hello i'm new here but have been lurking for a bit, i now need some advise, i have a 99 a4 quattro(b5) 2.8L auto5 with tip-tronic,
no probs at all, car works great, wife starts up car after a cold cold night, car starts and puts it in gear ,goes down the driveway, goes to pull out no forward in any gear!!! but has reverse, she left car , i got home and checked , it was not in limp mode, i checked the tcm under the seat for water, DRY DRY DRY. hooked vag-com to pull codes,cannot read engine codes, and had a transmission brake light code, i plugge in my obdII reader and can read engine codes, had some evap codes. i unplugged the tcm and the car will pull itself around yard, plug back in and will not even pull itself over 1 1/2 hoist center. read that the multifuction swith or TR switch is common, replaced with another and still no forward. when i hook up vag-com i can read the auto trans codes and block values,when car is not running, when i start the car it loses communacation with the tran control module, i cannot beleive that a tranny would fail without any slippage , and just sitting over night, so im still thinking it a electrical issue,,, any know wires or grounds or plugs the are common for problems? thanks in advance!!! hope o get this sorted out soon!!

 

Did you check the oil level?
When was the trans serviced last?

 

fluid level is ok, last serviced???? just got this 4 months ago was told had everything done last year, fluids,water pump, timing belt. , but i did have to put all new brakes and both rear bearings, so im not really beleiving the guy i got it from,,

 

How do you know the fluid level is correct? Did you check it? How?

 

checked it through the check hole.with shopkey5 instructions. but ive taken pan off tonight. with vag com i can now get in to engine controller. (i unplugged my abs controller)(with im guessing is bad ) know in the trans module output tests my transmission solenoids 1 2 3 4 all click click click but 5 6 7 don't if i plug the plug off the solinoids they will click so im thinking i have a shorted wire in the harness or the tcm is not working correctly??

 

well i have put the pan back on, and filled with fluid, (filled till dripped out, then started car, and filled to dripped out again , while watching trans temp, think i got about 6 litres in total,car is still not driving in forward gears. i have reverse, and is not showing it in limp mode BUT if i unplug maf sensor it will go into limp mode. and can drive it forward but only in 4th?, my next thing id like to do is try another tcm. mine is 8d0 927 156 bq , i can get one to try 8d0 927 156 br, are the letters that important? i don't want to mess anything up (anymore then already is) , and as im not 100% sure the transmission is bad, i don't want to spend 16 hours switching it out... also is it really poss the a transmission can just go overnight??? or do you think im correct in thinking that it has to be an electrical issue?

 

And no codes? Odd.
Sounds like a broken forward clutch basket, but that usually throws a code.

 

well i did get around to putting in another tcm, and did not fix anything so i was on the lookout for another transmission, and found a 1999 a6 2.8 quattro wagon that needs 2 upperballjoints, 2 outer tie rods and major oil leak at the front (guess crank seal) im getting this for $500 , the timing belt, water pump,pulleys and idlers where replaced last year about 20,000 kms when they replaced the engine with a salvage yard engine that only had 120,000kms on it, im thinking of fixing the a6 and using the a4 for parts, BUT the wife hates the beige interior in the a6 and the a4 has black, i think im gonna win, now the a6 ? how do i now if it is an avant? ive been reading that avant means that it is a wagon, which this is.. guess i'll try and keeep this updated as i go

 

Did you ever get this trans issue figured out? I am having a very similar issue, except my car will not move when you put it in reverse. It just strains like you have the parking brake on, and if you press the gas down, the RPMs will not go above 2000. Park and Neutral you can rev as usual.
The car does move in D,4,3,2....but when you go forward a bit, the car seems to downshift harshly and stalls.

I switched out the multifunction switch, and put another TCM on the car and there is still no change. Im wondering if a vag com is needed to clear any hidden codes??? I have a cheap Actron code reader, but it is not showing any codes, and the car is not in limp mode. I can make it go into limp mode by disconnecting the multi switch on the side of the trans. It does not show any codes on my Actron scanner, but when I hit erase codes anyway, the limp home mode will disappear.

I tried to check the fluid today, but I do not have 4 jack stands to elevate the car evenly....I lifted driver side to get to the filler plug, and with it elevated with its nose up, when I took out the filler plug, not one drop came out...which im assuming means its low...I tried to fill it as best as I could, but Im afraid I did not get enough in...i will have to retry using another method to get under car to do this right.

I do have a vag com cable on its way so perhaps this will help me see exactly what is going on. Im assuming with the lite version (free) you can still see codes and clear them?

 

The codes are not hidden. They are in the TCU, but your cheapie reader can't read the TCU. Stop changing parts and do some diagnostics. VAG-COM is your friend.