i think my trans is going out

[Meatyshells]

i have a 2000 3.8 a4 and it kicks from 1-2 sometimes and under full throttle
it slips from 2-3 pretty bad

what would you guys reccomend getting to replace my trans? and how hard is it to do the work myself?

[Kronic Budz]

Re: i think my trans is going out

does it shift hard from 1-2 all the time or just sometimes when the car is cold?

[96greenmachine]

Re: i think my trans is going out

any codes? mine has a transmission code and i was told im gonna need a sonnax upgrade whatever the hell that is lol

[CDNFB]

Re: i think my trans is going out

I posted this once before, but cannot find it now by searching. So I'll repost it. It might answer some questions for you.

If you need to see the figures, let me know and I can E-Mail them.

[Meatyshells]

Re: i think my trans is going out

the hard shift happens mostly when the car is cold, but it slips pretty bad under full throttle from 2-3, once it even hit the rev limiter untill i let off the gas. The trans has 133k on it so im thinking of just replacing it with a used trans with lower mileage.

I guess my question is, how hard is it to pull my tranny and replace it with a used stock tranny? What tools would i need? I have a good hydro jack and i have some jack stands and basic tools (wrenches/ratchets). What else would i need?

[96greenmachine]

Re: i think my trans is going out

im suffering the same exact thing bud...mine has 229k miles though lol...but as for what u might need...the basics u just named not sure what else though...

[CDNFB]

Re: i think my trans is going out

Mostly, basic tools are all you need to yank the tranny out of there. But be warned. Getting to the bolts that attach the bellhousing to the engine is not fun due to the fact that they are close up to the firewall and way under the cowl! Not alot of room for wrenches and such. And those damn bolts are TIGHT!! Some people have gotten those bolts out by getting at them from under the car with a socket, 1/2" drive universal, and a very long extension (24'-36"). Others have disconnected the engine mounts and moved the engine forward enough to get at the bolts. Other than that it's just basic grunt work and wrenching.

[99v6bird]

Re: i think my trans is going out

hey meatyshells.

I just finished removing my 200k miles 4l60e from my 99 3.8v6 bird today. It often slammed hard on 1st to 2nd shift, but I never corrected that. I finally pulled it after it started slipping a lot in all gears...but I did get a lot of miles out of it!

It was a lot of work. If your 2000 is like my 99, then you can expect some of this :

The cross member, tranny mount and cat converter support look like rube goldberg designed them...I hope I can figure out how to put them back together.

I had to cut the exhaust pipe right behind the cat to get the tranny to lean back/down far enough...removing the y-pipe might make it easier...but I've never removed one.

Also, I removed the heat shield for the cat to get some working room, and had to remove the starter to get to the torque converter bolts.

There is not much working room, even with the tranny lowered after mount removal, and several items were hard to accomplish :

It was very difficult to get to the e-clips to remove the tranny lines.

It was a real pia getting the inspection cover down to remove converter bolts because on the passenger side the cover is held in place by a stud/bolt from a brace that is attached under the motor mount (between the block and the motor mount), so motor mount bolts had to be loosened, but I did not remove the motor mount.

The bellhousing bolts were very difficult to get loose. My cheap 275# torque wrench wouldn't do it...had to use 36" to 42" of extensions, a universal with 18mm socket and an 18" breaker bar (all 1/2" size) to get them loose.

I never did see or reach the upper bolt holding the dipstick tube onto the back of the motor...I forced the bottom of the tube out of tranny and dropped the tranny with the top of the tube still attached to the motor.

All the bolts and screws involved are metric, from like 7mm up to the 18mm.

A shop around my way said they would remove the tranny for $200, that would have been easier, but sometimes I like to mess with the car myself.

I took me quite a few hours to take it apart, probably 8 to 10 total, but I was taking my time.

I can get a used tranny for about $400 around here, but I think I'll spend a few more and get a rebuilt one, hoping it will last longer since I plan on keeping the car.

If you do it yourself, I'd be glad to give you more info!