Re: auto-trans questions

[MHLIGGINS@aol.com]

<<The car, BTW, was owned by a care- and clueless
moron before me; the transmission engages quickly
(and harshly? Compared to my Caprices, anyway) 
most of the time, >>
     This is considered a GOOD THING.

<<though it's sometimes slow to switch
to 3rd after letting off the accel. after accellerating
hard in 2nd.>>
     This *might be* a BAD THING.

     You need to do a few things. First, have the filter
changed in the trannie. While the cover is off have a
knowledgable mech look at the valve body and see if any
garbage has collected. If it has, and the valves are a
bit stiff you are in luck -- that's probably the cause
of the shifting glitches.
     Second, either convert it to synthetic (we use 
Mobil 1)or be sure to put in a good additive, such as
Militec 1, that will help loosen those sticking valves
in the trannie.
     Third, have someone check the fluid in the final
drive. See if it's low. If it is, that IS a bad thing.
If it isn't consider yourself blessed. Either way have
the final drive fluid changed, using a synthetic 
replacement, we use Red Line but there are several.

     If the valves were not sticking in your trannie you
are probably going to find that the final drive was low
on oil. That helped overheat the trans. Which make 
things go wrong inside of it. The trannie is on the way
to failure. It's a function of when, not if.
     Based on experience of several folk on the list 
(us included) your best bet is to bite the bullet and
get a trannie rebuild, but NOT one done by a local shop.
Those seem to almost always wind up being horror stories
(such as the 3 months it took to get ours back -- and 
three times removed/replaced.)
     I've forgotten the name of the company in Oregon
that is well known for the rebuilds, but someone on the
list will remember.
     As with many things Audi, preventive maintenance is
an important factor in the slushboxes hanging on. Change
the fluid on some kind of regular basis, even though the
factory says otherwise. Check the final drive oil every
time you change the ATF. Always use synthetics to help
lessen the effects of heat.

     Later.
     --ml