follow up to transmission dead? probably not clutch 89 90q

[Michael Gough]

I think the torsen part of your tranny is bad, maybe some other parts too. From what I've read about torsen, it is simply a limited slip diff. If you drive a ltd. slip RWD car with a space saver spare tire on the back you will wear out the ltd slip clutches and it just becomes an open diff. Being towed by 2 wheels means that the entire trip, the ltd. slip clutches in the center diff were slipping and wearing out. 
Now, I think that I remember the 90s have torsen in just the center diff, not the front one too. If this is the only problem, I would think you could just replace the center diff, although I wouldn't want to because all those gears in the tranny scare me.
Good luck
Mike

On Mon, 09 July 2001, Nathan D Engelbert wrote:

> 
> I brought my 89 90q home from wisconsin this past thursday using a uhaul
> flatbed auto transport and dropped it off at double A mco in skokie IL on
> thursday night.  Had spoken with them before, and they said they could
> work on it friday.  Well, called them friday after work, they want to
> charge me $895 just to take out the transmission and look at it!  I went
> down there saturday evening to get a couple of things out of my car, and
> it's unlocked!  Also looks as if the aamcoites have gone through all my
> posessions in my car.  Had a clutch kit from blau boxed up in the
> passenger seat, and it's been opened and parts are strewn about.  Needless
> to say, I don't trust Aamco right now.  Well, that's not happening right
> now, and I'll be having my car towed elsewhere.  I'm debating just buying
> a used transmission and doing the swap myself. 
> 
> Just to recall, the symptoms were, driving down road about 55 mph when it
> feels like someone taps brake a couple of times within a mile.  All of a
> sudden I can rev my engine and get no response.  Take it to a shop in WI
> and they tell me it's not the clutch, and that they don't want to tear
> apart an audi.  SO, list tells me that it's probably either the torsen or
> the input shaft to the transmission.  The car is now making horrible
> grinding noise when engine is running with clutch depressed or not, in
> gear or not, etc. but the engine runs fine.  The car was towed from my
> father illegally parking it two wheels up last fall, with what seemed to
> be no ill effects.  Also after breakdown it was towed same way.  I know
> that this is BAD.
> 
> My questions are (as my bentley is in my car at aamco):
> 
> 1)  Are the transmission and the torsen all part of one big piece/in the
> same housing?  If I were to buy a used transmission, could i get both?
> 
> 2)  With what degree of certainty is it the torsen or the input shaft?
> 
> 3)  Is it worth it to have the car fixed, have the transmission/diff
> replaced, just start looking for audi #2?
> 
> 4)  How much of a pain is it for one to swap transmissions in this car?
> I'd be replacing clutch as well, what are the chances that it's something
> else and that this wouldn't fix it?
> 
> 5)  I believe Aamco is being unreasonable, am I right in this opinion?  I
> have a friend in dayton, OH that had his ford ranger's tranny taken out,
> looked at for $300 at a local place, and syncros replaced for another
> $200.
> 
> 
> TIA for all help,
> 
> Nathan Engelbert
> 89 90q (slowly dying)


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