'02 1.8T Jetta not shifting gears from 1st, when cold

[Big Dac With Fries]

I've marked this thread for future reading and reference.

I'm picking up a '03 Jetta for cheap, on the basis it has the exact problem as described in this thread.

The more I read into it, the more i'm tempted to convert it to manual - which is what I really wanted in the first place.

[Big Dac With Fries]

I had my N92 solenoid replaced today, as well as a fluid change.

I went on the cheap and used Mobil semi-synth Mercon-V. Seems like the full synthetic stuff is NLA - at least in Toronto it is. Going to drive it for a few weeks, and then do another drain & fill.

So far so good. I'll update this tomorrow, after I let the car sit outside in -20*c.

[CoolAirVw]

I'm finding lots of folks fixing delayed upshift cold with N92 solenoid.

I'm gonna post the threads here, and refer future folks to this thread..

http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=4468503

http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=4634051

http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthrea...2#post67646892




marked

also, here's a couple threads where folks have given good info on changing solenoids.

http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthrea...-Of-Valve-Body

http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?1521077

[Big Dac With Fries]

One week later, and the problem has not resurfaced.

However - today, I did experience an unusually hard 1-2 shift.

It happened once when I first started driving, and then, never again.

I'll update.

[Onearmedmidget]

Just adding my experience to all the tranny threads I've been keeping track of.

Symptoms: Slipping 1-2, 2-3 and usually bad going 3-2 with hard acceleration. Also when coming to a stop 2-1 I would get a little bump as the tranny shifted to 1. Also weird delay when taking foot off the gas and putting it back on, felt like the torque converter hesitated when locking.

bought all 9 solenoids as a package (359 u.s. online) because I didn't want to figure out which ones were bad as there seemed to be more than one. Installed them and all symptoms are gone. It's like a new tranny. 2-3 is still not as responsive as the other gears but it feels like it did when i drove it off the lot over 7 years ago. The dealership recommended 20K ago that I rebuild the transmission..... lol.

Thanks again CoolAirVW for the DIY and all the useful information.

[gigi123]

Where did you get the solenoids?

[Onearmedmidget]

Called up cobra transmission and had them ship it. Received it in 1 week from Miami to Toronto. Great service.

http://cobratransmission.com/i...03021

[asparagii]

just an update - my manual conversion works great - much happier now and it controls real nice in the snow/ice. Sounds like the N92 would've been a cheap fix - pity that info wasn't available to me at the time - anyway it's all good.

Word of warning for those considering this - the check engine light is always on and cruise control doesn't work. Me an a mate pulled up the engine wiring schematics to try and fix the check engine light - it didn't work.

[CoolAirVw]

Cruise can be made to work and you can get the checkengine light off. See the "kill the Wabbit thread" on tdiclub. Gbd posted a pdf on how to do it.

I've done it. Recode ecm to manual trans with vag-com to make light go out and move pin from TCM to ECM and make wiring for cruise.

[meltorment]

just wanted to add my 09A to the resurrected list.
i was tempted to change out the N92 myself, but opted to have a local shop do instead. not surprising they were familiar with the symptoms. i'd like to give a little shout out to wrench werks here in honolulu. quik turnaround and honest friendly service to boot!

[boxvid]

Thanks for the great advice! I've been having the same problem for nearly a year now. Only difference is my tranny seems to work better in lower ambient temps. The problem is worst after sitting in the hot sun - often over 100 Farenheit - for a few hours or more. I've been using pretty much the same tricks posted here to pop it into 4th at around 25-30 mph (and >5000 rpms). Will try replacing the N92 as well and will post the results.

[edgarking]

Hi all
I had the same problem with my A3 (09A tranny)
I already order the N92 from Cobra to HK (Hi guys I'm from HK)
Just few day by TNT EXPRESS

I will keep post to replace the N92.

[RonanKnows]

So glad I found this thread. I tried searching for a good guide to replacing the N92 but I couldn't find anything worthwhile. Anyone got a good link they could post/PM me?

[CoolAirVw]

There's one for 09A solenoid change but he changed the n91 and n281 (I think). All would be the same except for the specific solenoid.

Its in the FAQ here.

http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthrea...ission-DIY\FAQ

[RonanKnows]

Thanks a lot, man. I'll replace it and let you know how it goes.

[24vMayberry]

2003 vr6 jetta same problem as nost of you guys no cold shifting/ Well mine got so bad it wont come out of first. N92 stuck open? Well its in the shop now getting the N92 replaced. Waiting on the N92 to be shipped to the shop. Should be done by friday. I will post an update to whether or not it worked. Hands crossed it does!


O yea ordered mine form cobratransmission.com

[deepamundi]

hey do u still have the transmission for 1.8t
i need a tranny for my jetta
contact me at 661 340 3796 or deepamundi@yahoo.com

[Andrewj20]

i know this post is old but i had this problem with 29k on my trans luckly it was under warranty and now 132k and no problem...trans was replaced under warranty. 02 1.8t GTI i belive 09A and mine is a Brazilian car with 6speed axels if anyone cares.

