Flooded footwell & auto gearbox issues

[cfarren]

Can someone help us?

2 weeks ago I got in my 2000 V6 TDI Passat (Auto Tip) to find the driver footwell flooded (2/3 inches deep). My husband followed on-line instructions and cleared the blocked drains which had caused the problem.

However when we went to go out in the car it really struggled and eventually gave up. It initially wouldn't go into gear and when it eventually did wouldn't change out of 1st.

The insurance engineer and VW dealership are saying that the 2 events are sheer coincidence and not remotely linked. Personally I find this very hard to believe. The car had been driving brilliantly right up until that day and the gearbox was super smooth.

I am considering contacting CarCheckers for a second opinion. I would appreciate if anyone knows whether or not the flooding event could have impacted the Auto gearbox. I realise that the water will not have penetrated the gearbox directly but I am thinking more of the electronics controling it.

Any comments or advice appreciated.

[onzarob]

Part of the car electronics is in the passenger foot well, The convenience mode for sure, I not sure it the gearbox ecu is there as well.

I would say that they are linked;)

[Sam]

Part of the car electronics is in the passenger foot well, The convenience mode for sure, I not sure it the gearbox ecu is there as well.

I would say that they are linked;)

Sadly, the gearbox ecu is there (or in the vicinity) too

[jojocags]

:zx11:
I would really appreciate some help with this flooding issue. I noticed a couple inches of water on the rear passenger floor of my 2000 Golf the other night after two days of heavy rain. My car was parked at an agle which has also caused the drivers floor to get wet. I have sifted through masses of posts about this problem and I keep seeing advice about draining tubes/holes etc but I am really at a loss where to start looking for them! I would really appreciate some "instructions for dummies" to help me try to sort out this problem myself as I am afraid if I bring the car to a garage being as clueless about this problem as I am I might get stung for more than the job is worth.

I've spent the past two nights destryoing towles trying to soak up the water - please help!!

[Baron_Samedi]

You are totally in the right place!

Check the other threads in here for clues as to the problem with your car, but.... I think your post is better placed in the Golf section as I think the problems people suffer with Passat cars do not have the same cause(s).

[Biobob]

Hi cfarren,
There seems to be lots of posts about the flooding issue on these forums, but yours is the only one I can find that connects it with an auto gearbox problem.

I own a 1999 Passat TDi auto (not tiptronic) in the UK and now have exactly the same problem following the dreaded 'blocked drain under battery' incident. The driver's side floor was about an inch deep in water, the rev counter worked intermittently, the oil pressure warning light came on, the gear indicator LCD was blank, the reversing lights came on in every position except 1st and Park, and the auto box would only select 1st or reverse.

I've looked at the CCM (convenience control module) under the passenger carpet, and the inside of the box seems dry although there was some dampness in the passenger footwell. Does anyone know if this module controls the auto transmission? or is it controlled by the ECU under the bonnet?

What was the outcome in your case?

Any help would be much appreciated.
Bob

[stevegrass777]

auto box ecu is in the drivers footwell.

[Biobob]

Thanks Steve,

I should have looked there before, but who would have thought that a car manufacturer like VW would put the most sensitive electronic circuits in the most vulnerable place possible - the bottom of a well!

I found it last night, opened the outer box, and hey presto, a swimming pool of corroded sludge. The inner box gave no better protection and contained about half a pint of green stuff. Needless to say the circuit board is a write off and so probably is the car now! I've read that the board costs £980, and then it has to be programmed by VW.

The strange thing is that with the TCM (transmission control module) removed there are no warning lights on the dash, the tacho works, the reversing lights now only come on in N and R and all the gears seem to work although I haven't driven it off the drive yet. I didn't expect it to work at all.

Who would have thought that a few leaves under the bonnet could write a car off. VW Audi owners take note! Keep your drain holes clear!!!

Bob

Latest news: just got a quote from VW £535 fitted and coded - maybe not written off yet!

[blobby]

hi guys first post great forum let me say
i have a 2001 passat 130 tdi tiptronic
i never drive it its the wifes car
i noticed the water about three month ago in the drivers rear footwell about inch deep in water !!!
so i cleared the drain plugs and hovered up the water seemed fine
then the dash started playing silly buggers about 3 weeks ago
traction light comes on the auto box selection PRND dissapers completely or goes in a red box then the gearbox has a funny one and wont change gear
if i turn it off most of the time and start it its fine again for a while !!!
any ideas guys?
i read the post about the convenience control module and the auto control module but not much info on these two pieces of kit
i have today checked the module under the drivers side carpet in the front drivers foot well its bone dry insede the box whaty isa ithis module ??


is there one on the passenger side ??

thx chaps !

