here´s what the 'transmission guru' (that´s
him) said:
When you have this in „E“ @ 100 km/h, you should have the same in „S“ at a higher speed (maybe do a test in Germany
).
If you experience this behavior in “S” also, there's two possibilities:
- a defective/”sticky” control valve in the hydraulic valve body
- torque converter shot (but then it should be always and not only occasionally)
If it ony happens in “E” – then check the S-E-M switch, its cabling and the transmission ECU.
HIS educated guess would be something wrong with the transmission internals due to neglected maintenance (check service records for oil changes and cleaning which should be done at regular intervals) and wrong fluid level. Check the ATF level (see
here how to do that).
Theoretically, it also could be the kickdown switch that´s integrated in the throttle cable, telling the transmission ECU you’re stepping on it all the time which then opens the torque converter lockout. To his knowledge, this never happened in reality, but it’d be worth checking.
He also said it`s very difficult to give a diagnosis based on what you said without driving the car .
What to do now:
- Check fault codes (and repost here)
- check ATF (and differential) fluid level.
If it appears like nothing has ever been done before, have a proper transmission maintenance performed. I´d suggest doing this NOT at an Audi dealer but ask ZF (who made the transmission). They have a service facility in Delft, email them at
nlinfo@zf.com or call 015 270 23 50. I`d call there with a description of your problems...
