Worst day...Transmission Broke

[Satummoo]

So I recently did the JHM 4:1 mod by my mechanic friend 2 days ago. The lifts were used so he told me bring it back tomorrow and just drive slowly (I live 3 miles away) and he would top it off. The next day, I go to drive back and about a mile away my entire car Violently starts shaking and then just stops in traffic. Everything was locked and the car wouldn't move even in neutral. Called a tow truck and had it towed to my friends shop. After the tow, we got it to barely drive while making some bad noises on the lift. He emptied the trans fluid and metal shavings were in their. He then put in the old Diff and then put in some modal (stuff to sofften any hard edges) and some new trans oil. I then drove it home and the car sounds terrible (somethings loose and rattling that fluctuates with the RPMs). I don't know who's fault it is but basically i'm SOL since I just bought this car privately. I plan on not using my friend and I may just pay 3zero3 to do the work now to which they were very helpful.

Any of you guys have any solutions or a possible reason this happened?

[gyroscope]

sounds like your friend doesn't know what he's doing.

[mo17k3y85]

damn, stick between a rock and a hard place. Sucks that happened especially when a friend did work for you. Hope everything else works out.

[Satummoo]

sounds like your friend doesn't know what he's doing.

Ya, he was a vw tech at a dealer for 7 years. I think he knows what he was doing, but was really careless and rushed through it. I had the JHM DIY up for him and everything. Feels like my car is violated because of this. Anyone know why the car would lock up at 30mph and come to a complete stop?

[jimrobbington]

Yeesh, that sounds horrible. I know how you feel. 3 zero 3 is the only place I will let touch my car, ever. Short will take care of you there, but it'll be expensive. Good luck. Hopefully the jhm diff is ok, and they can install it properly for you.

[Homer]

So what I'm hearing is that he said it would be ok to drive with little to no oil in the transmission?
Thats a bit more than careless.

[s-man]

damn, you paid really high for this lesson man.... I was stuck in a similar situation, but not this bad...hope it goes well man

[Satummoo]

So what I'm hearing is that he said it would be ok to drive with little to no oil in the transmission?
Thats a bit more than careless.

he said that there was about 3-4 quarts left when we drained the fluid.

when I called jhm, they said that there was a minimal amount of fluid that comes out when you change it. They said they never heard of anything like this hapening

[mr shickadance]

sounds like that minimal amount of fluid was enough to cuase some serious seizing or over heating tho.....

[Satummoo]

so if a transmission siezes, is it completely broke or just one of the components of a transmission?

For instance, would all of the gears be bad or possibly just the rear transfer of the trans?

I'm trying to find a glimpse of hope here and hoping that this will only be around 2k max

[mr shickadance]

thats something that all depends on a lot of different factors, if one part fails and you catch it quickly there may be minimal damage, if you drove on it till it couldn't engage move even in neutral ....well then i hate to be that person especially on xmas....but you may be out a transmission


you may only be out a differential....which is going to be a lot cheaper, take it a lesson learned i guess

[greensto]

3zero3!! NOW!

[Satummoo]

thats something that all depends on a lot of different factors, if one part fails and you catch it quickly there may be minimal damage, if you drove on it till it couldn't engage move even in neutral ....well then i hate to be that person especially on xmas....but you may be out a transmission


you may only be out a differential....which is going to be a lot cheaper, take it a lesson learned i guess

:-(

anyone know if the FWD transmission internals could be swapped to an AWD trans if the gearing was messed up? It's on sale for 350$ brand new from audi on clerance

[mr shickadance]

i dont know the answer to your question tho i do know that a fwd to awd swap can be done and the diy i believe is in the technical sub-division of the b7 forum

[Sprode]

:-(

anyone know if the FWD transmission internals could be swapped to an AWD trans if the gearing was messed up? It's on sale for 350$ brand new from audi on clerance

As far as I know, a transmission is a transmission regardless of what drivetrain it has. You need to find out what is wrong before you go buying parts.

[Brillo]

:-(

anyone know if the FWD transmission internals could be swapped to an AWD trans if the gearing was messed up? It's on sale for 350$ brand new from audi on clearance

I believe that the 6-speed manual for the FWD and the Quattro are different only because, IIRC, the the final drive ratio between the two is different, at least on the 08s. That may have to do with the gears used for 6th gear though.

[Sprode]

Final drive is in the differentials, not the transmission tho...

[LampyB]

3Zero3 is always a good option, but they're still expensive as hell. i swear by Randy & Todd over at Autobahn Premier Service in Englewood, they're as good as 3Zero3 unless you've got an R8 or you're supercharging a B7 RS4 like Weeder. Autobahn will end up being significantly cheaper. If you call let them know Matt Lampkin sent you and they'll definitely take care of you. I'll vouch for them any day...they've been the only ones to work on my past two Audi's and both of my MKV VW's...

