Hey.

My Mity Vac just arrived. I tried to buy the best one that I could find so I chose this one. This is my first time doing any type of vacuum diagnostic to a car. My automatic transmission shifts roughly from first to second. The car does have about 183K miles on it so I figured it might be time for something to be going bad (vacuum related). I just need some type of tips as to where to start and how to do this crazy operation. Here is a pic I found so maybe someone can point something out to me visually.

I would really appreciate if you gave me a few pointers.... thanks

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Audi TT

If your worst problem is a harsh shift from 1st to 2nd, it sounds like your car is in great shape. This is normal if I'm reading your question right. If you are flaring or slipping from 1st to 2nd, then you have a serious issue.

Hard shifts generally indicate a solid tranny in my mind.

The mighty vac is especially helpful in tracing vacuum leaks that relate to shutoff and door locks. The tranny stuff is a bit more complicated with several issues converging at once.

Don

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kamil under the black thing on the valve cover are 6 or 8 short pieces of vacuum lines, replace them. Replace all short connecting black vacuum connectors, between the hard plastic lines, replace all 3 and 4 way black rubber conectors under the hood in engine compartment with 3.5 mm/ 1/8 inch vacuum line. There is a vacuum line that runs down behind the engine to the trans, check it out and replace old rubber vacuum line connector.

Do the door locks work an hour after engine is off? Do trunk and fuel door lock work? If they all work, do you have oil in the vacuum lines, if so replace vacuum valve in the line just above the vacuum pump.

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First place to start ?

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Audi TT

first of all, you are missing a cylinder. if you have a 4cyl and an automatic, you'd still be on your way home from picking up your mitivac, and so we know something is amiss... hmmmm...

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Start by checking to see that your engine pump will pull and hold better than 19inHg.

Pull the line to the tranny and attach the MitiVac using one of the supplied adapters. Operate the pump, should cause the needle to rise. Line must hold vac indefinitely, it if leaks the vac off, replace the rubber bits (as you should anyway, they are all dead by now).

Green line to the interior is AC, yellow is door locks. Both will take some time to pump down as there is a vac tank on each, I believe (may not be on the diesel AC system). Should hold indefinitely in either case unless you operate the AC changeover or the door locks.

Tranny typcially works a bit more complicated. The while line from the main vac line will always leak down as there is a calibrated leak-off in it. What you should get is 17" or so of vac on the line to the tranny with the engine running at idle. As you open the throttle, the vac should drop abrupty to 12" or so, then slow to 0 as the throttle linkage goes wide open. If not, the little operating lever in the valve on the valve cover are worn, or hte valve itself is bad, replace.

If you have good vac to the tranny and still have hard shifts, you need to adjust the modulator, but I'd bet you have a leak.

Peter

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1972 220D ?? miles
1988 300E 200,012
1987 300D Turbo killed 9/25/07, 275,000 miles
1985 Volvo 740 GLE Turobodiesel 218,000
1972 280 SE 4.5 165, 000 - It runs!