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DSG gearbox locking on a hill


chipandpin
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This has happened to me a couple of times - when i park on a hill, pop it into P and put handbrake on. When i return to the car, start engine, release handbrake WITHOUT footbrake and it jams in P. First time I really had to force it out of P into D and it happened againg today but didnt have to force so hard - doesnt feel good forcing the gearbox though! - anyone else experienced this? (only happens if you DONT apply footbrake before releasing handbrake on a hill)

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I have noticed this as well , but not when pariked on a hill as such it was on a flat road !!!!

Can't remember what sequence i did things but i can remember having to force it out of park , and thinking that i thought that should not have done that.

Keith

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Yip, I've noticed the same thing before.

I've had to force it out of park once and I don't want to have to do that again.

I always put my foot on the brake before releasing / applying the handbrake to avoid this happening !

[/ QUOTE ]

i try to use footbrake but park on a hill every day both at work and at home, so sometimes forget! i wonder if forcing it out of park is doing any long term damage? First time i almost rang VW assist!

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If the DSG uses the same parking mechanism as and ordinary automatic, then it works like this...

when you slip the gear to "P" there is a nob in the gearbox that slips into a gear and locks the gears from moving. So when you are standing on a hill the gear is resting all of the cars weight on this "nob". So that's why it's hard to release the "P". (And also this is why automatics can roll forward or backward when selecting "P" on a hill. The "nob" has to get in to a gear.)

My english isn't the best so I hope my answear makes any sense smile.gif

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[ QUOTE ]

This has happened to me a couple of times - when i park on a hill, pop it into P and put handbrake on. When i return to the car, start engine, release handbrake WITHOUT footbrake and it jams in P. First time I really had to force it out of P into D and it happened againg today but didnt have to force so hard - doesnt feel good forcing the gearbox though! - anyone else experienced this? (only happens if you DONT apply footbrake before releasing handbrake on a hill)

[/ QUOTE ]

Am i missing something here or shouldnt you be treating the dsg box the same as you would a manual with regards hill starts?. In manual you wouldnt dream of letting the handbrake off without first getting the "bite" so surely it works the same with DSG, you leave the handbrake on and then move from "P" to "D" then off handbrake and away you go confused.gif

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[ QUOTE ]

[ QUOTE ]

This has happened to me a couple of times - when i park on a hill, pop it into P and put handbrake on. When i return to the car, start engine, release handbrake WITHOUT footbrake and it jams in P. First time I really had to force it out of P into D and it happened againg today but didnt have to force so hard - doesnt feel good forcing the gearbox though! - anyone else experienced this? (only happens if you DONT apply footbrake before releasing handbrake on a hill)

[/ QUOTE ]

Am i missing something here or shouldnt you be treating the dsg box the same as you would a manual with regards hill starts?. In manual you wouldnt dream of letting the handbrake off without first getting the "bite" so surely it works the same with DSG, you leave the handbrake on and then move from "P" to "D" then off handbrake and away you go confused.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Thats the theory, but in a manual, if you did release the handbrake and roll back slightly before releasing the clutch it wouldnt lock the gearbox up - you just release the clutch. How many times has your backside twitched when sat at at the lights on a hill and the geezer in front rolls back a foot or two before setting off cos he hasnt released the clutch.

I think its just a 'getting used to dsg' thing, and im the first to confess that after 4 months of ownership im only just getting the hang of it. Im just worried whether the 'nob' (technical term i think) that depsibob refers to is being damaged or whether the gearbox is being damaged by my sh1t hillstarts.

PS. welcome to the forum Depsibob! 169144-ok.gif

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Thanks chipandpin!

Don't know if the DSG could be damaged by that, but I do know you can break this nob-thing if you set it in "P" when the car is still moving.

When parking on a hill I usually set the handbrake first and then put it in P. Then when driving, apply brake, put DSG in D and then release handbrake. Don't know is it's needed but it feels like the gearbox gets better treated instead of trying to force it out of P.

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Having had a good look at my DSG mechanism when I first got the car to solve a problem with the mechanism not fully engaging in S mode,(caused by sewing thread from the leather gaiter) I'm pretty sure that by forcing it out of P you will eventually damage the mechanism. The mechanism consists of plastic parts and diecast metal parts held together with fairly insubstantial rivets and grub screws. It really is'nt designed to take repeated forcing out of P mode.

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OK, to clear this one up. There is a locking mechanism and ring gear on the front differential on DSG equipped cars, when you put the gearbox in “P”park, “that” mechanical action moves a lug that engages with the ring gear to lock the differential to the No#1 output shaft from the gearbox.

The point of it is to stop the vehicle rolling forward or backwards by holding the differential (locking the drive train), as a secondary safety device if the handbrake has not been engaged enough to hold the vehicle stationary.

But, what you are experiencing is this (i think).

When you stop you car on an incline, you would probably do this,

1. Hold the car on the footbrake,

2. Put the car in park,

3. Pull the handbrake on,

Turn of the ignition.

Because of the way the ring gear and mechanical lug are designed, you not will normally actually feel the lug engage into the ring gear, the gap between the teeth on the ring gear are larger than on the lug, so perhaps there is 5 degrees of rotation allowed from the ring gear before it would contact the lug and stop the diff from rotating further, or the lug may actually be resting on top of one of the ring gear teeth, and not resting in the groove.

Ok, when you come back to you car, you start the engine with the handbrake on, release the handbrake, without putting your foot on the brake, the car may roll only a few centimetres, and suddenly the lug engages with the ring gear and the drive train is locked, so you have the whole weight of the car holding the lug against the ring gear, the mechanical force required to disengage the lug is much higher than engaging it.

That is what I think is happening, I’ve experienced the same symptoms on mine a couple of times, when I have released the handbrake without applying the footbrake first.

As for damage, you might find that over a long period of time the gearlever may become looser if you force the leaver out of park all the time.

Hope this makes sense.

Tony Mac.

169144-ok.gif

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All 4 of my previous cars have been auto/tip boxes and on each one of them the way in which i park the cars has always been the same. I was taught when the car has stopped and you are ready to park, Keeping your foot on the brake disengage the gear lever and place it in neutral, then put the handbrake on (which takes the cars load), then place the gear leaver in 'p'. This then means the 'nob' as described above does not take any of the strain and when you start the car next it can be moved straight from 'p' into 'd' whilst releasing the handbrake and setting off.

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