theinsider

hi Mr T i notice this post was a while ago now - but did you ever sort the MAF problem? getting very similar symptoms on my 2.8V6 auto 2001. was it a faulty MAF - i have tried an after market replacement but still getting same problem. Nearly always after car is fully warm and at high speeds. any help will be gratefully received

i can confirm that the box is o.k for a day or two after i have been doing as you say: "Select 02 - Gearbox Electronics - Select 04 - Basic setting. - Select channel 000." after a couple of journeys the gal begins to thump into gear again, becomes gradually worse, but v v noticeable after a while. it went in to a autobox specialist last week (he is the one that the local ford and VW garage send their work to). he is 90% sure its 2 of the solenoids being faulty. I assumed these would produce an error code? have looked on the net this may not always be the case - as far as i can tell , because it is an electromechanical device , it may test o.k electrically but be failing mechanically? i have TIS which does show how to test the resistance of the solenoids by putting a digimeter acros certain pins on the autobox ecu connector. (9-24 ohms i think). not sure if i'm happy with a 90% sure diagnosis though. can anyone confirm this is the most likely reason for the problem. No fault codes in the ecu's at present, and havent been for a few weeks now.

how easy is it to clean the throttle body? couldn't find anything on the forum about this unfortunately.

have had an interesting development with autobox problem. A few posts ago I mentioned i did a basic setting on the autobox ecu, and it seemed to solve the problem entirely for at least half an hour then the box was back into its thumping mode. Thought i'd try it again today, and guess what, the box was smooth again. Switched off ignition and started up again and box became gradually more 'thumpy'. used 'VW tool' again to 'basic settings' and as you may guess box was smooth again. Switched ignition off again and back to thumping changes. It appears the ecu cant retain settings for some reason. Any ideas anyone? BTW i assume its normal for there to be no workshop code or software code displayed in VAGCOM for the autobox ecu? I noticed some time ago that one of MrT's posts which lists all the modules etc in his 2.8 auto has software and workshop codes for other modules but not autobox ecu either.

yep its a 5 speed tiptronic box. Its dark out now and batteries have run out in my torch! will definitely get those enine/box codes tomorrow. The main clunking takes place when shifting up from 3rd to 4th never when switching down. Ocassional problem with 2nd to 3rd, but less frequent. I have managed to communicate with other ecu's, for example ABS/ESP steering wheel angle sensor. Also tried another diagnostic software called VW tool - seems to do all the same things as VAgcom, but looks different on the screen. Also seems to be unlocked i.e i think it will also do some of the things that vagcom does only when registered (recode etc).

i'll second that - littledaz really knows his stuff! thanks again mate.

definitely cant communicate with much of auto trans ecu. tried all blocks from 001 to 025 today and could only access 003 (data for load etc), all others give error message 'error - not available' could this be the problem ? does this mean the autobox ecu is kaput? in a way i'd be glad if it was, at least it would explain the problems. haven driven it more today i don't think my fiddle with vag com to basic settings did actually make any difference. must have been wishful thinking! getting the harsh changes again today.

Tried this today........ made things better, but certainly not 'right' yet. Copied from Ross Tech First, make sure there are no fault codes in the Auto Trans. Then, with the key in the on position, and engine OFF. Do not touch the accelerator pedal. [select] [01 - Engine] [basic Settings - 04] Set Group to "063" [Go!] Press accelerator pedal all the way to the floor and count out loud 3 seconds. [Done, Go Back] Release the accelerator pedal. I'm not having any luck checking the autobox oil temp. Vag com gives an error message (measuring block -08, group 005) tried other groups 001-008 i think. Most showed error. (no fault codes though). Should engine be running for this or doesn't it make any difference?

hi littledaz - i'm still pursuing my auto box problem. i'll keep the forum updated when i get somewhere. I suspect I also have this alternator clutch problem - i get the rough feeling through steering, thats noticeable at lower revs. First thought it was a misfire but its stops over 2000rpm and the gal is smooth the rest of the time. The feeling is definitely through the steering wheel. I note with interest your little test of the pulley. My alternator number is 021 903 026A. should this type freewheel in one direction only? I cant actually see any fan blades to try to turn? Its a V6 and there's not much room for a screwdriver either! (may be easier for me to try from underneath). All i seem to be able to see are the windings. How close is the fan to the pulley?

i have vag com version 409 i think (left laptop in work tonight and cant remember for definite). i'll play about some more at the weekend to try to measure the temp and then check the oil level. If its not that i'm a bit stuck to know what to try next - do i buy vag com and try to recode? - is there a way of finding out if it this is the problem without just doing it? when i first used vag com i was getting various eror codes but these have not reappeared since being cleared until this one cropped up last week a '17550 P1142 Load Calculation Cross Check Lower Limit ExceededThrottle position sensor circuit range/performance problem (low input)' Cant find much info on t'net about what this relates to. This one has been cleared and not reaapeared. No error codes have resulted in the light on dash coming on. I'm thinking about taking the autobox controller out to check the pins and probably pop it open to see if theres anything obviously wrong with the circuit board. Anybody know how to get it out of the gal. Cant see any bolts / screws. Just to clarify theres an ECU (engine computer) and PCM (autobox computer)??? i assume the PCM would be the first one to look at? can the ecu cause such problems with the box or would it only affect the engine?

I've recently acquired a copy of a program called 'VWtool' which seems to do similar things to VAG COM. Anybody ever used it?

The gearbox has been thumping in to gear (not all of the time). Wasn't doing it on the test drive when i bought it 3 months ago. Started doing it a few days after. The serv hist shows a new autobox was fitted about 18 months ago by Ford (not by a dealer anywhere near me). Just thought it may be possible that its been overfilled ever since. Don't know much more about the history. Only other thing i can think of is that the autobox was changed for this reason but was not actually the problem (maybe ecu? pcm? loom? or was the new box simply not reprogrammed?? can shareware version of VAG COM do this sort of thing? i've read somewhere that after any major work like a change in gearbox that the pcm needs to be recoded? i wouldn't have put it past ford to have not done this (they may have even contracted the work out). Couldn't get VAG COM to measure the temp of gearbox fluid ( a limitation of shareware version i suspect?)

thanks for that littledaz. just found out how to use my vagcom to measure the temperature. will have a bash at doing it 'properly' tomorrow. What is likely to happen if it's been overfilled in the past?

i've looked at TIS and still dont really understand how you work out if the autobox level is right. i understand that the gal should be in park and engine running to check. The problem is how much oil should you let out of the test plug overflow. Is the level correct when it stops coming out? Really cant work out if mine is overfilled or not. What does priming the gears actually do? and does it really make any difference? HEEEEEEEEELLLLLPPPPP PLEEEEEEEEAAAAAASSSSSSSSSE.