auto trans in a mk2....questions

[bpederndern]

originally posted this in the mk2 forum and was reccomended to post here for better results


hi. i am currently being forced into driving an auto transmission vehicle for (hopefully) the short term future.....it's either that or rely on others for transportation, which i so desperately do not want to do.

i test drove an 88 golf with an auto (that was replaced with a later cabriolet unit). i only drove it around a neighborhood since it is untagged. it only was in first gear (assuming due to the lower speeds, and the fact that it is only a 3 speed unit). it seemed to shift ok, but seemed to kick down whenever you were not accelerating, not harshly, but you could tell it did it. i drove my friends' mk2 jetta many years back and did not remember it doing this.....but it was many years ago and the only auto vw of that vintage that i can remember driving.

now i know these were not the most sophisticated units, and it is unknown mileage on the unit/actual age. is there something that may be out of adjustment? (kickdown, throttle cable adjustment, etc) that might cause this?

i know this a 24 year old vehicle, but my options are limited due to funding....and i would love to continue to drive a vw if possible.

any input (i know there are many out there that are ready to scream "run while you still can", but i'd love to get some insight as to how these beasts function.

i've driven stick for 25 years, and did not to expect to ever change, but sometimes life has a way of sneaking up on you and biting you in the a** when you least expect it, forcing you to change...hopefully just temporarily.

[bpederndern]

nobody has any ideas?

[Stangrcr1]

I know nothing of that tranny.

How did it kick down if you were only in first? Drive it enough to get through all gears and get the fluid flowing. Been sitting a while?

Check the fluid. Burnt? Level ok? If it shifts ok, you could buy it for temporary transportation and do some research on the tranny. It may be an adjustment.

Search is your friend.

[bpederndern]

when coming to a stop,it seemed to shift down into neutral, or 2-1. not too sure. seemed to do it when you took your foot off the accelerator.

[B4S]

There were units available out there that shifted into neutral when coming to a stop, it was an attempt by VW to gain a bit of economy out of their 3speed 010 boxes. They were really only installed in diesels, but perhaps you've got one. The shifter was specific to those 'e' boxes though, so if you only have the PRND21 one, and not the PRNED21, you could be in "E" when you think you're in "D", and experiencing the 'economy' mode without knowing it. Try shifting into '2' and see how many gears you get .

[bpederndern]

thank you for the input. i plan on going to drive it again this week , and will try what you suggested if it still drives the same when i can drive it on the open road. i really want to get back to driving again.