Just changed the transmission in an 2002 Beetle and you have to mess with the shifter to get it in drive, and then it acts as though it's in third. It is also making noises. It was used. Is it bad?

Asked by nugfan Apr 08, 2015 at 10:40 PM about the 2002 Volkswagen Beetle GLS 1.8T

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

I changed the transmission in a 2002 Beetle 1.8 turbo, and I'm having problems. You
have to shift down to third to get it to read it's in drive on the dash and gear shift, and
then it acts like it's in third, sluggish start, and revs out around fifty. It also makes a
whirring noise when it is first started and noises when changing gears. It was used....

2 Answers

4,475

These transmissions have a "limp home" mode, where a faulty transmission will function but remain in third gear in order to "limp home". You can scan the transmission for fault codes with vagcom or similar.

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