vr6 auto not down shifting

[Nade 10]

hi im new to this forum i recently bought my mk3 jetta vr6 driving it is a pleasure the tranny without warning started give me this problem there is no noise on the car shifs up fine but does not want to down shift it stays in the gear until i stop and switch the car off and then it will reset back to 1st gear and now recently it does not reach 4 gear I had the car at mechi and 3 codes popped up cant remember wot they are 1 was the solenoids I took out the valve body and cleaned it with the solenoids replaced oil and filter yet to no avail pls advise there must be easier way out

[Stonejag 10]

There aren't a lot of auto owners here so you may struggle a little to get help!

 

Exact codes will help, but it sounds most like the valve body or ECU. The ECU can detect if any solenoids aren't working properly and will tell you which of the five it is. If you had the valve body off there is a very delicate ribbon cable leading to the solenoids which can get damaged when you take any of the lower parts off. I don't recall if you can get it separately (probably not) but it's worth checking it for damage. The connectors onto the solenoids are also pretty notorious, if any of them broke when you took it apart then that won't help...

 

See pic of ribbon cable (this is an 096 - kidney shaped filter port. The 01M has a circular one):

 

When you disassembled and reassembled the valve body, did you get all the solenoid parts, ball bearings and washers back in, and in the right place? It's not really a DIY job to be honest, at least if you get a garage to do it and they break something then they have to pay for it! There's a disassembly / reassembly guide [here] which may help you.

 

Do you have a dipstick on the front of the transmission (down low on the right side of the engine as you look at it from the front) with a red cap? If you do then it's an 096, if you don't then it's an 01M, which were never fitted to Corrados. If it's 1996+ model year it probably has an 01M - the ECU, harness and valve body changed, although there is a lot of similarity between them. You should be able to find spares without too much trouble.

 

Lastly, consider fitting a remote transmission cooler - it makes the gearbox run a lot cooler. I did a long rambling post on how to do it here.

 

Hope that helps!

 

Stone

 

PS: If you're ever at all unsure, take it to a reputable gearbox place for a rebuild. It will be expensive, but you may avoid causing permanent damage if you haven't done it already.

Edited January 13, 2013 by Stonejag

[Nade 10]

hi thanx i followed that thread about the throttle body fix up i have the 096 box Wot i wud like to is that all the solenoides the same how do i test one outside the gearbox and how do i test the wiring loom that runs from ecu to the box

Edited January 18, 2013 by Nade