[snapdragon]

Blobby, you need to get the fault codes read, the transmission control module and TC both failing together suggests a speed sensor problem. Maybe even codes set for supply voltage to low or something if there is an alternator issue. No point guessing. I don't think it will be a wet CCM in this case.

[blobby]

cheers snap dragon for the speedy reply
it seems very unusual that this now happened after the water problem
the wife has now informed me that the car was doing this only a couple of days after i cleaned the drain holes not weeks later

so what is under the passenger footwell ??
is this the CCM module
and what is the one located under the drivers footwell i checked today is this the auto control module ???
i have a mate who has a workshop with the reading equipment so should i check it for the codes and see what it comes back with ?
wasnt sure if the ECU was clever enough to tell me these issues ?
ive drove it for 2 hrs today and no problems !
weird !!

thx again

[kenney]

Hi The gearbox control unit is in the front right footwell.The comfort control unit is in the front left footwell.

[Biobob]

Hi Blobby,

If it was the drivers footwell that flooded, then I would look again at the TCM circuit board under the carpet for any signs of corrosion, or at the wiring harness where there are any joins or exposed contacts. This link shows what happens to the CCM on the passenger side, and how to repair the wiring, but the same applies to the TCM and wiring.

http://www.headfuzz.co.uk/?q=vw_ccm
My Passat has now been written off as a Category B Total Loss which means it can never be put back on the road again, all because of a leaf, so I hope yours dries out OK!

I've just bought a Mazda6 now - I've had enough of VW problems, thought I'd try some Japanese ones instead! I'm off to find a Mazda forum. Bye.

[passing]

Hi Blobby,

If it was the drivers footwell that flooded, then I would look again at the TCM circuit board under the carpet for any signs of corrosion, or at the wiring harness where there are any joins or exposed contacts. This link shows what happens to the CCM on the passenger side, and how to repair the wiring, but the same applies to the TCM and wiring.

http://www.headfuzz.co.uk/?q=vw_ccm
My Passat has now been written off as a Category B Total Loss which means it can never be put back on the road again, all because of a leaf, so I hope yours dries out OK!


Please let others know about your situation - email the likes of watchdog and honest john.co.uk so that if enough of us do the same perhaps there will be a change of heart by VW.

[blobby]

had the error codes read and i have the follwong codes
P1626 Missing message from transmission control unit
P1650 Missing message from instrument cluster

can anyone help
thx
blobby

[kenney]

Hi what year is your Passat and what is the engine code and is the gearbox 4 or 5 speed?????Has the TCU been subject to water???

[blobby]

hi kenny
the car is a 51 plate 130 tdi estate with a auto tiptronic box
as fro the tcm is this the big box located under the front drivers footwell ???
if so i opened this up even though the car was swimming with water it was bone dry inside the connectors on the plug looked fine
not excactly sure if this is the TCM module im looking at big black box
there is one under the passenger footwell also which was bone dry
problem started after the car turned into a swimming pool
the 2 error codes above were check today
thx
blobby

[dave960w]

I have a 02 passat diesel auto and have had flooding in the rear footwell ,,then the ABS light came on then the gearbox showed all gears engaged (on the led screen) and thumps into gear now so i got a so called VW specialist out who cleared the ABS fault of the memory but could not tell me what the gearbox problem was (waste of £40).

I pulled out the lower dash and noticed damp (but not on the carpet face) then pulled up the drivers side carpet to reveal it was soaking and had an ECU under there this seams to be the gearbox control unit and i litrally poured water out of it ....i have tried drying it all out and the fault still apears so i have bought a code reader online (VAG 405 UNIT any idea if these are any good) and await its arrival ,which should do what i req and i am hoping that when cleared the car will drive ok .

If not i suppose i will have to look into getting the ECU looked at to see if it can be repaired

Any other ideas would be greatfully recieved

I also see this as a major design fault and think that the manufacturers should have recalled these earlier and rectified this simple fault that causes so much damage

[kenney]

It is part of the service procedure to inspect and clear the plenum chamber.