[volksmech1]

marking this for future reference

[volksmech1]

i pulled everything appart and put the front in service mode to gain more room. took it apart while still hot and removed n92 (top drivers side valve) and you could blow through it like you were blowing up a ballon with little resistance at all. installed another valve and put it all togeather and rifilled with fluid and test drove it. all is well. went back and checked the old valve after it had cooled down on my tool box and you couldn't even blow shop air through it from the air compressor.

[za01vr6]

The title says it all....

Thanks for the contributors to this thread helping me make the call to dismantle my Sharan to get to the tranny (to rip in to that tip) !!

Shifting from 1 - 2 and 2 - 3 like new.

Any pointer though on the issue with reverse only working after 10 minutes or so driving?

I've also noticed that the car 'jumps' out of 1st when coming to a stop (kinda like a manual box jumping out of gear) when pulling away. Only by shifting to P and then engaging D will the car drive normally.

If I look at the active solenoids in 1st and R I might just as well replace N88 and N89 as well?

[za01vr6]

I bit the bullet and ordered n88 ....

should arrive on Monday, so I'll know by weeks end if all is well

[za01vr6]

i fitted n88 and put everything together again. The unit that came off the box was extremely brittle - the coil body broke in pieces upon removal.

The car stil does not have reverse when cold, but it kicks in much earlier than before the change when warmng up.

but now there's quite a pronounced flare between 3rd and 4th

I suspect n89 is next on the replacement list ....

[VWgrinder]

Hey guys, I'm experiencing the exact same problems with my '02 GTI. I've been working around it by warming up for 15 minutes or revving up past 5500 rpms like others have noted in this thread. But now even a long warm up won't do the trick so I really need to get this in soon.

My problem thus far has been finding a mechanic that will do this for me. Very frustrating. Maybe I'm just going about it in the wrong way. What should I be telling them?

I go in saying I'm having problems with delayed upshift when cold and that it's been well documented on VW sites that a swap of the N92 solves the problem for most people. I have the N92 and some ATF but most guys I've spoken to don't want to mess with it thinking it’s a transmission problem, or telling me I need to replace the whole valve body, etc. Should I just take this into a transmission shop or what?

Kind of surprised they haven't run into this problem before. Maybe I'm just going to the wrong guys? DO NOT want to have to take this into the dealer.

I'm in Atlanta metro area.

[Big Dac With Fries]

The title says it all....

Thanks for the contributors to this thread helping me make the call to dismantle my Sharan to get to the tranny (to rip in to that tip) !!

Shifting from 1 - 2 and 2 - 3 like new.

Any pointer though on the issue with reverse only working after 10 minutes or so driving?

I've also noticed that the car 'jumps' out of 1st when coming to a stop (kinda like a manual box jumping out of gear) when pulling away. Only by shifting to P and then engaging D will the car drive normally.

If I look at the active solenoids in 1st and R I might just as well replace N88 and N89 as well?

Sounds like a similar problem with my '03 Jetta. I installed a new N92 to remedy the 1-2 no shift when cold.

Now (after about 5-6 mos) 2-3 has a "flare" between shifts when it's cold, and reverse doesn't engage when it's cold. After about 2-3 min of driving, everything is golden.

I think it's time I bite the bullet and order the entire pack of solenoids from Cobra...

[BigArky]

Just wanted to say thanks for the great info! My son's 02 Jetta had the same problem.. not shifting from 1st to 2nd when cold. Ordered N92 solenoid from CobraTransmission and picked up the fluid from Autozone (Mobil 1 Synth). We replaced the N92 solenoid this past weekend and now it's shifting as it should.

Big thanks to coolvdub and sjoback for their DYI guides on the fluid and solenoid changes! Everything went as described... I admit I did have to look up what a pendulum/dogbone mount was though.

[za01vr6]

I have now replaced n88, n89 and n92
still issues with:
- stationary in 1st (after coasting) the box would slip out of 1st into neutral (lever in D). Does it cold or warm. When in tip mode it's less likely to happen .... I can only pull away if I shift to P and then back to 2 or D (to the irk of many a commuter behind me ). I've noticed that 1st actually engages slowly (i.e. if I wat a few seconds (around 10), the car will pull away as if nothing is wrong - but by then I get more than a few dirty looks).
- box slips quite a bit between 3rd and 4th, at any box temperature. Maybe the same symptom as 1st gear in previous point??
- on highway, car drives OK and shifts great 1-2, 2-3, 4-5. I did notice that, when coasting (i.e. foot poff gas) in 5th, the engine is at normal rpm for the specific road speed. In 4th, the engine goes to idle (box disengaged?), in 3rd the engine is engaged, etc.
- R only engages after the box temp (via VAG-COM) shows above 40degC

I have looked at the solenoid description in other posts but cannot relate this to any solenoid that could be faulty.

there is no codes on the 'box (never had any as well)

please help me to identify the culprit !!!!

[dphoenix]

Well, after owning this car for ~30k miles (bought it at 100k), I bit the bullet last March and bought the complete pack of solenoids, and had the local independent VW mechanic install them. The car now has 147k miles.

