4-SPEED AUTOMATIC GEARBOX

[davidglangford]

Following on from a visit to the garage for my R reg Auto Diesel Passat's MOT & Inspection Service I seem to have problems with the SELECTOR LEVER which sticks/jams.

Firstly when I tried to park and it jammed in Neutral and

later when I tried to start and it won't shift out of Park. In both cases turning the ignition off frees it up and following moving it through the changes I seem to be able to use either Reverse or Drive. Any connection between having the brake fluid changed and a resultant lack of communication between depressing the brake pedal and the selector lever lock?

[davidglangford]

Since the post above I've taken a run down the A2 to Bluewater. Moved through the changes freely before turning the ignition on and then started and moved off O.K. from home. Everything fine until mega slow moving jam after M25. Creeping forward max 15mph, car judders a little, selector lever position on display goes ape! Flashes on and off, shows reading in negative, highlights 1st gear whilst I'm in D, few more judders and flashes then goes blank. Nurse the car to Bluewater and park by which time the display shows D with the ignition turned off. Following some retail therapy take the back roads home, engine O.K. but display blank! Pull up outside the house and the selector jams again in N. Ignition off and it frees up.

SSSHET!

Surely, Someone, Somewhere Has Experienced This?

Prior to the service the car had not been driven since 22nd

May due to me suffering from a slipped disc and being off sick from work. Guess What? The bulkhead had filled up with water because of blocked drainage holes! (Thanks to previous posts I managed to understand how to sort this before Service/MOT and became initiated in the brother/sisterhood of Passat Ownership) As a result I discovered a Pond_in_the_Back behind the drivers seat!

What kicks off when it gets damp because VW placed it below the Plim-soll line?

[davidglangford]

Latest in the unsolved saga.......

.....it's been OK ish for a few days. No judders, loss of power or sticky selector stick until yesterday when I woddled over a sleeping policeman a little faster than I intended. Jarred the car but not my back. Immediate flashing display, so I pulled over and stopped. Selector did not jam. Waited a few moments restarted and it seemingly reset and was OK.

This evening again flashing display and power affected for no apparent reason. Moved off the main road and found a less awkward spot to stop and parked but got stuck in N again. This time the selector lever seemed to be clicking and I could feel the vibration. Turned it off and waited but when I tried to start again it was still happening and would not reset. Called out the AA. Told the full saga to the very nice man and he checked the earth cable of the battery to see if there was any corrosion, cleaned and then reattached it. Car started first time no judder full display. He thought it might be a possible corroded earth connection somewhere under around the dash. He didn't think it is Brake or Selector connected/triggered. More electrical, due dampness from the pond in the bulkhead.

ANY SUGGESTIONS ANYBODY?

[Rustynuts]

I'm sorry mate. I have no idea about the automatic transmission side of things, but bad earth connections can cause all sorts of probs. The AA man might be on the right track.

[Tobes49]

The flashing display means there are fault codes stored in the ECU memory, Scan the ecu as see what it comes up with.