[V8] 1990 V8 auto transmission issue

[cobram at juno.com]

Yup, he's confusing it with the 5000 non Q automatics.  Completely
different animals.  Most of the failures I've seen on the V8Q's were bad
solenoids, relatively easy to change, just drop the valve body.  I was
replacing them with BMW solenoids back when you couldn't get any parts
for the Audi box, the harness had to be adapted, and that was it.

The 4HP24's had their problems, most spectacularly in the early BMW's
where if you dyno'd the car for a state inspection it wouldn't move
afterwards.  The other big problem which had nothing to do with the
transmission but with the guy working on it, was not indexing the pump
correctly and breaking it when reinstalling an engine or transmission. 
There was a guy on the list back in the day who worked for a dealer, and
asked about it on the list, when it was explained that the tech broke it,
they still stuck it to the owner for a new transmission.

Many reported failures before the first scheduled tranny fluid change
too.  Two of my V8Q's got new transmissions on Audi's dime before they
hit the 45k mile mark.  Their failure rate in the Jags and Strange Rovers
is nothing to brag about either.  

When they work, they work well, but for what it is, an ubber expensive
luxury car auto box, it leaves much to be desired in the reliability
department compared to Mercyless Benz and other auto boxes.  I'm no fan
of ANY ZF box I've seen in a passenger car yet.

BCNU,
Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes.

On Sat, 9 Jun 2012 01:56:57 +0000 (UTC) allanvega at comcast.net writes:
> Kent, I'm really trying to show restraint here, but really, that has 
> to be the biggest load of BS I've heard on this list in a while . 
> Lets start with the ridiculous statement "A rear seal goes on the 
> engine, leaks oil into the transmission, and 
> transmission death follows shortly thereafter." While rear main 
> seals do go on these (all cars) please explain how the fluid from a 
> rear main seal defies gravity, shoots past the torque converter, and 
> into the front input shaft seal, and then mixes with the 
> transmission fluid? 
> 
> "V8s are known for eating their automatic transmissions." Really? 
> How about this, the the zf4hp24 is the most robust automatic 
> transmission Audi has ever installed in any of there automatic cars. 
> Audi chose that transmission because of its proven reliability in 
> cars such as the bmw e32 750 (yes the twelve cylinder), Land rover 
> dicovery (a truck!), Range rover 4.6 (yet another truck) bmw e31 850 
> (another twelve cylinder) and both the jaguar xjs and xj6. 
> 90% of failures on these transmissions are maintenance related (lack 
> of service, till there's a problem) probably 8% for human error 
> (towing with wheels on the ground, reving engine with car in park or 
> neutral) 
> 
> If you bought your car new, did all your maintenance on scheduled, 
> and still went through several transmutations, then you might have a 
> leg to stand on....but then we would still be talking about one car 
> only. Its just too easy for people to pick on Audi automatics, be 
> cause of there problematic 3 speed auto front drivers of the 80's 
> and the a8 autos of the 90's, These are not those tranys, and don't 
> deserve all the negative publicity ill informed owners like the OP 
> above is spewing. 
> 
> (rant off) 
> 
> As for the car in question, the fact that "it moves forward slowly" 
> could be an indication of limp home mode. severl things could cause 
> this, the most common is low trany fluid. other things that it could 
> be bad multi function switch on the transmission, sticking solenoids 
> inside the transmission(old fluid = varnish) bad forward clutch 
> packs, burnt pump ( again, maintenance) 
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Kent McLean" <kentmclean at comcast.net> 
> To: v8 at audifans.com 
> Sent: Friday, June 8, 2012 8:02:59 PM 
> Subject: Re: [V8] 1990 V8 auto transmission issue 
> 
> Lee Levitt wrote: 
> > Too bad it's an auto. 
> > 
> > Here's a pic: 
> > 
> > www.auctionzip.com/Full-Image/1464508/fp34.cgi 
> 
> Really, if it was "just" a fluid change, they'd do it and sell it 
> for 
> top dollar. V8s are known for eating their automatic transmissions. 
> 
> A rear seal goes on the engine, leaks oil into the transmission, and 
> 
> transmission death follows shortly thereafter. 
> 
> Transmissions can be rebuilt to be better than new, but it isn't 
> cheap. $500 for the car, $5000 for a rebuilt transmission, and 
> you'll 
> a nice driver, if the heater core has been replaced, and the heater 
> 
> blower is new, and the UFO brakes a good, and the AC holds a charge, 
> 
> and ... 
> 
> Oh, those steel wheels must be the winter set. I'm sure the original 
> 
> BBS's are in the trunk, probably with new high performance summer 
> tires on them. 
> 
> -- 
> Kent McLean 
> 1999 A4 Avant, V6 Tiptronic 
> gone: too many to count, including my first, "Bad Puppy"