Hello everyone!!!! I am fairly new to the site and I haven't posted much. I am having issues with my a4 in my 1998 camaro. I bought the car a few months ago and the transmission was messed up I only had 1-2 and reverse. I decided to tackle this project myself and rebuild it. I have rebuilt a 700r4 transmission in the past so it is a similar animal except for the electronics. I rebuilt it using a truetech level 2 rebuild kit and also upgraded the sunshell. When I pulled it apart the 3 and 4 cluches were smoked and the band had excessive wear. I also installed a transco shift kit and replaced the shift selinoids and also the pressure manifold. I got it all put together and in the car and filled up with fluid so I wend for a test drive but not before starting and going from first to reverse on the jack stand then rechecking the fluid. So I go down the road for the first time and it went threw all the gears I was thrilled then I stopped to turn around and I only had 1-2 coming back so I got back home only a short ways. I checked the fluid and it was full. So I figured I did something wrong internally. Frustrated I said hell with it and just bought a used transmission from a guy on here so I swapped out the transmissions filled up the fluid on the used on and go for a test drive. The guy I got it from assures me that it was a good tranny the fluid looked good. It was the same thing with this transsmission. I called the guy I got it from and he told me to unplug the wiring harnness going to the transmission and go for a vary short drive to see if it would take off in third so I did and it took off in third gear. When I say I only had 1-2 that means it seams to go into neutral when it is supposed to go into 3rd. I also took the car to a friend to have him hook it up on his snap on diagnostics tool. He was able to command the transmission into fourth but not third. He said the only code the car was showing was a knock senser code. I am tring to get this thing figured out I don't think it is anything internal in the transmission. Does anyone know what to do next?

 

That is a strange problem and not obvious to me.
4th gear is a combination of 3rd gear and 2nd gear; other than a strange valve body problem, I cannot think of any way you could internaslly have 4th gear and not 3rd.
Yes, disconnecting the trans harness is a good to test if 3rd gear works. If you are sure that gave you 3rd gear, based on RPM and MPH then 3rd gear is mechanically working. However if the trans will never shift into 3rd, I would suspect a shift solenoid, wiring harness or PCM problem. It sounds like the trans is internally shifting into 1st gear and since the car is faster than the engine, it feels like free-wheeling.

Unless a pro here has better advice, I would start by replacing the solenoids. Also make sure the connector on the harness doesn't have a bent pin which would have affected both transmissions.

Alternatively, we could assume that both transmission are good and limit ourselves to the connector, the wiring harness and the PCM.

 

Thank you for your help I will be checking the wiring as soon as I warms up and I have some time. It's cold in central il and all I have is the driveway. I did replace both shift solenoids and the pressure manifold on the trans that I rebuilt. I have some electrical cleaner that I was going to spray into the wiring harness and the blow it out ill also put a little dielectric grease on there too. Ill keep you posted. If that doesn't work I will hopefully try another PCM. Anyone have one I can borrow? Lol it's for a 1998 z. The car, I would assume, has been tuned it does have a small cam, headers, and exhaust. I do not really know the history of the car. I really wish that I did.

 

Sounds like a plan. Glad you thought about the pressure manifold as that can cause very strange symptoms too. Sorry, I recently sold my '98 PCM and the OP of another current thread is looking for one too.

We just had a bit of snow here in Michigan.

 

I've got a 98 that is doing wierd stuff too. Unfortunately our PCMs are hard to come by. So far I've found blank at $112 plus core and flashed for $300 plus $150 core!. Ridiculous... but supply and demand. I would love to rule my PCM out. Its just going to be an expensive endeavor.