Autobahn Premier Service - 303.935.9065 ask for Randy, mention my name.

[Brillo]

Final drive is in the differentials, not the transmission tho...

Sprode: Not very knowledgeable here but isn't the front differential integral to the transmission?

[mr shickadance]

integral to the drive train....

engine -> transmission -> drivetrain -> differential -> wheels

[Homer]

It's integral to the transmission housing. There is not a seperate front diff housing.
http://www.awdwiki.com/images/audi-quattro-I_x.jpg

[Sprode]

Sprode: Not very knowledgeable here but isn't the front differential integral to the transmission?

I am out of my direct experience with the Audi here, but as far as the tranny internals go, they ought to be the same.

[GarrettReid]

i dont know the answer to your question tho i do know that a fwd to awd swap can be done and the diy i believe is in the technical sub-division of the b7 forum

This kind of got me interested. Do you have a link, I did a little poking around and couldn't find anything.

[Satummoo]

3Zero3 is always a good option, but they're still expensive as hell. i swear by Randy & Todd over at Autobahn Premier Service in Englewood, they're as good as 3Zero3 unless you've got an R8 or you're supercharging a B7 RS4 like Weeder. Autobahn will end up being significantly cheaper. If you call let them know Matt Lampkin sent you and they'll definitely take care of you. I'll vouch for them any day...they've been the only ones to work on my past two Audi's and both of my MKV VW's...

Autobahn Premier Service - 303.935.9065 ask for Randy, mention my name.

I wish i had known this before agh. So I had it towed to the shop, and the entire trans is busted. Lukily at a junkyard, there is one here in Denver for 1250$ with 36k on it. Will junkyards negotiate on pricing if you have cash? I was going to ask 900$

I found on the vw parts outlet that there is a brand NEW trans for the b8 a5 for 1000. I'm trying to find out if it will fit (both a5 and a4 use 2.0t) and if the final drive ratio is the same. Would anyone know? Here is the ECS link:

http://www.ecstuning.com/Audi-B8_A5-Quattro-2.0T/Search/New_Items/ES289111/

Thanks again everyone for all your help

[GarrettReid]

I wish i had known this before agh. So I had it towed to the shop, and the entire trans is busted. Lukily at a junkyard, there is one here in Denver for 1250$ with 36k on it. Will junkyards negotiate on pricing if you have cash? I was going to ask 900$

I found on the vw parts outlet that there is a brand NEW trans for the b8 a5 for 1000. I'm trying to find out if it will fit (both a5 and a4 use 2.0t) and if the final drive ratio is the same. Would anyone know? Here is the ECS link:

http://www.ecstuning.com/Audi-B8_A5-Quattro-2.0T/Search/New_Items/ES289111/

Thanks again everyone for all your help

I'm curious why it's 81% off.

[Sprode]

I wish i had known this before agh. So I had it towed to the shop, and the entire trans is busted. Lukily at a junkyard, there is one here in Denver for 1250$ with 36k on it. Will junkyards negotiate on pricing if you have cash? I was going to ask 900$

I found on the vw parts outlet that there is a brand NEW trans for the b8 a5 for 1000. I'm trying to find out if it will fit (both a5 and a4 use 2.0t) and if the final drive ratio is the same. Would anyone know? Here is the ECS link:

http://www.ecstuning.com/Audi-B8_A5-Quattro-2.0T/Search/New_Items/ES289111/

Thanks again everyone for all your help

It sounds like you should talk to a shop before going any further

[walky_talky20]

I was under the impression that the transmission changed drastically for the B8 chassis. They moved the front axle forward, with respect to the engine. So the output shafts for the front axles are further ahead on the bell housing than the B7 and earlier cars. That is let alone any other changes. I don't think a B8 trans will work for a B7 application, but that is just my educated guess, not experience.

EDIT: The transmission change I'm talking about is part of the "modular longitudinal platform", aka MLP that debuted with the B8 chassis. It appears on the auto's that the left front axle shaft passes directly in front of the torque converter. Allowing the front axle flanges to be darn near the very front edge of the bell housing, instead of several inches back as it has always been:
http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mellor.nsf/story2/227DA0D754068CB4CA25742500147154
http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mellor.nsf/story2/227DA0D754068CB4CA25742500147154/$file/audi_lower.jpg
http://autogreenmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/audi-8-speed.jpg

[GarrettReid]

I don't think a B8 trans will work for a B7 application, but that is just my educated guess, not experience.

Depends how deep your pockets are.