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Rebuilt gearbox flare issue

Posted: Sun Dec 22, 2013 10:48 pm
by gmac78
Evening all,

The gearbox in my RS6 was rebuild in march of this year by Automatic Transmission in Preston. Parts replaced were overhaul kit, TC, friction kit, "F" mounded piston,"A" steel plates, filter/ mobil 1 oil. This was carried out prior to my ownership.

Now i've only had the car a few weeks and noticed when in sport mode on WOT it would slip going from 1st to 2nd. It now has started to do this in Tiptronic mode in the same 1st to 2nd shift at WOT. However, if i do a standing start in D mode it does not slip????

I would have thought i could provoke slip through normal driving but it only occurs during 1st to 2nd gear change at WOT.

I'm no expert on these boxes and learning as much as i can but would like some feedback from those who have no doubt gone through the same issue.

Does this sound like the clutch pack in 2nd is starting to wear? Or perhaps a control issue? Bare in mind there is only 6k miles on the rebuilt box. There are no fault codes either. Apart from this slip issue the box is smooth and actually quite like it now, well apart from the fact that i need to get it mapped to gain full control but that is a separate matter.

So RS6 crew, can anyone give me some advice?

Cheers

Re: Rebuilt gearbox flare issue

Posted: Sun Dec 22, 2013 11:18 pm
by ahoooga
Difficult one to answer .
When you do a standing start in 'D' and it DOESN'T slip , are you doing a normal relaxed pull away or WOT ?

Think i read in another thread that your box probably hasn't been mapped, so i don't think its a control issue, unless the g/box ecu is having issues of its own .Can you manually change into 5th at under 40mph ?

6k on the box might mean its done nothing on any other car, but on a 6 that's a lot of miles and possible fast starts. The box in a 6 was never up to the job from day 1.You don't know what the previous owner treated it like do you ?
You could go back to the original people who rebuilt it , you'd be better off if you could contact the previous owner though and do it through them. No argument about the warranty then.
That's not to doubt the people who did it, but do we know if they know what there doing with this box in its current application.

I think you really need the benefit of a known specialist to diagnose this for you , ie MRC,Unit20,QST ect ect , I know that's not the answer your looking for , but you could spend loads just trying to figure it out, never mind curing it.

EDIT
To get the box mapped your going to have to buy the company's stage 1 engine map as well , don't think anyone sells a box map on its own without stage 1 engine map.

Re: Rebuilt gearbox flare issue

Posted: Mon Dec 23, 2013 12:08 am
by gmac78
Hi,

When in "D" mode it's been WOT starts that i've been trying. It's certainly not the way i would normally drive from day to day but now that i've noticed a problem it's bothering me.

I spoke with the company who rebuilt the box and accidentally let it slip that the repair was carried out prior to me buying it. It was a car sales company that paid for repair. I'm sure they would have figured it out anyway as it's on the receipt. I sure hope they honour their work, as part of the reason for buying the car was that the box had been overhauled recently.

Surely the box should last longer the 6k though? What kind of mileage are others getting out of their boxes before slipping occurs?

The box isn't mapped but will certainly be getting this done once i get my slipping sorted.

I spoke with a local auto box company who took it for a test drive and it was them that said it was "flaring". I'm not sure what exactly this means though, does this mean that second gear is engaged and it is actually slipping, or does it mean something else?

If second gear clutch pack is worn why is it only during the shift from 1st to 2nd that it happens? Very strange!!

As for getting the box remapped, it looks like i will have to pay for the ecu and tcu at the same time which is no bad thing i guess as i've no idea what map is on my car. I spoke with viper and was told that their map max's out at 1.1 bar which is what i'm getting. MRC were 1.2bar if i remember correctly. Thats not to say it's defo a viper map i've got, need to phone around a few other tuners to see what kind of boost they're maps provide to help narrow it down.

Re: Rebuilt gearbox flare issue

Posted: Mon Dec 23, 2013 2:13 am
by ahoooga
a quick google shows that 'Flaring' is when a box slips just before a gear change.

Re: Rebuilt gearbox flare issue

Posted: Mon Dec 23, 2013 9:37 am
by Shoppinit
It's either an ATF pressure problem (split pipe, cracked valvebody, worn pump, faulty pressure regulator) or a worn clutch pack.

It's possible that the former caused the latter, even in a short amount of time.

Or if the ATF is low then you could get it.

Or if the pick-up pipe is too long causing oil starvation you could get it.

