[phils95cobra]

Hello Everyone,

When my 2001 Passat 1.8t GLS is cold, everything is fine. It goes into drive and reverse, no problems, shifts smooth, etc. However, after it is driven for a while, and then I come to a stop, like in my driveway, and drop it into reverse to back up, something weird happens. Reverse engage fine, and if you just idle backwards or a slight touch of throttle, you are ok, but if you apply too much more than just a little bit of throttle in reverse, it feels like it jumps out of gear or something, then as soon as you let off, it drops back into gear and is fine. Forward gears are not affected by this at all, just reverse. It is a scary feeling really, like a huge lurch.

Recently, I have had the transmission fluid and filter changed, probably about 1500 miles ago. I am going to check the fluid level, but wanted to know if anyone else has experienced this in their car?

thanks in advance.
-Phil

 

[Iowegian]

I'm no auto trans expert but it sounds like maybe the reverse gear clutch is worn out or doesn't have sufficient hydraulic pressure to engage fully. I would try to get ahold of a OBDII reader that allows you to read the codes from the transmission module to see if there are any codes stored there. I'd also avoid using reverse as much as possible until it's fixed and if you do need reverse, go slow so it doesn't jump around like it does with more torque.

 

[phils95cobra]

thanks for the reply. I pretty much just idle while in reverse. It is just strange how it happens only when hot..

 

[BusRider]

I have a similar problem with my car: reverse gear cuts-out only but only when transmission is warm.

http://www.passatworld.com/forums/b...-gear-malfunctioning-b5-passat-automatic.html

This is likely caused by the o-ring that seals the reverse gear solenoid in the valve body. The o-ring is loose or out of place, and too much fluid leaks past it when at high temperature/pressure.

I'll get around to fixing this one day, but I'm o.k. with living with it for now

 

[Iowegian]

^Wow, great information in that thread and the ones it links to. One thing I noticed is that the problem could also be the 'O rings on the D and F clutch accumulator piston caps.' (In this case just the D clutch)

https://www.searchautoparts.com/motorage/powertrain-pro/transmissions-slipping-bmw-audi-and-vw

I think I understand what that means but I sure don't know where those parts are or how to replace the o-rings on them. If that is the case though, it would mean that treating the transmission 'gently' shouldn't cause any other issues as long as more important parts don't start to fail.

 

[ylwagon]

Hopefully an O-ring at that solenoid is your fix, by far the easiest, because only the pan has to be removed for access. There were problems on the 5HP19 series used in BMWs involving Reverse gear, which was due to a defective internal part, but your description does sound like low pressure at the "D" clutch when hot. You might also want to look for a transmission shop- ZF experienced, with a reputation of being honest, and ask their opinion.

 

[BusRider]

There were problems on the 5HP19 series used in BMWs involving Reverse gear, which was due to a defective internal part, but your description does sound like low pressure at the "D" clutch when hot.

If you do end up removing the pan, drain the fluid and inspect the magnets attached to the inside of the pan. Any large pieces of metal stuck to these magnets is indicative of a mechanical failure in the transmission itself.