Hi all,
My winter project of installing an LN ceramic bearing is almost complete. Engine is back in and runs perfectly, at least still on the jack stands.
The problem is the Tiptronic. I had drained (or at least thought I did) what was in the pan when I removed the engine and transmission. When I got everything back in, I went to start the fill transmission and unfortunately removed the drain plug instead. A lot of transmission fluid came out so I am unsure if I actually drained it the first time.
Regardless, I refilled with new Pentosin ATF-1, started the engine, and then started filling again through the correct fill hole. So far I have put about 6 liters in, and with the engine running and the transmission in park, transmission fluid dribbles out the fill hole.
When I put the car in reverse, the wheels barely spin. When I move to drive, the same, and the 'D' light flashes (but the '4' does not).

I have a few questions:
1. The engine should be running and the transmission in park during fill, correct?
2. Filling fluid should occur when the transmission is at 30-45 degrees celsius. I have an infrared gun thermometer that I point at the base of the transmission pan, is that a reasonable way to measure?
3. Assuming I did "drain" the transmission twice, is it possible more fluid settled to the bottom from the torque converter while it sat over two months? Also, at one point the transmission did get "rolled" on its side.
4. If the torque converter was emptied (or partially emptied), does it take a while for the transmission to pump more fluid in? Should I just keep going between filling, moving through the gears, filling, again?
5. What does just a flashing 'D' mean?

Thanks for all the help and knowledge I got through the forums while replacing the bearing. I can almost "taste" the road again.

-Chris

 

Sounds like your fill procedure is spot on. I would look elsewhere .

Did the transmission slide completely up to the engine when mated effortlessly? Or did you have to "pull" the trans/engine together using the bolts?. Most common problem is that torque convertor had slide partly out of the front pump during unattachement and was not fully seated. This can damage the front pump. ( fingers crossed this is not the case).

Another possibility is the connector for wiring harness is not fully mated. Recheck the wring harness to Tip trans connector.

You will need some diagnostic equipment to pull any codes from the Tiptronic to further diagnose.

 

The flashing D means it's in Limp mode.

 

Thanks for the info. I did not have any issues getting the transmission to mount up against the engine, so I think I am okay there.
I'll recheck the wiring harness. There were two connections, the round connector that needed to be twisted and the more normal rectangular connection. The round one was a pain to get on, so I could have made a mistake there. I'll recheck later tonight.

As for diagnostic equipment, would a Durametric be good? My iCarsoft Plus with Porsche software doesn't indicate any issues in the transmission module, but maybe its too 'dumb'.

 

Thanks Bill. I was under the impression that in limp mode both the D and 4 would alternately flash. On mine it is only the D.

 

I dropped the engine/transmission again to verify everything looked "right".
The torque converter seemed to be on correctly, but I pulled it off and put it back on again without any issues (pushed it on, turned it until it was able to be pushed on further).
I also didn't see anything obviously wrong with the transmission fluid pump, not that I could see much.

I put the engine back in, no problems, but the transmission has the same problem.
With the engine running I can put it into gear, and for a short amount of time the wheels will spin, but after a couple of seconds they stop. Moving out of gear (R or D) and then back in and the same thing happens.
Any ideas what could be the cause, and how to check it.
Is this in any way the sign of a failed torque converter? What about the transmission fluid pump? Can either be tested?

Thanks for any guidance!