[dave960w]

Not on any service manual I have read ,maybe it is now that VW have realised there is a serious problem caused by a stupid design of the gromet that drains the water away (why have such a tight water exit ,it is just waiting to be blocked) I have owned many cars over 25years and have up until now never had any of them flood due to rain water and none of them have had all the sensitive management moduals in such a stupid position

[kenney]

Inspection service every 30,000 km
Engine compartment
Engine oil: Replenish
Engine and components in engine compartment (from above): Perform visual check for leaks and damage
Windscreen wash/wipe system: Replenish with Windscreen Clear -G 052 164-
Plenum chamber: Clean
Cooling system: Check frost protection and coolant level/specification -25 °C actual value (measured value): ____ °C (countries with arctic climate -35 °C)
Toothed belt: Check condition
Only valid for diesel engines
Fuel filter: Drain water
Only valid for vehicles with 4-cylinder diesel engine
t At 30,000, 90,000, 150,000 km etc.
Brake fluid level (dependent upon lining/pad wear): Check
Final checks
Headlight adjustment: Check
Service sticker “Your next service”: enter next due date and attach sticker to driver side door pillar (B-pillar).
Performing road test (driving behaviour, noises, air conditioner etc.)

[dave960w]

so it looks like thay have included it now but not on the sevice schedual I have that came with the car or on any other car i have worked on which just goes to show that VW know there is and inherant problem with this design

on another note i have dryed out the ECU and the carpet and noted a vacume pipe near the baulkhead that had come adrift and now the car runs perfectly and drives as it did....I have now pulled out the drain gromet so now it should never block again(problem solved) shame this was not done when this problem was noted on all the other passats that have had water pouring into the passenger compartment...(my parents neighbours had the same problem last year i have since found out on a 04 highline with 7k on the clock ,the bill from VW was £750 to dry it out the only difference was that his filled up on the passenger side which screwed his alarm and central locking ,he had his serviced with VW lindales ,harold wood) so much for the service schedual

[SAXON115]

Hi, I am sad to say I am in this gang too. In one of the old posts on this site there is a link to a site which gives you a complete idiots guide to how to unblock the drain holes.
Sorry but i can't remember where it is.
Basically if you remove the battery, and the base plate beneath, you can slide your hand under the brake servo and feel the two holes, they have rubber sleeves. If you have something which can bend but still remains quite stiff(no jokes please) you can feed it into the holes and push the crap out on to the floor.
The reason why it gets into the rear footwell is because there is a small gap between the warm air pipe and a angled support welded to the floor, the water passes through this gap.

Drying out the carpets is damn near impossible. Because my car was a rebuild project I cut two squares out of the footwells and there is a 2" thick piece of mashed up foam which absorbs liquid like you would'nt believe, even after cutting this out and leaving it in the sun for a couple of days it was still soaking wet. So it's gonna take a few hours with the blowers on. Don't bother hiring a wet n dry vac they do not work.

hope this helps - a bit.

[eddy7679]

hi there,

Same problem here, it's most likely the gearbox ecu has shorted as a result of the water and your gearbox has gone into limp mode Vag code 18034,

your car is likely to be driving in 4th as a result of this

BBA Reman may be able to repair the ECU at a upto half the cost of a replacement.

hope this helps

[johnloaderuk]

Hi people, just popping over from the Passat B6 site. Follow the link below to go to the 'idiots' guide on how to fix/check the issues mentioned here regarding the blocked drain holes and seal.

http://weirdlittlebiscuit.com/passat/leak/

My wife still has a B5.5, 2002 model, and last week we recieved the official VW recall letter to take it to a dealer to check the seal and drain holes free of charge - 7 years after the car was made, odd but there you go.

[Berksplat]

Right, I had the exact same flooding problem whilst I was away on my hols. Came back to my 98 B5 Passat auto full of water. Really kicked myself as I had already discovered the blocked drain and cleared it 12 months ago.
Ecu completely knackered and beyond repair when I took it out. VW wanted £400 odd for a new unit plus £75 for progamming it.

I held out and limped around in 3rd gear for 2 months whilst searching the net for a second hand unit and bingo! Ebay comes up trumps!
£56.75 delivered from a company called DKP AUTO and I installed it 2 days ago.
It works a treat and without the need for programming and the remote cental locking started working again too. Happy days.

If you're gonna look for a second hand unit though the exact part no. is a must otherwise it won't be compatible.

My part no. was 01N927733CP which was used in the B5 passat and AUDI A4. So don't confine your search to one model only.
I am a lucky boy me thinks!:beerchug:

[limecc]

A good result..

[keelstow]

Can't understand why everybody thinks you need to remove battery to clear crud. Fill the space with a little water if it isn't already so! then reach underneath approx in middle of battery. You should eventually feel a rubber gromet with twigs protruding. Shake this about a bit and it will water pressure clears rest of the crud. Keep adding water and it will freelty drain

I know its poor design on vdubs part but this has wooked on servral cars already


martin