EClass

Hello,

New here, but currently in the market for an A6 I was a Benz guy till I sold my baby. I had a MB 190e 2.3-16 but got tired of not being able to drive it in the winter. So I sold it and now it's spring so I'm looking for something better.

A few questions to start. I found a car locally on craigslist looks really clean and looks to be well maintained. However the car only has 5th gear and Reverse. I'm a pretty tech savy guy. I've taken the engine out of my old benz twice and changed the clutch twice on it. However not sure about what I'm getting myself into.


I haven't bought the car yet, so I was just wondering if this is something I should tackle or to leave alone. I presume it's not an easy task since it's an AWD vehicle. Thanks for the advice in advance.

PS the car is a 2000 A6 4.2l quattro, manual I presume.

Kyle

4Driver4

Figure that the worst case is that the trans is bad and you will need to replace it with a rebuilt unit from a ZF certified service center.

Symptoms are pretty crazy. Even limp mode doesn't stick it in fifth gear.

If you buy the car, start with the usual: pull codes and check fluid levels.

JoeM

It's going to be an Auto. The manual was only available in the 2.7t A6's, though you can certainly put one in if you want also...

Edd W

The European market and possibly SA had a manual version of the 4.2 but we never got it in RHD and it was never sent to the US.

It is possible to convert a 4.2 to a manual box but it is not easy - front drive shafts, flywheel, pedal box, ECU etc...

I would just assume it needs a new/refurb/second hand box. It is possible that fault is purely electronic and a faulty ECU could cause loss of gears.

Good luck, if you go for it, it could be a good buy if it is cheap enough.

Redneck Truck

I just finished a 6-speed swap on my 2001 4.2Q, and if you're tackling the job yourself, I'd be happy to help in any way I can. Highly recommend the swap though - makes it a totally different car.