. Maybe that's whats going on with yours.
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 45,954
Likes: 55
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11
I think NukeC5 has it nailed with the torque converter un-locking. It's not that it goes back into third, just that it feels like it's hit neutral for a second and then goes back into gear. Hard to describe, really. As for transmission service, I had it done at around 60,000, but that was light years ago. The vehicle really doesn't get driven much any more, yet I am unwilling to get rid of it. I'm going to try to find a service manual for it today. How does one check the transmission fluid if the trans is under the back of the car?
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 1,096
Likes: 110
From: Fredericksburg Virginia
If you do a search you can find exact procedure. Trans temp needs to be a certain temp, I don't recall exact temp but once at temp have car in the air, level, running and remove big plug on side of the trans pan on drivers side I believe. It should just trickle out or be right there ready to come out.
Have you ran your codes yet? There might be something there that could tell you what is going on. Otherwise I would take it to a trans shop to diagnose it.
GL
Chris
Have you ran your codes yet? There might be something there that could tell you what is going on. Otherwise I would take it to a trans shop to diagnose it.
GL
Chris
