About Rocky Racoon Expertise Most questions that relate to interior, and exterior equipment removal, and re-installation. Also, mechanical repairs of the engine, and the axles, and the brakes.
Experience 35 years auto repair experience. 3 years specifically Volkswagen. 10 years ago, graduated from general technical college. Deans list graduate. One of several hundred, out of several thousand to compete, and win recognition within Volkswagen for knowledge, and excellence.
Question I was driving my automatic 2001 1.8t Jetta home during stop and go traffic. I stopped short, and my car stalled. I restarted it, and shortly after the EPC light came on, as did the ASR light (this came on at random prior to this incident). My car began driving with reduced power, and after about a minute I could barely get it to move even with the gas pedal pressed all the way down. I continued to drive by switching between 1st - 3rd gears and Drive. After a few miles, my car wouldn't accelerate in any gear and I had to pull over where my car stalled again. At this point the Check Engine and Battery light came on as well. I had to get the car towed to a dealership. It starts but stalls as soon as it's moved from park into a gear. I had my mass air flow sensor replaced 2 months ago, and my breaklight switch replaced after the first recall in December.
Answer Transmission replacement sounds necessary. 1.8T Jettas in the 2001, and 2002(early), model years came with 4 speed automatic transmissions. They are robust units capable of hundreds of thousands of miles of service, but they must have the fluid, and filters changed regularly. Without maintenance, regular maintenance, they WILL fail. How many faults are in the transmission control module, and what are they? There also should be a check sum error fault in the engine control module, and there should also be faults in the instrument cluster, the ABS system, and perhaps even the immobilizer. When the EPC light comes on it could be from the; (1) brake light switch, (2) ECM, (3) TCM, (4) wheel speed sensors, or anything related to the "powertrain," and its' ability to connect "with the road." If the output shaft speed sensor is sending information to the TCM(transmission control module) that is NOT in agreement with the input shaft sensor, or planetary gear speed, or pressure switch, or gear selector solenoid, or actual gear solenoid(inside the transmission) then a recalculation takes place, and if the recalculation is outside the parameters of the "firmware" programming, then faults are created, and possible "limp home mode settings" are engaged/energized. Your description sounds like the limp home mode was initiated, but there was not enough clutch material left in the clutch packs to make friction, and when you got impatient, and frustrated with your cars' behavior by shifting it manually, any momentary damage turned into permanent damage, and can only presume that since I only joined as an expert 2 days ago, and your problem was a month ago, all of this is old news by now. However, I hope that some of the explanation I have forwarded is of some use in understanding the mechanisms that are at work in your Jetta.
