PRNDS... What the hell did I do?

[ddegree]

In a comedy of errors the crack team of buddies I had helping me do some modest repairs on my 2003 A4 1.8t Q accidentally drained the Transmission Fluid instead of the oil. Before we noticed this, we fired up the car and I noticed that the PRNDS were light up in unison, not blinking, just a solid background. I've yet to change replace the fluid, waiting for some free time in the next few days, but I was wondering if the two are connected? Everything I've read has to do with the sensor beneath the shifter, rather than the trans itself. The trans ran great before I dove under the hood, did nothing Trans related other than drain the fluid, and expect that what I did change would have no effect on the Trans. (VC Cover, Coolant Flange, CT Gaskets, Air Filter, PCV Valve....) but I guess if we were wrong about which plug to use, I could be wrong here...

When I replace the transmission fluid, will this light Magically go away? Or is this some sort of ephed up coincidence?

Please, I have no idea what the hell I did...

[blacka4]

it might go away, but if you ran the car long with no trans fluid in the transmission its is quite possible its fucked

[ddegree]

It ran for at most 15 minutes, and the light came on immediately upon starting up. It stayed in park... Should I just proceed with the refill of the trans fluid and hope for the best? Also, is the PRNDS indicator, indicative of ATM fluid level?

[Charlie240sxt]

Refill and see where ur at

[SlickMachine]

Oopsie daisies.

Certainly can't hurt to refill...

[Scotty@Advanced]

It ran for at most 15 minutes, and the light came on immediately upon starting up. It stayed in park... Should I just proceed with the refill of the trans fluid and hope for the best? Also, is the PRNDS indicator, indicative of ATM fluid level?

15 minutes??? You've probably destroyed the pump pumps generally don't like to be run dry.

[ddegree]

Hey Guys,

Thanks so much for your responses, I found this this thread, http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...instead-of-oil and it sounds like this guy went much further than I did but came out okay one the other side, I hope I can be so lucky... I'll refill and pray. I still haven't been able to find what the PNDRS indicator means. I've searched and most deal with the sensors beneath the shifter. Are They related? Or is it just a coincidence? Like I said, I did a bunch of repairs, that WERE NOT related to the Trans... But I'm having a hard time believing they're not related...

Thoughts on the PNRDS???


Thanks

[SlickFix]

Don't worry about the PNRDS unless it's still there after you refill the tranny.

[speed racer]

are you really asking why you pnrds light came on.

[ddegree]

are you really asking why you pnrds light came on.

I am. I figure being honest about what I know and don't know will only help me learn, like I said I've never worked on or owned an audi... so please, bestow your knowledge upon me...

[RDA990]

Hey Guys,

Thanks so much for your responses, I found this this thread, http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...instead-of-oil and it sounds like this guy went much further than I did but came out okay one the other side, I hope I can be so lucky...

Thanks

hahaha, I know exactly how you feel, that was my thread :) gotta love draining the tranny instead of the engine oil.

If I read correctly you just started the car and idled it for 15 minutes right? I actually drove it for about 2 minutes with the tranny semi drained & engine overfilled. If you did the same as I did you opened the tranny drain plug and waited until liquid stopped flowing right? I doubt you opened the tranny pan.....

Did you also fill the engine with oil thinking it was empty after draining it like I did? If you did then you have twice as much oil that you should have and I highly recommend to drain the ENGINE oil now if you did that (The oil pan is right next to the front bumber).

As for the PRNDS lights solid, I'm sure that is LIMP MODE. How many miles does the car have? I highly recommend to drop the pan and change the filter since you are going to be putting new transmission fluid in, I'll post the link of the kit that I used.

If you're wondering, my car/transmission is working 100% perfect right now after CORRECTLY refilling it :cool::)

[diagnosticator]

In a comedy of errors the crack team of buddies I had helping me do some modest repairs on my 2003 A4 1.8t Q accidentally drained the Transmission Fluid instead of the oil. Before we noticed this, we fired up the car and I noticed that the PRNDS were light up in unison, not blinking, just a solid background. I've yet to change replace the fluid, waiting for some free time in the next few days, but I was wondering if the two are connected? Everything I've read has to do with the sensor beneath the shifter, rather than the trans itself. The trans ran great before I dove under the hood, did nothing Trans related other than drain the fluid, and expect that what I did change would have no effect on the Trans. (VC Cover, Coolant Flange, CT Gaskets, Air Filter, PCV Valve....) but I guess if we were wrong about which plug to use, I could be wrong here...

When I replace the transmission fluid, will this light Magically go away? Or is this some sort of ephed up coincidence?

Please, I have no idea what the hell I did...

01J CVT FWD, or 01V 5 speed tip quattro?

[ddegree]

01J CVT FWD, or 01V 5 speed tip quattro?

Quattro

[ddegree]

hahaha, I know exactly how you feel, that was my thread :) gotta love draining the tranny instead of the engine oil.

