DHaralson

My '95 Q Avant w/auto trans is making a nasty rattle on cold starts for the past few months. Finally, trying to figure it out and did some searching through the archives. Pretty certain it's not the cats. Did the rubber mallet test a while ago.

Sounds like it could be the transmission breather hose and it could be fixed by simply blowing some air through the hose.....

Anyone know where to find this on the car? Just trying to keep the wife from getting pissed if I'm out there looking around for more than 30 mins.

Thanks in advance!

- DH

DaveInSaltLake

<img src="http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m32/JunkyardCars/misc/AUDItransmissionbreather_Page_1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket">

<img src="http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m32/JunkyardCars/misc/AUDItransmissionbreather_Page_2.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket">

DaveInSaltLake

<ul><li><a href="http://search.audiworld.com/?q=transmission+breather&amp;u=&amp;s=all&amp;cat= 010018&amp;db=1995-01-01&amp;de=2007-12-05">transmission rattle</a></li></ul>

DHaralson

What a small device to cause so much pain and noise....

Looks like it should just pull (gently of course) out of the tranny to be cleaned. Then put it back in.

Biscuit141

1&gt; How would that have gotten clogged by refilling the tranny?

2&gt; Do I need to replace it with a steel version like the TSB said to do?

I think my tranny might still be low, because when I checked my fluid level a couple weeks later, this time using my VAG-COM, and made sure it was at 40c before I pulled the fill plug, no fluid trickled out. However, my car drives and shifts fine, so freaking weird.

kday

<img src="http://www.boost-instruments.com/v6/trans.jpg">

There are two breather type things there -- the black one is supposed to have a plastic cap on it (mine went AWOL). But it sounds like you are looking for the other one.

I wish I knew about the solution to this problem before I put the trans in -- I would have at least blown some air through there.

It looks tough to get to from below...

Biscuit141

but I have been wrong before...let me know how it goes

DaveInSaltLake

the torque converter or ATF pump area. Every 10 seconds or so (while parked and idling) there was also a sucking sound, kind of like a straw sucking the last of a good milkshake from the bottom of a cup.

Dave, are you hearing anything like that? How's the project to reach the vent coming?

DaveInSaltLake

a fluid change? Wouldn't that be slick?

DHaralson

I don't hear the sucking sound that you or some of my research indicated might be a problem. That is supposedly from a bad filter/filter gasket not sealing well.

The rattling is exactly what I'm experiencing though. If I had the sucking sound, I would just drop the pan and do a fluid service.

There may be a way to get to the breather hose after dropping the pan, but I'm not sure.

I did trade messages with one of the guys in the archives who fixed his by cleaning the breather. He said his mechanic didn't drop the tranny and it cost about $250 a few years ago.

So far, I've determined that I can't get tot he breather from below the vehicle. My mits are too bid to fit between the heat shields and the passage to the area where the breather exists. I determined this after a quick 15 mins on the jack stands and no further looking around to see if loosening the heat shields would get me access.

It seem as if the location is easy enough to get to if there was good clearance.

Thanks for PM'ing the instructions on how to locate and replace the breather hose. Any chance you have some instructions from the magical Bentley for out to R&amp;R the Intermediate drive. That is the location for the breather hose.

Thanks!