Passat Autobox

Honest John Back Room » Technical matters
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Thu 12 Sep 2002 14:30
Passat Autobox - jb
Interesting problem with starting the car that I think is connected to the automatic gearbox.

The car is a 1992 J plated 2 litre petrol with 60,000 miles on the clock.

Intermittently, when turning the key to start you hear a click from what sounds like the gearbox and nothing happens. Move the gearstick from Park to any selection and back to Park and it will start. Sometimes even this doesn't work and you have to put it in Drive, push the car a few inches, then back into Park, and it starts.

I'm baffled ! Any ideas ?
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Thu 12 Sep 2002 16:34
Passat Autobox - svpworld
Sounds like the solenoid which locks the shift in Park could be sticking? I assume the Passat has a feature to prevent you starting the car in any gear other than park, so either there's some sort of solenoid that's sticking in the transmission selection or the parking paw is sticking? Check the electrics on the box I would, especially around the shift lever.

Simon

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Thu 12 Sep 2002 16:46
Passat Autobox - Dizzy {P}
It sounds as though the gear selection linkage is out of adjustment. There is normally an inhibitor switch somewhere, probably on the gearbox close to where the gear selector linkage goes in, that allows the starter to operate only when the selector lever is in Park or Neutral.

There is probably an adjustment means somewhere on the linkage and this needs to be set so that, when the gearbox itself is in Park, the lever is also bang-on the Park position on the console.

Alternatively, there could be wear in the inhibitor switch which is preventing electrical connection. On the older gearboxes (and possibly on yours as well) the inhibitor switch was adjustable in the amount that it could be screwed into the gearbox, i.e. it needed screwing in enough to disengage the starter circuit in any gear other than P or N but not so much that prevented starting in those two positions.

Have you tried starting from the Neutral position? That should be OK because it is usually the Park position that gives the problem that you have. This is because the lever is at the full extent of its travel in Park and the end of the gear lever slot can stop the lever going as far as it needs to, especially if the linkage is out of adjustment.
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