I've just signed up because my A4LD is leaking again.

[Mormegil007]

I just replaced the valve body gaskets in accordance with some info from Glacier991 and it worked awesomely. However... now it's leaking from somewhere else. It drove great for a few days. As of last night it can go in reverse with no problem. It goes into first with a little bit of roughness to start, but after it starts moving it goes through the gear fine... only problem is that when it tries to switch to 2nd it stops working until I slow down, and then it will go back into first. When I check the fluid levels it's super low, but when I poor more in it all comes out of this metal tube on the port/forward side of the valve body. I don't know how to move it now, but I can't afford a tow or a new trans. Any ideas?

 

[Sams01XplrSprt]

welcome

 

[BrooklynBay]

Welcome to this forum! Are you adding the fluid with the engine running?

 

[Mormegil007]

I'm not... but I didn't think I had to. Is that incorrect? Would that cause it to spill out in massive amounts from some sort of overflow?

 

[BrooklynBay]

Yes, you have to add the fluid with the engine running. Check this link from # 14 in my list of useful threads: Dead Link Removed

 

[Mormegil007]

Ok, so I went back to the car and the levels were actually overfilled where before the dipstick indicated that there was no fluid at all. I ran the engine until it was hot and cycled it slowly through the gears and checked the levels again and it was still overfull. I tried, after running the car for twenty minutes, to test the trans and the same problem occurred in that the car will immediately engage in reverse, is slow to engage in first, and will just go idle in second until I slow down to almost a halt where it will pop back into first. However, there is no fluid leaking that I can tell. I'm stumped.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Did you use a torque wrench on the valve body bolts when you replaced the gaskets?

 

[Mormegil007]

Ummmm.... no....

BTW BBay, that was an awesome article. Thanks for sending it.

 

[BrooklynBay]

You need to use a 1/4" drive In/Lb torque wrench on the valve body bolts.

 

[Mormegil007]

And so you think that would cause this sort of problem? That leaves me scratching my head because it was working for three days before it gave out suddenly. I guess I don't understand very much about transmissions. :-(

 

[BrooklynBay]

The bolts might have uneven torque without using a torque wrench.