rachel04a4

i have a 2004 audi a4 that i just recently purchased.
i need someone to please help me by suggesting what could cause the problems im noticing.
recently i started to feel a popping through the clutch pedal. it'll only pop when i let it out, and it only pops once. i also have had problems a couple of times getting into 1st gear. i can move the gear shift, but when i try to put it in 1st gear, it won't "engage" so to speak. keep in mind, i can move the gear shift. it doesn't feel like it would if i hold the brake down at a red light, let off the clutch, and try to move the gear shift. it just won't seem to slip into 1st. no grinding or anything like that.
one more thing: on the computer screen where it notifies me of problems, a couple of times when i have gone to start the car, i have pressed the clutch all the way to the floor, cranked it, and the screen will flash "press clutch to floor to start engine"... the engine starts fine, but that message makes me wonder if it takes a second for the car to recognize the clutch is all the way to the floor.

anybody have any ideas what this could be? i took it to a mechanice and they couldn't reproduce the popping and everything looks okay visibly. they did not check the transmission fluid though.
please help!

rachel04a4

anyone?

lyleswk

That sounds like you have some binding in the dpedal itself or issue with the switch which indicates the clutch is depressed, i.e. a mechanical issue with the pedal. Never heard of anyting like this on the A4.

600whpA4

Is it just 1st gear you have problems getting into when sitting still with the motor running and what happens if you start the car while it is already in 1st gear?

rachel04a4

yes 1st gear seems to be the only problem and if i start it when its already in 1st gear it doesn't seem to have an issue.
the mechanic told me the clutch was hydraulically controlled and didnt have a switch. thats what i immediately thought it could be too.

600whpA4

Sounds like a syncro issue. If it was the clutch or anything that has to do with the clutch you would have a problem with all the gears not just 1st and the car would creep forward when you start it in gear seeing if the clutch was not fully disengaging.

The switch people were talking about is to tell the ecu when the pedal is pushed all the way down and to allow the motor to start, doesn't have anything to do with controlling the actual clutch.

rachel04a4

oh i see. well i dont know a lot about cars... can you help me understand what a synchro issue is so i can ask the mechanic about it? is it expensive?
its currently in the shop right now getting a new water pump & timing belt. id like to have this clutch issue fixed as well.
thank you!

rachel04a4

i made the mechanic aware of the popping and trouble getting into first .. and he looked things over but couldn't find anything. would he have seen a synch issue?

lyleswk

A "synchro" is the actual gear internal to the transmission. Not something you can look at without removing the transmission and opening it up. That may be what is wrong with your first gear engagements. It could also be a bent shift linkage. Since it is only one gear, I would say it is probably not clutch or pressure plate; I would think you would notice that in al gears.

My earlier comments were primarily associated not getting the proper display when starting and the "popping" which I interpreted as happening all the time, not just 1st. To isolate this, I would get VAGCOM failure codes if your mechanic has this.

Having said all that, I would suggest you may have 2 problems, one electrical (the switch) and mechanical (synchro / linkage) that are not related.

rachel04a4

well the trouble getting into gear only occurs when i am attempting first but the popping occurs between 1st and 2nd and 2nd and 3rd. i dont recall feeling it with any higher gears.
but its probably best to have him check everything over. should i start with the VAGCOM failure codes? how much is it going to run me (ballpark figure) to check out the synchros?