If I read correctly you just started the car and idled it for 15 minutes right? I actually drove it for about 2 minutes with the tranny semi drained & engine overfilled. If you did the same as I did you opened the tranny drain plug and waited until liquid stopped flowing right? I doubt you opened the tranny pan.....

Did you also fill the engine with oil thinking it was empty after draining it like I did? If you did then you have twice as much oil that you should have and I highly recommend to drain the ENGINE oil now if you did that (The oil pan is right next to the front bumber).

As for the PRNDS lights solid, I'm sure that is LIMP MODE. How many miles does the car have? I highly recommend to drop the pan and change the filter since you are going to be putting new transmission fluid in, I'll post the link of the kit that I used.

If you're wondering, my car/transmission is working 100% perfect right now after CORRECTLY refilling it :cool::)

Oh yeah, Oil problem as well. I'm concerned about the doing too much to the transmission, fliter etc, because its pretty high mileage, 160k. I had no intention of touching the TransFluid at all... until this happened. Do you think changing the filter and such would do the same "damage" a flush could do as far as striping the trans of particulate and such? I spent all morning reading your thread, how did your RPM issue turn out? Also, WTF is limp mode... perhaps dropping a few VIAGRA into the gas tank would work? :)

[RDA990]

Oh yeah, Oil problem as well. I'm concerned about the doing too much to the transmission, fliter etc, because its pretty high mileage, 160k. I had no intention of touching the TransFluid at all... until this happened. Do you think changing the filter and such would do the same "damage" a flush could do as far as striping the trans of particulate and such? I spent all morning reading your thread, how did your RPM issue turn out? Also, WTF is limp mode... perhaps dropping a few VIAGRA into the gas tank would work? :)

Not sure about the type of damage you have done to the engine with 2x the amount of oil in it by idling it for 15min, possible internal damage, I'm not sure. My engine was only on for less than 5min while it idled and drove it. I would research on threads where people overfilled the engine and if it caused damage or not.

As for the "damage" with changing the oil filter, you're techincally still going to be "stripping the trans" of the particulates since you're going to be putting in new fluid in. I honestly don't belive in that but then again my car only has 80k (never had the transmission serviced) and everything turned out fine. If you have the time, and money, then I would drop the pan and change filter now. If not just make sure you have the tranny filled up properly. I should of asked this before but do you plan on going to a shop? Or doing it yourself? If so you'll need jackstands and a LEVEL surface/garage, that was my first mistake, the first time I did it the car wasn't properly leveled so it got the wrong amount of fluid in, which I'm sure caused the RPM issue. The RPM issue is gone after I dropped the pan and changed fluid and put new fluid in, again for the second time but with the car properly leveled.

No 100% sure on the meaning of LIMP mode but it definetly has to do with the transmission. It's like a type of emergency mode the tranny goes into which decides when the gears change (I think) If you have a vagcom I definitely would scan it and get more info.

I think the car would like the VIAGRA in the tranny not the gas tank ;)

[diagnosticator]

Oh yeah, Oil problem as well. I'm concerned about the doing too much to the transmission, fliter etc, because its pretty high mileage, 160k. I had no intention of touching the TransFluid at all... until this happened. Do you think changing the filter and such would do the same "damage" a flush could do as far as striping the trans of particulate and such? I spent all morning reading your thread, how did your RPM issue turn out? Also, WTF is limp mode... perhaps dropping a few VIAGRA into the gas tank would work? :)

It is incomprehensible to me how this subject is still an item of debate.
The common but illogical belief that transmissions that have never had the fluid and filter changed, will somehow be damaged from changing the fluid and filter, cannot be supported by the technical facts involved. Running fresh clean fluid with a clean filter, is always better than operating the trans on old, contaminated oxidized fluid with a lot of suspended clutch disk friction material and steel/brass metal wear particles circulating in the fluid with a dirty filter. I don't know of any explanations using relevant technical facts how using old contaminated fluid and a dirty filter is better for the transmission compared to fresh clean fluid and a clean filter. If this was really true, then new transmissions would be filled at the factory with old contaminated oxidized fluid, or at least fluid that was manufactured to provide the same prosperities as dirty old worn out fluid, having no active additive package to inhibit oxidation and reduced viscosity from shearing of the fluid during trans operation. There is some evidence backed by the technical facts involved, that implicate pressurized flushing of the transmission using power flushing equipment can possibly result in problems developing with the transmission afterward. But this is a very different situation compared to simply draining the old fluid and installing a new fluid filter.

[diagnosticator]

The auto trans "limp' mode, is a default emergency operating mode where the TCU cannot properly control the transmission. Consequently, the transmission is locked in mechanical 3rd gear with reverse gear enabled. Without any fluid in the trans, the torque converter cannot transmit engine torque to the transmission input shaft, and there is no system hydraulic pressure to engage the various multi plate clutch packs, therefore, active emergency mode cannot function.

[RDA990]

The auto trans "limp' mode, is a default emergency operating mode where the TCU cannot properly control the transmission. Consequently, the transmission is locked in mechanical 3rd gear with reverse gear enabled. Without any fluid in the trans, the torque converter cannot transmit engine torque to the transmission input shaft, and there is no system hydraulic pressure to engage the various multi plate clutch packs, therefore, active emergency mode cannot function.

