I have a bad feeling I have a problem developing; any thoughts?

[gregoryindiana]

I noticed about a week ago what sounded like a speed related whine from the back of the car. I just thought I was hearing something that had always been there, but drowned out by the music I usually have playing. At first I thought it might be something with the rear differential or maybe a wheel bearing issue, but the more I thought about it, I started to worry about the transmission.

Today I noticed that as I drove along at a pretty steady speed with steady throttle, it seemed like the tach was going up and down by as much as 300-400 rpm. I had not noticed this before.

Do you all think that I will be looking at some transmission issue when I take the car in for the DRC recall repair?

About a month ago, it seemed like there was a bit of a hesitation/clunk in the transmission when I was slowing to a stop. I didn't think anything of it at the time, but now I worry that it could have been the first sign of a serious problem.

What do you all think??

[hahnmgh63]

Sounds like you need to get it Vagcom'd to see if there are any codes. If you have a warranty I would hope that it is the transmission so you can get it replaced while you have the warranty as well as the upper O2 & EGT sensors. If you don't have a warranty and you can't pull the tranny yourself, good luck. Have you ever changed all of the fluids? How many miles on the car? I changed all of my differential fluids & tranny at 36K and did the tranny again at 52K, I personally think it is important and ZF thinks it is important as they list a service interval for the 5HP24A tranny, and they build it, Audi on the other hand thinks it is fluid for life and we all know how reliable the tranny is

[Shoppinit]

I changed all of my differential fluids & tranny at 36K and did the tranny again at 52K, I personally think it is important and ZF thinks it is important as they list a service interval for the 5HP24A tranny, and they build it, Audi on the other hand thinks it is fluid for life and we all know how reliable the tranny is

I couldn't agree more. No way is this a lifetime fluid.

Problem is finding someone competent to replace it. You can easily kill the gearbox if it's not done right.

A whine from the gearbox normally suggests pump cavitation. Could be that you have a slow leak and your level is low. Either way, you need to change your ATF since the procedure for checking it is almost the same as for changing it.

[mmaturo]

I noticed about a week ago what sounded like a speed related whine from the back of the car. I just thought I was hearing something that had always been there, but drowned out by the music I usually have playing. At first I thought it might be something with the rear differential or maybe a wheel bearing issue, but the more I thought about it, I started to worry about the transmission.

Today I noticed that as I drove along at a pretty steady speed with steady throttle, it seemed like the tach was going up and down by as much as 300-400 rpm. I had not noticed this before.

Do you all think that I will be looking at some transmission issue when I take the car in for the DRC recall repair?

About a month ago, it seemed like there was a bit of a hesitation/clunk in the transmission when I was slowing to a stop. I didn't think anything of it at the time, but now I worry that it could have been the first sign of a serious problem.

What do you all think??

My last tranny failure was precipitated by continuous issues with a long hesitation then a clunk coming to a stop as the car went into neutral and had a hard time coming back to first. Get it checked. Also felt it in mid range acceleration as a momentary slipping...revs up but not moving...similar to a momentary loss of boost but was really a slip.

[hahnmgh63]

Shoppinit, you are right about the tranny re-filling/checking level procedure but if you are a decent mechanic and have Vagcom (a must) then it isn't too difficult. The two times I've done mine I pulled the pan to clean the magnets (not too dirty but a small metallic film/sludge) and new filter. The periscope filling procedure can be done with a jury rigged hose although I spent the $300~$400 on the special Audi filling tool (way overpriced, should be about $30~$50). You add about 6~8 quarts of fluid until it starts coming out then start the car and while the pump is pulling the new oil from the pan you start adding again. I turned off the car a few times so the pump wouldn't cavitate until I got about 1~2 more quarts in then re-started and keep filling and start Vagcom and watch the temp of the tranny. When Vagcom says the temp is 35'~40'C then you stop filling as the fluid start to drip out of the fill hole. I run it through Drive, Reverse, Park a couple of times to confirm and keep and eye on the temp, when all is well it is time to cap it off and it's all done until next time. I won't start a transmission oil thread but I will say I use Redline D4 ATF and after 30K in the car all is well. My tranny is under warranty but I'm also hoping that it will fail before the warranty runs out so I can get a new one too, since the DRC is fixed (ala KW's) I know this is the weakness of the car now.

[Shoppinit]

That's interesting that you're using redline ATF. I've heard a lot of opinions that insist only the Audi ATF should be used. Aren't you worried about voiding your warranty?

Also, have you tried running through the gears with the tiptro while you're filling the ATF? After I have mine changed, I had a clunk when switching from 5th to 4th at about 70mph. I figure it was an airpocket in the valve body.

[Hy Octane]

From another thread, I thought this might interest you. Its the proper tranny flushing method as posted by Qisha.

"The transmission is filled with ~11l of oil, make sure to rinse the transmission by re-filling and clearing the transmission about three times. This is recommended since you only remove a third- to half of the oil with each procedure. After this you should be good- if the oil shows no advanced particle appearance and/or visual wear. If so, you will be in need to do either a transmission revision or get it replaced."

Qisha

[Shoppinit]

Thanks for that. I intend to get my ATF changed everytime I take the car in. This way it'll be all eventaually be flushed and keep the overall ATF quality good. Obviously I'd prefer to do it myself, but I don't have the space / time. Its' a pity there's no way to drain the box properly.

Also, and possibly related to the OP's problem, what about rear transaxle servicing? Does anyone flush the oil here?

