twiy

Hello, I have a 2005 Audi A8L V8 with 115k miles, I have an issue with. Back story I bought this car and found it had a transmission fluid leak and long story short it leaked out all it's fluid and I fixed it by installing a new gasket and filling it up back up with Red Line 30705 D6 ATF transmission fluid. It lost most of all it's fluid sitting in my garage, I did drive it 2-3 times just moving it in and out but not more than that until I fixed it.

I have an issue where if I leave the car parked for a short while when I get back in to use the car it will rev up in the first gear and not go into gear and when it does work I sometimes feel a slight slip from 1-2 second gear but after that it shifts like butter. I'm curious if anyone has any tips and how I can resolve this issue.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

MP4.2+6.0

Did you set the fluid level correctly per the Audi and ZF procedure? In particular, did you pump fluid in up to the top of the fill port WHILE IT WAS RUNNING, car was level, and let it heat to 40-45C. If it wasn't running when you pumped it in and closed fill port it will be a couple of quarts low. If you checked it or filled it by opening the port when it was already warm but engine not running it will be even lower. That could result in your issues. If it was filled correctly along the lines I described, you have some likely serious internal issues.

twiy

Thanks for the reply back.

I drained it while it was off and filled it back up when it was off at first, then learned the proper way of doing it and raised it up today while the motor was running and topped it off until it started coming out of the fill hole. Practically came close to burning myself as the oil was pretty hot coming out. So to answer your question, at first I did it wrong so it was missing alittle oil about 1 - 1.5 liters and I filled it back up completely I feel since it won't take anymore while the car is running on my lift.

I read maybe a reset of the transmission adaptation might help fix the problem unless it's more serious.

So I'm going to unplug the battery right now and leave it off the whole night unplugged and hope that resets it and plug it back in the morning try to reset it by holding down the gas peddle turn ignition on but don't turn on car hold peddle for 30 sec I believe and release? Is that the proper way? I also had a misfire on #8 ignition coil I plan to replace tomorrow but don't know if that will fix the issue.

MP4.2+6.0

So, reconnect the battery and take it for a spin. No, those reset ideas are back to the old D2 and C5 era. Having owned a 2000 C5 A6 with the 4.2, honestly I am not sure if the techniques even actually worked, or if it is about the same as getting on your red glitter shoes and clicking heels 3 times while wishing your Audi drove you to Kansas. Seriously, the way it is triggered on a D3 is with VCDS or the dealer equivalent machine/software, followed by a specific driving routine that takes about 30 min--I did it personally after a valve body refurbishment on my own D3. Just getting fluid up to proper level may work for you meantime.

FWIW the fluid level may now be a little low again actually if fluid felt almost hot enough to burn. 40- 45C is clearly quite warm but manageable. 40C is just above hot tub type temperatures as an everyday cross reference. Fluid expands when it is hot, so opening it when too hot but running will let a bit too much run out. You can use an IR temperature gun pointed at pan and get an accurate temp reading--again from personal experience cross checked with VCDS to see what the transmission temp sensor was saying. They were the same. It probably doesn't really matter at give to take a half quart/liter, but at a couple of quarts/liters shifting or slipping can get flaky as you probably experienced already.

twiy

I'm going to have to agree with you on the wishful thinking because I had a 7 series BMW and resetting the transmission adaptation with pushing the gas peddle felt more like a placebo effect than actually working. I guess my next step would be to put it back on the lift while running but this time not do it after driving the car for so long like I did today and try to refill any more transmission fluid I can into it. Last resort would be rent out the VCDS cable and software on ebay and hope maybe that helps me actually get it to working properly. One day I want to buy the unlimited VIN version but can't afford spending that money at the moment.

Appreciate the replies, you helped me out alot throughout this car and I can't really thank you enough for it. So thanks again.

twiy

Is it possible that I need to replace a Torque Converter Clutch or a Torque Converter Clutch Solenoid or both to fix this issue. Can anybody tell me what the symptoms would be if these parts were going out?

MP4.2+6.0

First get fluid level straight to assess if further work is needed. Torque converter itself (the "clutch") means pulling whole transmission to access it. Solenoid is in the valve body but about the most advanced work to DIY on a 1-10 scale. When you are getting to that complexity, difficulty and potential cost you really want VCDS scan to assess first. Or, take it to a ZF oriented transmission specialist to assess. Hard to arm chair diagnose, but if slipping is more gear specific, it could also be basic 1-2 clutch, which is often full rebuild. Besides VCDS, the other basic diagnostic is a fluid and filter change. When you remove pan, if there is metal debris in the bottom you basically cry and get the tow truck. If it is just normal pan slime, you proceed. Fortunately D3 tranny failure is very low, and fluid level issues seem to be 95% or more of what resolves most poster issues.

One last one by the way, which again gets back to springing for VCDS. If your transmission is in safe mode--the weird display reverse lighting on the dash--the transmission will feel like it is really bogged down. It is because it goes to a single fixed higher gear. Restarting can clear safe mode, unless it sees some deeper issues. Again, a scan could tell you a bunch more.

twiy

I tried to refill the transmission with more fluid and it took alittle more yet I still have the same problem where the car wants to rev high and not go into 2nd gear. If I pull down into S mode it kicks into 2nd gear and this only happens when I have let the car sit for a while but once it can go into second gear it works perfectly fine.

Now I'm very curious as I have read somewhere else that I would need to have someone else in the car while it's on the lift and shift through the gears and while in drive rev it up so it switches into different gears while trying to refill as much as I possible can below into the transmission fill hole. I've done this transmission fill by myself at least 4 times and still notice it wants to keep sucking up more fluid each time even though it's very little I can still pump some before it starts coming out. Does anybody know if having the car in drive with a friend in the car while it's lifting a good idea and possibly help in moving around the fluid so I can finally top it off where it doesn't do this I don't want to go into 2nd gear issue?

MP4.2+6.0

At most all I have ever done is get out from under the car and (with a towel on the seat), shift it into each gear (R, D, plus neutral) and give it a little gas. I have never had the wheels off the ground so it is not going to actually shift into any gear besides first. If all you want to do is get more fluid into it, just pump it in right after cold start up with engine running. But, that isn't the factory fill procedure and would get to an overfill. Net, if car is level and you have it up to the top of the fill port where it starts to spill out, that is correct and small variances won't matter. That means in turn you likely have some other more difficult issue.

You should buy VCDS in my experience. Or, get it definitively scanned. $200 is a good investment when you are looking at tranny issues that could be a couple grand or more.

dvs_dave