[Thursty]

So my wife has been complaining about her Passat for about a week now and I just now got to drive it. It has trouble down shifting as you slow down, sometimes it feels like its shifting at too high an RPM and the car lurches when it does shift. Today at a stop light it felt like it it wanted to stall out and I swear it felt like it was in 2nd gear, not 1st. It is also up-shifting hard 1st-2nd is hard 2nd-3rd, is hard but not as bad. No real problems with the higher gears and it seemed to be slightly better when I shifted it on my own vs leaving it in normal automatic.

Car has 180k miles on it but we love the car and would like to keep it going, just not so much that we would put in a new transmission.

 

[Mtech]

Do you know if the transmission fluid & filter has been done at some point? if not, I'd get this done providing the work is done with the proper ZF approved fluid. When they drop the transmission pan to do the filter, the magnets in the pan will give a good indication of the status of the transmission. If they find chunks of metal, say goodbye (

However if it is just normal metalic dust / sludge buildup on those 4 magnets, then you might fix the issue with a filter and fluid change.

 

[Tomvw]

Get the engine and trans. scanned and post the codes.

Clean the MAF sensor with MAF sensor cleaner, or replace it with OEM sensor only.

 

[irvinpinto]

Pretty much what I'm experiencing. Have you ever noticed the engine jerking when you bring the car to a halt?

 

[Thursty]

Yes, I have noticed the engine jerking, more so if you come to a quick stop.

As far as the fluid/filter for the trans, is that something I can do myself? I do all my own work but have been told to steer clear of VW transmissions.

 

[ylwagon]

Yes, you can do the trans service yourself. What was the expanation to steer clear of "VW" transmissions? Your 5HP19 transmission was actually produced by ZF Friedrichshafen AG in Germany, and the same basic design was used by Audi, BMW, and Porsche. The main thing to know is that the transmission is filled from underneath, while the engine is running, car level, and a particular ATF temperature range is specified. There are detailed procedures available on how to do this. However, other things can explain the symptoms, which a transmission service won't fix. For instance, as Tom writes, the MAF sensor can give flaky signals, which then causes the transmission's electronic controller to shift incorrectly. And scan with VAG-COM as he suggested too, which might reveal just what the cause is.

A full trans service can cost only around $60, including filter, gasket, and ATF, as long as you already have the necessary tools. I've used Valvoline MaxLife Dex/Merc for years, however use whatever ATF you are comfortable with.

 

[stianulriksen]

I had the same problem in my car. Had the stealership do a diagnosis on the transmission and they concluded that it was due to corrosion on the TCM cable. At the same time I had them flush the transmission (oil was looking great by the way after 157,000 miles).

Turns out my newly replaced MAF from ECS tuning was malfunctioning and the problem was fixed with a new OEM MAF

 

[nolesfan]

Could be MAF sensor. The dealer damaged mine years ago when it was in for the 40k mile service. Experienced very similar shifting patterns to yours. BUT, a trans service should be considered if it hasn't been done before.

 

[Tomvw]

Post #3: Get the engine and trans. scanned and post the codes.

Clean the MAF sensor with MAF sensor cleaner, or replace it with OEM sensor only.

A scan would have helped, if there are no engine or transmission codes or only a MAF sensor code,
you can be pretty sure the MAF sensor is the problem.

As has been said, if it hasn't been done, a filter and ATF change would be a good idea also.

 

[mrau92me]

I've also been trying to figure my daughter's B5 out for awhile now, now with 142k miles. It also jerks hard when downshifting slowing to stop and it also jerks hard when shifting into D while stopped. Both only happen after the car has warmed to normal op temp but shifts great before that. All other shifting is great after warmed up. I put in a MAF sensor from a salvaged Passat but symptoms did not change. There's a long thread on this site on the things I've tried (Tomvw put in a lot of time trying to help me and probably remembers). I paid to have a fluid/filter change done about 12k miles ago, & I just did a fluid change myself this weekend because it was a dark brownish red when I checked it last month. Let me know if you have any questions on how to do it.

In my case, I let it drain overnight (about 12 hrs) and put a little less than 5.5 quarts back in it. Sigh, the same hard jerk symptoms mentioned above are still there (sorry to hijack but these cars are frustrating). I was planning to do 2 drain/fills but seems that carrying through with the 2nd one will be a waste of time.

 

[BradMD_96]

I've also been trying to figure my daughter's B5 out for awhile now, now with 142k miles. It also jerks hard when downshifting slowing to stop and it also jerks hard when shifting into D while stopped. Both only happen after the car has warmed to normal op temp but shifts great before that. All other shifting is great after warmed up. I put in a MAF sensor from a salvaged Passat but symptoms did not change. There's a long thread on this site on the things I've tried (Tomvw put in a lot of time trying to help me and probably remembers). I paid to have a fluid/filter change done about 12k miles ago, & I just did a fluid change myself this weekend because it was a dark brownish red when I checked it last month. Let me know if you have any questions on how to do it.

In my case, I let it drain overnight (about 12 hrs) and put a little less than 5.5 quarts back in it. Sigh, the same hard jerk symptoms mentioned above are still there (sorry to hijack but these cars are frustrating). I was planning to do 2 drain/fills but seems that carrying through with the 2nd one will be a waste of time.

you said you used a MAF sensor from a salvaged passat, it might be worth getting a new/refurbed one.
I was having the hard/jerky shift into Drive or Reverse from Neutral (can't remember other shifts) which was solved by a manufacturer refurbed MAF sensor.
Maybe unplug MAF sensor and see if the engine/transmission behave any different?

 

[mrau92me]

Maybe unplug MAF sensor and see if the engine/transmission behave any different?

I did that already and cleaned it, but there was no change in behavior (http://www.passatworld.com/forums/b5-garage/404161-obd2-chassis-codes-motor-mounts-2.html). But, I think I'll start doing more extensive MAF sensor checks once I figure out what's wrong with my VCDS-lite interface cable/drivers that suddenly quit working this weekend.

 

[mrau92me]

you said you used a MAF sensor from a salvaged passat, it might be worth getting a new/refurbed one.
I was having the hard/jerky shift into Drive or Reverse from Neutral (can't remember other shifts) which was solved by a manufacturer refurbed MAF sensor.

If it comes to it, where to get a refurbed MAF sensor? Don't want to pay for a new one...I'm sick of putting my money (& my tiime) into this poc.