The only thing this did for me, aside from negatively impacting my bank account, was to fix most of the problems I had before the transmission warmed up. I never had delayed upshift problems, but the shifts themselves felt like you were riding with a 3 year old was teaching himself to drive stick (especially in tip mode from 2-3). The colder it was outside the worse the shifts were, to the point that if it was, say, 10 degrees fahrenheit, you'd swear you were leaving a line of mangled transmission parts anywhere you went (until the transmission was warmed up, of course).

So, here's a list of the old symptoms (before replacing solenoids):
-Horrible upshifting when cold (not delayed, just very jerky)
-Unsettling downshifts when cold (like, if someone with a standard transmission used only engine braking to slow the car, without blipping the engine)
-Very hard shift between 3-4 (always)
-Strange 2-3 shift when warm (hard to explain -- jerky, but softly jerky)
-VERY weird shifting pattern when hot, like in stop-and-go traffic (holds gears a lot longer than it should when in D, but will willingly shift when signaled to in Tip mode)
-Odd clunk just before coming to a complete stop as it shifts to first (not audible, more of a feeling like you just ran over a small bump -- makes smooth stops nigh on impossible without shifting to neutral).

After replacing the solenoids, the 3-4 hard shift, 2-3 shift strangeness, weird shifting pattern when warm, and deceleration clunk, all still occur. Cold operation is much more polished, though the transmission now occasionally "flares" between 2 & 3 when cold.

(Some additional notes: the 3-4 hard shift is actually somewhat smooth when the engine and transmission are still really cold (i.e. within the first minute of driving), but quickly worsen; the 3-4 shift is butter smooth when accelerating hard in tip mode ONLY if I make the shift happen between 4k & 5k RPM; I have learned that, to prevent such hard shifts, when shifting from 3-4, I do it in tip mode and let off the gas while the transmission shifts; 4-5 shift has always been the smoothest shift, and this hasn't changed)

So anyway, it seems to me that if your transmission only has issues when cold, the solenoids very well might solve all of your woes. If your problems occur when warmed up, the solenoids probably won't help you.

[Big Dac With Fries]

I'm in a very similar boat.

I replaced all 9 solenoids because I could not get reverse to engage when the car was cold, and the car has a 2-3 flare when cold.

Now that the solenoids have been done, reverse engages when cold. The 2-3 flare when cold still happens, and the 3-4 gear change is harder than I remember it. Once it warms up, 3-4 isn't as hard, and the 2-3 flare doesn't happen.

I may do another fluid drain & fill with my next oil change, but i'm not hopeful on that solving the problem.

I was also told that there are software upgrades/revisions for this transmission at the dealer. I may look into that and post my update in here.

Apart from these "issues" I don't drive the car with a heavy foot when cold, and i'm pretty happy with it. I just wish fuel mileage was better...

[JaBin21]

This may sound weird, but check your engine for vacuums leaks. On cold start my 2002 1.8T Jetta would "buck" and shift weird until it was warmed up. During normal driving the 2nd to 3rd gear shift was always very rough.

The problem ended up being major vacuum leaks, specifically from the Y shaped breather hose connected at the top of the engine and the lower hose's found under the intake manifold. After replacing these hoses my cold start issues are gone and my transmission shifts very smooth between 2nd and 3rd.


I used this DIY to check for vacuum leaks:
http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?2692757

This thread shows breather hoses I replaced:
http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?4620058


Also remember to rest your ecu and clear the adaptive transmission memory.

[chnajo3000]

Another to the list! success. fixed and now shifts. I also had another problem with my jetta that i didn't notice anywhere else. It started downshifting itself out of 3 and 2 and reving up to 7+ rpms. N92 fix it as well. took me 14 hrs with a few breaks and problems.... Had alot of trouble with the pan. You need all the wires as FAR BACK as possible. Plus the gasket isn't a lifetime gasket. its just sealant so have some "Just Right" around for the reassemble. Hope this helps. thx to everyone. VW owners need to stick together. This was an amazing thread.

[akumrazor]

The reverse in my jetta 1.8T trip don't work in cold. what solenoids can i change for resolve the problem?
N92,n88 and n89 or i need change the 9 solenoids?

where can i buy only a one solenoid and how i ask for it?

Regards

[elchihuaz]

One more happy 09A to the success list with the replacement of N92 solenoid.

Related parts:

New N92 Solenoid.
3 ATF Quaker Multi Synt.
Loctite RTV 598 Silicone.

Tnks:

VWvortex people within this thread.
John from Cobra Transmission for N92 supply and customer service.

[ktm250]

I had the same problem with hard shifts and not shifting out of 1st gear when cold. I replaced all 9 solenoids from cobra transmission and refilled with Amsoil Synthetic ATF. I did this at 187,000 km's and it now has 202,000 and still running great. One other note is I was only getting an error of implausable signal from my vag but no cel. I actually tested the old solenoids that I took out with a multimeter but couldn't find fault with them??? Not sure why but they were definitely faulty. Anyway, just my 2 cents.

[DeepInsouthtexas]

I have an 04 Jetta that is having the same shifting problems. It is also a 1.8T. Would it use the same parts as listed on this thread for the 02 and 03 Jetta?

Thanks