[Hy Octane]

Something else that Qishas mentioned is the fact that our trannies are programed according to the type of oil used in them which is ZF Lifeguard 5..
If you change the fluid to another type you might need to reprogram the TCU to compensate for the change in behavior. So, if you have changed the type of oil in your tranny, if it has different parameters than the factory fill, you might want to keep an ear out for potential probs.

[hahnmgh63]

Directly from the ZF catalog is the listing for the fluid as Esso LT 71141 which is probably what Audi uses rebottled. Esso lists the fluid as a Semi synthetic so there is no mystery oil or witchcraft involved. I do know that Redline motor oils exceed pretty much all other motor oils specifications just check the required data sheets available from the manufacturers websites (pay particular attention in the weight your looking at for HTHS (high temp high shear) which is a euro rating that Audi/vw value highly. The only Mobile 1 oil to meet this is the 0W-40 European formula and just barely, All Redline oils exceed this by a lot. As for ATF since I digressed, I don't know a lot about ATF's as I do about motor oil so I'm assuming a bit when I claim Redline is as good or most likely better than the Audi/ZF Esso formula but ATF's have not been regulated like motor oils. ATF's are just hydraulic oil with additives, not mysterious concoctions other than a few special additives. I will state my transmission on the fact that fully synthetic Redline is better than semi-synthetic Esso LT 71141, even though I would like my tranny to fail so I can get it replaced. As for your fluid, I dont' think there is a dealer out there that will pull the fluid and get it analyzed to find out that your not using the factory fluid. Check out this ZF website as they have a couple that have some interesting info on their transmissions: http://www.zf.com/na/content/media/i...alog/5HP24.pdf
This ZF document has a slightly expanded (ie. More detailed) filling procedure for our transmission than the Bentley so I follow the ZF document when I've done mine and one friends.

[Shoppinit]

Useful document. Thanks. It's the for 2 wheel drive box, though. Can we assume it's more or less the same for the 5HP24a?

[gregoryindiana]

Took the car over to Continental Audi in Naperville yesterday. Plan was for the DRC recall, routine maintenance, and trans fluid/screen and pan gasket replacement, along with investigation and repair of whatever was causing the whine in the rear.

Call came in today, and the noise is a rear wheel bearing!!! Not sure I have seen this as a problem before in any of our cars (and yes, I used search). They probably could have the part in and all the work done, including the wheel bearing and DRC, and the car back to me by Saturday, Halloween. But I can't get back there to retrieve the car until next Tuesday, so no big deal.

Thanks again to Mark (mmaturo) and everyone else for your advice. They at Continental are well familiar with the DRC issues, as though they might surf this site from time to time. They particularly mentioned the ride height issue, and said that it is "only sllightly higher in the rear" just like DHall has said all along. I measured my wheel center to fender height before I went, and got about 14 inches front and barely more in the rear.

When I mentioned Mark to the service advisor when I arrived, they acknowledged you as one of their best clients. I told them that your recommendation was the main reason I chose them for follow-up service.

I did get a complimentary loaner vehicle, by the way. Because I was going back out of state, they're not allowed (by their insurance??) to give me one of their loaner Audis, but for a 4 day loaner at no charge, I wasn't going to complain.

Incidentally, I was in Germany the first 2 weeks of October. Enjoyed driving a Porsche C4S, the new Panamera 4S and Panamera Turbo, and had a great drive from Stuttgart to Lake Como, with stops at Lake Constance and Tergensee, with side trips to Portofino and (Hitler's) Eagle's Nest. The Panamera is a great driving car, especially the turbo. They will sell quite a few, I think. The PDK transmission is very nice in manual mode with sport setting on in either car. They don't seem to have a problem with too much torque for this tranny in the Panamera Turbo!!

I was surprised how crowded the roads were in Bavaria this time of year. We had a few open autobahn (no speed limit) areas, but with traffic the best I could do in the C4S was 270 kph. Still my personal best!

[hahnmgh63]

I just missed you in Germany by a few weeks. I was over there the last two weeks of September and hit most of the places you mentioned. Including the "Eagles Nest". I did a tour recommended by a German friend, the company was owned by an American couple who had lived there for just over 20 years and were real familiar with the history and many of the other buildings that were still standing. Summer/Fall is always a big road construction time in Germany, I also ran into a lot of construction zones which is frustrating after cruising at 200~220kph for a while. The hunting rpm differences you mentioned are what probably led most of us to the transmission conclusion as well as the clunk when coming to a stop. I would keep and eye on it and if the rpm hunting is really happening along with a noticeable clunk then it sounds like you do have tranny issues along with your wheel bearing problem.

[mmaturo]

Thanks for the words... lol, ummm WORST RS6 = best service client : ) I am one patient man. Lord knows they have seen me almost every month in the last 4 years. They do a good job and do fix most things. Wheel bearing in rear is a new one...i had a front go.

We (me and Robyn) have talked in length about the DRC so they are well versed as I think there is 3 or 4 of you now that have read things here and gone there and had the same discussion and concerns, never mind those of us that already did go there...lol, heck poor Robyn dug up a ruler for me to measure my ride height post fix... if only i could get ummm say a kickback like a free timing belt... Never thought i would know the names of everyone in the service department and half the techs. Can't wait for my next Audi and way less frequent visits.

Sounds like a fantastic trip and drive. Hope to do that route myself in a year or two back through that same area (hopefully driving an R8 or RS5).