Please Help - A3 Gearbox

[lillynflo@yahoo]

A3 1.6 1999 T

This has got us baffled. Was stopped at the lights the other day, then selected first to pull away and the car just seized up! Clutch is fine, I could select all gears but it just wouldn't pull away. Eventually had to get recovered and put it to my local garage who kept it for three days but said it was absolutely fine and the problem seemed to have sorted itself! The mechanic just loobed the linkage and road tested it and everything was ok.

I picked it up and drove home and it did the exact same thing to me at another set of lights, Arghhh!! This time I was so raging that I slammed it into reverse and it eventually cleared itself and I went flying backwards! Then I coasted down the hill a bit, selected second and it managed to get it home. It just doesn't make sense tho!

Any held you could offer would be greatly appreciated!

[cb1]

Hey,
had the exact same problem as you not so long ago. Same issue at the lights then brought to mechanic and told it was fine then went again. I too have a A3 99.

Bad news is that I ended up getting a new gear box(re conditioned) and changed the clutch aswell. Expensive operation especially as the guy who reconditioned a gearbox left a bolt loose, it fell off which broke a seal and all my oil poured out onto my driveway!

Best of luck with it.

[Pauloz]

You say the clutch is fine... but if the release system is sticking somehere, it 'could' be that the clutch isnt re-engaging. Can you chage gear without touching the clutch pedal when it does this?

[Robbycroft]

Hi Guys, I have a '99 T reg deisel A3, the gears crunch going from first to second and also clunk when going into reverse, this i can deal with. I can't deal with not being able to select fifth gear. The lever goes where it should but there is no fifth gear. Whats gone wrong here guys? My mates dad said he had the same problem on his Passat and a guy fixed it on the side of the road. Apparently there was a loose plate which needed screwing back down. Any ideas what this plate is? I will ask him for more detail and have a look myself, juist passing time at work rifght now.