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Automatic gearbox slipping when hot


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Hi all,

I have a 2000 VW Lupo 1.4 Auto. Its been running fine up until a week back. At that point I was driving round the M25 (I'd been on the road over an hour at this point) at about 65-70 when suddenly my revs dropped down and I lost power for a second. A second later the revs were back up and it was driving fine. After leaving the motorway I noticed that it was refusing to switch into highest gear for some reason. I got home and left it till the next day.

The next day it was driving round fine selecting gears as normal. I had to do another trip round the M25 and, again, after about an hour it did the same thing to me. It did it one more time before I'd finished the 100 miles.

Again, though, the next day on a shorter journey it was fine.

Anyone got any ideas what could be causing this?

Cheers!

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Have you plugged it in to VAG COM and see if any faults appear?

My auto box has a delay between 1st and 2nd first thing in the morning but apart from that its still going strong at 86K.

Not yet. Looking at buying one at the moment as it happens. Anyone in the Oxford area got one I could plug into and check the state of it?

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when was the last time the transmission fluid was changed?

I would wager, having read around, that it has never been changed ... Is it really likely to cause problems when the engine is hot if the transmission fluid is low though? My, very limited, understanding is that it would be bad when the engine is cold ...

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Ive always thought that if your having transmission problems, 1st thing to check is the transmission fluid and the seals on the auto box.

I may be wrong but its worth a try, no harm in getting a mechanic to check

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Ive always thought that if your having transmission problems, 1st thing to check is the transmission fluid and the seals on the auto box.

I may be wrong but its worth a try, no harm in getting a mechanic to check

Cheers dude, ill get it looked at and have ordered a vagcom cable .. will report back with any findings :)

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if there's no fault codes then look at fluid etc.

there's loads of clutch bands in an Auto, so if they wear out it will slip.

also the fluid determines when and how it changes gear with pressures etc

so if its old and dirty it wont shift as smooth.

the fluid should be red by the way and some cars levels need to be checked while the engines running in park.

also sometimes there's no drain plug for the ATF so you just drop the pan in the right way to drain the fluid.

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if there's no fault codes then look at fluid etc.

there's loads of clutch bands in an Auto, so if they wear out it will slip.

also the fluid determines when and how it changes gear with pressures etc

so if its old and dirty it wont shift as smooth.

the fluid should be red by the way and some cars levels need to be checked while the engines running in park.

also sometimes there's no drain plug for the ATF so you just drop the pan in the right way to drain the fluid.

One thing I found while reading around is that if the ATF heats up too much (a sign of fluid that needs replacing) then it starts to slip as the fluid is no longer lubricating properly ... so that would fit my issue. Can't be 100% sure thats the problem though ... i'll be miffed if the auto gearbox has gone though .. just spent £450 getting new rear suspension and stuff for its MOT :(

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450 quid for rear suspension, what did you have done to justify that cost

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450 quid for rear suspension, what did you have done to justify that cost

Well that wasn't just for the rear suspension, that was both rear coils and shock absorbers being replaced, a general service and an MOT ...

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Well that wasn't just for the rear suspension, that was both rear coils and shock absorbers being replaced, a general service and an MOT ...

And sorry, just looked up my receipt .. he originally said it was be £450 .. but it was actually £380 for all of the above ...

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And sorry, just looked up my receipt .. he originally said it was be £450 .. but it was actually £380 for all of the above ...

shoulda come to me, woulda done it for parts and beer in 30 mins!

its 4 bolts

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shoulda come to me, woulda done it for parts and beer in 30 mins!

its 4 bolts

Its a bit of a trek to Newport with one broken coil and a leaking shock absorber though ;)

Btw, finally found someone who will drain and replace my ATF ... they're quoting £81.60 ... is that high? Alas, though, there appears to be noone else in Oxford who will do it for me (short of the VW garage, and I'd wager they'd discover that my whole transmission is shot and needs to be replaced ;))

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there is a youtube video on how to change the fluid if you feel brave lol

Certain things I'll do ... but not that ... Ill fail to put it back together correctly ;)

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So I also received my Vagcom today ... I checked the ATF and it was complaining about intermittent communication so i cleared it ... and no other fault codes came up ... I hope thats good news ;)

Anyway .. i was wondering if i could check the ABS and engine info and neither would respond. Is there an "idiots guide" to vagcom around anywhere?

Edited by Goz
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Should also say that I had the ATF changed and its definitely running nicer ... no jolts on gear changes anymore ... I can now feel the gear change through my left foot but nothing like as bad as it was. I'm thinking, though, that it sounds a bit whinier when i put my foot down but I dunno if thats A) Paranoia or B) How its supposed to sound and it just hasn't sounded right for the 6 months i've had the thing ;)

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Its a bit of a trek to Newport with one broken coil and a leaking shock absorber though ;)

Btw, finally found someone who will drain and replace my ATF ... they're quoting £81.60 ... is that high? Alas, though, there appears to be noone else in Oxford who will do it for me (short of the VW garage, and I'd wager they'd discover that my whole transmission is shot and needs to be replaced ;))

I have just been quoted £250 to change my auto transmission fluid so £81.60 sounds like a bargin lol

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I have just been quoted £250 to change my auto transmission fluid so £81.60 sounds like a bargin lol

**** dude ... check out your local Formula one autocenter would be my suggestion then ;)

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