Thanks for the correct definition, I was like 1/10 close.

[andrew.k]

Good excuse for a manual swap. :D

[mauromj]

My tranny did this the other day and has been having shifting problems such as hard downshifts from 5-4 and 2-1. I'm ordering a new valve body to see if that fixed the issues. If not, I guess it is tcu related?

[ECS Tuning-Audi]

Your PRNDS is lit up because there's no fluid in the transmission. This is a fail safe, if by chance the trans ever has a leak and the fluid gets too low it will kick it into limp mode. Which pretty much locks the vehicle in 4th gear and will not allow it to shift.

There's a special way to fill the transmission it must be warm I think it calls for 72 degrees C. You'll want to put the initial amount in then run the trans while until it reaches the suggested temp. Once there you continue to top off the fluid until it comes out of the fill hole. You can install the fill plug once the over flow slows to a slight drip.

It's suggested to run ATF fluid. You'll need 6 liters.

We have service kits available below.

Click HERE to order or for more information


Jason

[Ricky Spanish]

It is incomprehensible to me how this subject is still an item of debate.
The common but illogical belief that transmissions that have never had the fluid and filter changed, will somehow be damaged from changing the fluid and filter, cannot be supported by the technical facts involved. Running fresh clean fluid with a clean filter, is always better than operating the trans on old, contaminated oxidized fluid with a lot of suspended clutch disk friction material and steel/brass metal wear particles circulating in the fluid with a dirty filter. I don't know of any explanations using relevant technical facts how using old contaminated fluid and a dirty filter is better for the transmission compared to fresh clean fluid and a clean filter. If this was really true, then new transmissions would be filled at the factory with old contaminated oxidized fluid, or at least fluid that was manufactured to provide the same prosperities as dirty old worn out fluid, having no active additive package to inhibit oxidation and reduced viscosity from shearing of the fluid during trans operation. There is some evidence backed by the technical facts involved, that implicate pressurized flushing of the transmission using power flushing equipment can possibly result in problems developing with the transmission afterward. But this is a very different situation compared to simply draining the old fluid and installing a new fluid filter.

This.... A thousand times this.... How could broke down shitty dirty fluid be good for any system in your car especially the transmission... Every used car I have ever bought I've immediately done multiple drain and fills to get as much of the old fluid out as possible... When I first bought my A4 I changed it twice with in a month with a drain and fill... Then a month after that I dropped the pan and did the filter.... Car shifts great for having 135000 miles... Proper lubrication is key.. An automatic transmission is a nightmare of moving parts inside...

[ddegree]

So the consensus is to the the filter change... I'm still very apprehensive about it, with 160k miles I'm just worried I'll open it up and find something that makes me want to kill myself or will kill my car. But it's never had any trans issues... So I guess I'll dive in and cross my fingers. I"ll post up when I get a chance to do this later this week. There are two different kits, one posted above and this one: http://www.blauparts.com/proddetail.asp?prod=F2A1007-A . Anyone have a preference? The price difference is substantial and If it's "all the same" I'd rather go with the cheaper one. Thank you all so very much for your input and help. It's very much appreciated, for this new(ish) DIYer.

[RDA990]

So the consensus is to the the filter change... I'm still very apprehensive about it, with 160k miles I'm just worried I'll open it up and find something that makes me want to kill myself or will kill my car. But it's never had any trans issues... So I guess I'll dive in and cross my fingers. I"ll post up when I get a chance to do this later this week. There are two different kits, one posted above and this one: http://www.blauparts.com/proddetail.asp?prod=F2A1007-A . Anyone have a preference? The price difference is substantial and If it's "all the same" I'd rather go with the cheaper one. Thank you all so very much for your input and help. It's very much appreciated, for this new(ish) DIYer.

Yeah, definitely go with the filter change if you're going to be down there already. Make sure you have all the correct tools needed, I doubt you want to put the car on jack stands then find out you don't have the Torx 25 needed to get the pan off. I went with the Blauparts kit & it was perfect. I'd probably get an extra bottle or two JUST in case. If you need any help let me know since I went through the same exact process you're going through a few weeks ago. Make sure you read a DIY first as well.

[A4natomical]

So the consensus is to the the filter change... I'm still very apprehensive about it, with 160k miles I'm just worried I'll open it up and find something that makes me want to kill myself or will kill my car. But it's never had any trans issues... So I guess I'll dive in and cross my fingers. I"ll post up when I get a chance to do this later this week. There are two different kits, one posted above and this one: http://www.blauparts.com/proddetail.asp?prod=F2A1007-A . Anyone have a preference? The price difference is substantial and If it's "all the same" I'd rather go with the cheaper one. Thank you all so very much for your input and help. It's very much appreciated, for this new(ish) DIYer.

Are you sure you know what you will be doing? I don't want to sound condescending, but I mean, you kinda messed up pretty bad changing the engine oil. Are you sure you don't need a mechanic to do it for you?