Popping out of 2nd gear

[Rodgman15]

Experts, i'll ask you before I get crazy or start throwing parts at it which my wallet does not want right now. The vehicle in question is a 97 A4 TQM.

2nd gear likes to pop out on deceleration, i'll downshift to take a turn, stand on it only to find it's in neutral. If I downshift into second and hold the shifter back, it stays in gear, no grinding, but there does seem to be a large "clunk" that seems to come from the rear of the car on occasion. I can shift into 2nd, run it up through the RPMs, let off, stand on it again and it'll pop out as well. There are no issues whatsoever getting it into gear.

Mounts? Tranny about to sh#t the bed? I've read it's possibly the snub mount, or tranny mounts, or rear diff mount. I've made a few SMALL adjustments to my shifter basket, which seem to help a bit, so i'm going to try that again before getting to crazy. Any input is appreciated! TIA

[Davdraco1]

My other car pops out of 4th and the mounts on it are shot and you can tell the whole engine and trans move around. I know the clutch is fine on the car. I would get under the car and see what mounts are done and maybe start there.

[seanf86]

check the linkage attachment point under the car on the trans as well as the one in the shifter box. Then have a good look at the mounts, I've seen cars have issues after a clutch replacement because the linkage was not lined up properly upon trans re installation.

[Rodgman15]

Cool, thanks guys. I replaced the clutch just over a year ago and have had no issues thus far, just popped up recently.

Other than pissing hydraulic fluid everywhere (tranny mounts fluid filled?) or visible tears, any tell tale signs that the mounts are shot? Excessive movement?

[seanf86]

Cool, thanks guys. I replaced the clutch just over a year ago and have had no issues thus far, just popped up recently.

Other than pissing hydraulic fluid everywhere (tranny mounts fluid filled?) or visible tears, any tell tale signs that the mounts are shot? Excessive movement?

Excessive movement, pretty sure the trans mounts are not fluid filled, what are you running for engine mounts?

[Rodgman15]

Bone stock!

I've got a BT build in the works, so upgrading when i put my new motor in is definitely on the to do list.

[Davdraco1]

I would think its the mounts since the clutch is newer

[walky_talky20]

The clutch can't cause it to pop out of gear. But internal damage to the transmission can cause this. On the Honda's, Mitsubishi's and Toyota's, worn bearings within the transmission allow the shafts to move excessively when loaded (accel or decel) - enough to pop the shift collar off the gear. This is not a common problem on the Audi 5-speed boxes, though. There is a characteristic failure of our transmissions where the shifter "stop screws" (aka "slider bolts") are sheared off internally. This can lead to all kinds of shifting problems.

Perhaps more likely is broken or worn engine/trans mounts that allow the transmission to move excessively. If the shifter box runs out of allowable movement, it can begin to push or pull on the selector shaft. This has the potential to cause it to pop out of a particular gear. Incorrect adjustment of the shifter (especially the stationary rod length adjustment) can contribute to this condition.