Last year I put a rebuilt gear box (Powerhaus II) into my '99 C4 due to a problem with third gear.

Today on the way to lunch I shifted into second gear and around 3,000 RPM the engine 'broke loose' from gear. It sounded and felt like a slipping clutch. No grinding, no noises, no warning. The other five gears work just fine. I can shift into second smoothly, but the there is no power getting to the drivetrain.

I don't track the car and I don't race. Is it possible that I've won the statistical lottery and lost two transmissions in thirteen months? Any ideas?

Jeff

 

I've seen this in some early cars - syncro issue I believe - always seems to be 2nd gear...

 

I thought of this as well and did a a few searchs. It seems that the syncros either cause grinding or popping out of gear. For better or worse I get neither.

 

99 with 66k here and 2nd gear is very tempermental...try to shift into to quickly and she grinds...needs a 2 step shift...1st to neutral then neutral to 2nd....no 1-2 shifts

 

Finally another 99 owner with my same symptoms...2 gear is a biatch...same thing on my car with 25k miles on it.
Is there a fix or do we just wait for it to detonate?

I am considering a tranny oil change just to see what particles come out....
I also notice tranny sticks when car is turned off, left into 1st gear over night or longer...now I leave it in neutral....
Tranny seems to be the weak link in my 99......

 

Is your second gear not working or just grinding? I always stop in neutral between shifts - no luck getting power to the wheels in second.

 

assembly error, hub came apart or something simialr,
pull the drain plug and see what comes out

 

Brad,

Thanks for the reply. If it dosen't sound like somthing simple to you, who works on the cars every day, I am going to cut my losses and send the transmission back to PowerHaus. It is the estimated thirteen hours of time I'm being quoted to drop and re-install the transmission that I was trying to avoid. At least it will give me a chance to get some new plugs in the car.

For the record, as of now PowerHaus is standing behind their work 100%.

 

no this is the symptom

"2nd gear is very tempermental...try to shift into to quickly and she grinds...needs a 2 step shift...1st to neutral then neutral to 2nd....no 1-2 shifts"
.........and its has popped out of 2 twice by itself.....very alarming.....just does not seem right. It hates quick 1 -2 shifts.....prefers the lazyman 1 -------- 2 shift.
Every other gear is great....1st gear is really tall.....revs out very quick

 

13 hours for a 996 trans? :O if its not a turbo i would shop around