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01A transmission info, how to get one for under $400?

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11K views 30 replies 9 participants last post by  somebody5788  
#1 ·
So I've got 2 01A transmissions with the same problem.... neither of them caused by me as I got the one with the car and the other was from a friend who bought a car to part out (we didn't know it was a bad trans, should have cracked it open.........)

Well the problem is first gear is chipped like so

Image


So to repair my stock 01A 2.8 transmission I'd need an input shaft and the actual first gear. The 1.8t one in my car now.. well... it's junk we don't need to worry about it haha.

So my question is what other cars were they from and what do you guys think the cheapest one would be, I'm trying to use car-part to find a transmission but they go by the trans code essentially so I am then stuck to the years that code was used in the car. Well I know basically any 01A will bolt up, I suppose I'd prefer to get some gas mileage back with the 2.8l 5th gear ratio but in the long run I just want a good transmission....
 
#3 ·
RSCoupe said:
For your power level, you should just go with an 01E. Transmission and rear diff. from a B5 S4 will bolt right in.
I'd like to but it's not cost effective. Also the 01A isn't going to break with my hp hehe. It'll handle 500hp daily and I'm not even close.

Unless you think you can get me setup with that for cheap lol.

Also, planning on ordering my IIc wiring harness today. What exactly do I want the relay board for? If I'm connecting it into my stock harness using a hacked up OEM ECU do I still need it or would it then use the OEM relays? I just plan on soldering the harness into the stock computers plug and mounting the ecu remotely. If it doesn't work I'm only out $30 and 1" of the harness lol.
 
#8 ·
somebody5788 said:
RSCoupe said:
For your power level, you should just go with an 01E. Transmission and rear diff. from a B5 S4 will bolt right in.
Also the 01A isn't going to break with my hp hehe. It'll handle 500hp daily and I'm not even close.
It is not necessarily the HP it is how abusive the driver is.

somebody5788 said:
Also, planning on ordering my IIc wiring harness today. What exactly do I want the relay board for? If I'm connecting it into my stock harness using a hacked up OEM ECU do I still need it or would it then use the OEM relays? I just plan on soldering the harness into the stock computers plug and mounting the ecu remotely. If it doesn't work I'm only out $30 and 1" of the harness lol.
diyautotune.com sells an adapter for flying lead SEMS to stock harness. If you are keeping the stock fuses and relays you should not need new ones.
 
#11 ·
Mcstiff said:
You've never broken one till you have...

"Coming Soon:...launch control, 300+AWHP"

I would not subject an 01A to launch control.
Ever seen Mike Hood's 600 something AWHP 1.8t drag car? He runs hoosiers on all 4 corners on an 01A transmission.

Also I'm not really gonna drag my car, I'm only doing the launch control because the ECU has the option hehe.

Every time I try to look into going 6 speed the price scares me away. Most likely would end up costing me about $1500 because certain things I refuse to use used parts on.
 
#13 ·
somebody5788 said:
Mcstiff said:
You've never broken one till you have...

"Coming Soon:...launch control, 300+AWHP"

I would not subject an 01A to launch control.
Ever seen Mike Hood's 600 something AWHP 1.8t drag car? He runs hoosiers on all 4 corners on an 01A transmission.
I blew one up getting too aggressive with ~180awhp.
 
#14 ·
Mcstiff said:
somebody5788 said:
Mcstiff said:
You've never broken one till you have...

"Coming Soon:...launch control, 300+AWHP"

I would not subject an 01A to launch control.
Ever seen Mike Hood's 600 something AWHP 1.8t drag car? He runs hoosiers on all 4 corners on an 01A transmission.
I blew one up getting too aggressive with ~180awhp.
mine was fine with over 370 wtq...
 
#16 ·
Hybrid_Hatch said:
Mcstiff said:
somebody5788 said:
Mcstiff said:
You've never broken one till you have...

"Coming Soon:...launch control, 300+AWHP"

I would not subject an 01A to launch control.
Ever seen Mike Hood's 600 something AWHP 1.8t drag car? He runs hoosiers on all 4 corners on an 01A transmission.
I blew one up getting too aggressive with ~180awhp.
mine was fine with over 370 wtq...
I killed one by launching hard with too many RPMs (sound like launch control?). I forget if it was 1st or 2nd that went. Like I said its not the power it is the abuse.
 
#18 ·
Hybrid_Hatch said:
Mcstiff said:
I killed one by launching hard with too many RPMs (sound like launch control?). I forget if it was 1st or 2nd that went. Like I said its not the power it is the abuse.
Hank drove mine. If that doesn't say abuse I don't know what does.
True enough. For me it comes down to the fact that enough people have killed 01As that I do not trust them.
 
#21 ·
Lets get this back on track. 01A! The 01E is not going to be that much better in the long run. Even they have the 1/2 shift collar problems. Basically they both have some issues sometimes but the 01A with some MT90 and a little shock proof in there then not totally abusing it will be just fine. I have launched my car on both of the transmissions literally hundreds of times. Both of them had the chipped first gear before I ever got them and I never broke the already broken transmission.

When launching I just make sure I put a little load on the gears BEFORE dropping the clutch and I don't slam into the rest of the gears. The biggest weakness of an 01A is 3rd gear and this is on high powered cars. What happens is the long input and out put shaft are at the weakest point in the middle where 3rd gear is. They bend and give a little when under huge load and then snap all the teeth off the gear. Well I'm not even close to the power for that problem lmao.

So ya.. just looking for what 01A's I can use. So which trans codes are 3.89:1 final drive and quattro. Will a CPN or CBR work? They are dirt cheap and local with a warranty under $400. I can even get them with as low miles as 50k. I was looking at them under the 93 era Audi 90 quattro's. Just haven't proven completely that it would work.
 
#22 ·
Hybrid_Hatch said:
Mcstiff said:
True enough. For me it comes down to the fact that enough people have killed 01As that I do not trust them.
you should check out the b5 s4 forums and see how many people have screwed up their 01Es....
Key words: "people have screwed up".

Meaning, they aren't breaking (power problem), they are having shift mechanism issues (idiot driver problem).

The strong transverse units are the same way. They are strong, but if you drive like an idiot, you fold over the shift collar.
 
#23 ·
somebody5788 said:
So ya.. just looking for what 01A's I can use. So which trans codes are 3.89:1 final drive and quattro. Will a CPN or CBR work? They are dirt cheap and local with a warranty under $400. I can even get them with as low miles as 50k. I was looking at them under the 93 era Audi 90 quattro's. Just haven't proven completely that it would work.
The B4 01A should work, they are 3.89.
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