91 Vw Passat Limp Mode???

[billycoleman2]

I resently bout a used 91 passat and its a great car
although after buying i relised that the transmission works fin manualy but when i put in to drive it is just 3 ]
i read somweher that this is Limp MODE ??? is it??
And if it is in limp mode does anyone know how to fix it?? or what areas
to check???
I resently checked the plugs on top of the trany for any fraid wires or carbon deposits and it was all good

thank you
any help will be greatly apreciated

[boschmann]

Does it go through all the gears when you shift it manually? Limp mode would just be 2nd, reverse & park/neutral.

[billycoleman2]

Originally Posted by boschmann

Does it go through all the gears when you shift it manually? Limp mode would just be 2nd, reverse & park/neutral.

um ya it goes through all the gears manually, it just wont shift.
I heard that VW limp mode is 3 gear while other vehicles is 2 is this true??

[boschmann]

As I remember limp is 2nd gear. Does it seem to be stuck in sport mode (non-TCM shifting)?

[chepp]

I have the 4 cyl. auto and about one time out of five starts it acts like this (stuck in third but can shift 1-2-3 manually and no problem with reverse).

Usually, stopping the car, shutting off the engine and restarting it causes the trans to shift normally. Sometimes, I have to stop and start two or even three times.

Is this a trans problem or an electrical problem? I'm guessing that that the ignition switch may be a factor. About once in a hundred starts, the horn beeps once. When I turn off the ignition, sometimes the sunroof and windows automatically close, sometimes they don't.

Also, when I lock the drivers door with the key, it locks all of doors but most of the time when I remove the key the doors unlock. If I then go around to the passenger door and lock it, all doors will lock and stay locked. But, if I get out of the drivers seat, close the drivers door and go directly to the passenger door to lock it with a key, all of the doors won't lock (only the passenger door will lock).

Any ideas? The car has 98,000 miles. One owner.

[boschmann]

Trans sounds electrical, wiring or TCM. The other things sound like the drivers door lock switch (sensor) is stuck in the open position.

[chepp]

Thank you!

Originally Posted by boschmann

Trans sounds electrical, wiring or TCM. The other things sound like the drivers door lock switch (sensor) is stuck in the open position.