Re: Rebuilt gearbox flare issue

Posted: Mon Dec 23, 2013 9:28 pm
by lswing
Shoppinit wrote:It's either an ATF pressure problem (split pipe, cracked valvebody, worn pump, faulty pressure regulator) or a worn clutch pack.

It's possible that the former caused the latter, even in a short amount of time.

Or if the ATF is low then you could get it.

Or if the pick-up pipe is too long causing oil starvation you could get it.
All of these, spot on.

I'm now dealing with the same thing, but mine jumps from 3rd-4th in Tip under WOT. This is on a reman box with 3k on it. We've looked it over, checked fluid, trimmed filter pickup, all the usual. Putting another box in next month under warranty.

I think I toasted the clutch packs, or maybe an o-ring broke, maybe VB issue, so tough to say.

I'm tuned at about 500/550 bhp, so she's got some kick. I probably banged about 200 shifts off redline before the skip/jump started. Drives fine around town, feels a bit mushy, so on the way out.

Think I'll be gentler with the next one :boohoo:

Re: Rebuilt gearbox flare issue

Posted: Mon Dec 23, 2013 11:55 pm
by gmac78
Hmm interesting!

Prior to me purchasing the RS6 i was aware that the box was an issue but now after trawling the forums i realise that they're simply not up to the job, especially with the extra output from a remap. So, what is the answer for a reliable box then? Can they be rebuilt with stronger components to ensure a longer life? Surely rebuilding the boxes every few thousand miles is not the answer?!!

What about buying a brand new box from Audi, do they last longer than the refurbished ones? Is the manual route a feasible option? are there many people who have gone down this route that can share experiences?

If i manage to get my box sorted under warranty i'll be delighted but fear the company will play funny buggers when it comes to crunch, yet again maybe not, we'll see how things pan out when i get a chance to head down to Preston, hopefully in January sometime.

There was something else that i was going to ask but now that the tequila and rum are flowing i've gone and forgotten, good times!!!

Re: Rebuilt gearbox flare issue

Posted: Tue Dec 24, 2013 7:54 am
by chunky79
:roll: Take it you have done NO research on this forum then?

Re: Rebuilt gearbox flare issue

Posted: Tue Dec 24, 2013 11:02 am
by armyair
Try reading this thread for the only possible answer to a bullet proof gearbox.
Only time will tell!

http://forum.rs246.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=106997

Re: Rebuilt gearbox flare issue

Posted: Tue Dec 24, 2013 6:09 pm
by smichels
I have exactly the same problem and it will get worse and worse.
Eventually it will also slip in D.

That is why I have a gearbox at 517 right now.

The sad thing is that they promised to rebuild the gearbox in 4 days and it has been 8 weeks and it is still not finished.
I hope I will have it back within the next couple of weeks.

Re: Rebuilt gearbox flare issue

Posted: Tue Dec 24, 2013 7:03 pm
by chunky79
Cryptics took over 8 months!

Re: Rebuilt gearbox flare issue

Posted: Tue Dec 24, 2013 7:35 pm
by amanda1
smichels wrote:I have exactly the same problem and it will get worse and worse.
Eventually it will also slip in D.

That is why I have a gearbox at 517 right now.

The sad thing is that they promised to rebuild the gearbox in 4 days and it has been 8 weeks and it is still not finished.
I hope I will have it back within the next couple of weeks.

I don't think sam reckoned on an influx of English/ european rs6 chocolate boxes arriving at his........it will turn up eventually :bigwave:

Re: Rebuilt gearbox flare issue

Posted: Tue Dec 24, 2013 9:31 pm
by smichels
I realized that by now but I am glad I did not send my current gearbox.

I hope I will get it back within the next couple of weeks.

Re: Rebuilt gearbox flare issue

Posted: Tue Dec 24, 2013 10:01 pm
by Shoppinit
What's their excuse for the delay?

Re: Rebuilt gearbox flare issue

Posted: Wed Dec 25, 2013 12:38 am
by lswing
Shoppinit wrote:What's their excuse for the delay?
Backlog of shoddy boxes :audibash:

Some folks with a tune seem to get the upgraded ones to last, but not always. This trans was originally built for 300hp, so there's only so much those little clutch packs can take. I'll report when my builder, one of the most reputable in the US, pulls the current box apart.

I did some heads up racing this summer when 90 degrees out, think I cooked the clutches, will know in a few months.