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DSG (6 speed) behaviors - wanted to check, compare, and confirm

wlfpck

Ready to race!
Location
United States
I have a GTI with the DSG and noticed a couple of things today since I had my music off and the windows down. I just wanted to check/confirm/compare and see if this is normal behavior.

1) Going from a stop in first (Regardless M,S, or D) there is some chatter or faint clicking from the engine bay. This is louder than on my old mk6 which just had the dsg jerkiness but iI never noticed any chatter/clicking.

2) At about 20 mph, when downshifting from 2nd to 1st, the transmission clicks pretty audibly. I did a quick google search and found some stuff for the mk6.

3) More of a question than anything... Is it bad to shift into first while the car is moving? I've heard both yes and no. Obviously if you're going a decent speed you don't want to... but at 15 mph? 10 mph? maybe even 5 mph?

4) Again more of a question, is there a dipstick for the DSG transmission to check the fluid? (Dark out and can't see anything.)


Thanks,
_______

New info... Apparently the clicking is WAY less audible when the transmission fluid is cold. So scenario # 1 and 2 only really happen when the car has been running for a while and the transmission fluid is a lot warmer (less viscous - thinner due to it heating up).

Also on the DSG, all gears are sychronized.
 
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herbie

Ready to race!
I have a GTI with DSG also.

1) From stop, I also hear faint clicking from the engine. That's from idle to about 1k rpm. I am not sure if it is normal.

2.)I also hear the clicks from 2nd to 1st. I am not sure if it is normal.
 
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joema2

Ready to race!
Location
Nashville, TN
Car(s)
2010 Golf GTI 6MT
1) Going from a stop in first (Regardless M,S, or D) there is some chatter or faint clicking from the engine bay.

My Mk7 does this occasionally. It's more likely if creeping up a slight incline.

2) At about 20 mph, when downshifting from 2nd to 1st, the transmission clicks pretty audibly.

I've never heard that, whether downshifting in D, S, manually, whether part or full throttle.

3) More of a question than anything... Is it bad to shift into first while the car is moving? I've heard both yes and no....

It is true if manually shifted to 2nd or 1st while moving it may clunk a little more than when DSG auto-downshifts as speed drops.

But -- how can it be bad to shift to a lower gear (whether 1st or any other) while the car is moving? DSG shifts to lower gears by itself while the car is moving. Even if in manual mode and if shifting to 1st at low speed, DSG has the final authority. You the driver are only making a recommendation to shift. If DSG decides to shift in a way that's damaging, that's its own fault.
 

wlfpck

Ready to race!
Location
United States
New info... Apparently the clicking is WAY less audible when the transmission fluid is cold. So scenario # 1 and 2 only really happen when the car has been running for a while and the transmission fluid is a lot warmer (less viscous - thinner due to it heating up).

Also on the DSG, all gears are sychronized.

-----

I'm thinking the clicking may actually just be from moving parts inside the transmission. I tested it this morning and there was a MUCH quieter click when downshifting from 2nd to 1st.

I don't think WOT has anything to do with it. I think the clicking is just things moving in the transmission. Possibly the valves and such.

I got to 20 mph and shifted into first. It was not at WOT. There was a click but I could barely hear it. So I think it's just as the fluid thins out from heating up, the noises the transmission makes becomes much more noticeable.
 

wlfpck

Ready to race!
Location
United States
My Mk7 does this occasionally. It's more likely if creeping up a slight incline.



I've never heard that, whether downshifting in D, S, manually, whether part or full throttle.



It is true if manually shifted to 2nd or 1st while moving it may clunk a little more than when DSG auto-downshifts as speed drops.

But -- how can it be bad to shift to a lower gear (whether 1st or any other) while the car is moving? DSG shifts to lower gears by itself while the car is moving. Even if in manual mode and if shifting to 1st at low speed, DSG has the final authority. You the driver are only making a recommendation to shift. If DSG decides to shift in a way that's damaging, that's its own fault.

Mine doesn't clunk. It clicks which is why I was a little worried. Though I guess this leads to a question of what a click/clack/clunk/chatter is and how they're different. haha

Was worried there could be potential strain on the sychros or if maybe first gear wasn't synchronized.
 

wlfpck

Ready to race!
Location
United States
The noise is pretty quiet. You'll need to have the radio off, windows down, and no traffic.

The chatter is when you start from a stop and slowly let off the brake and move REALLY slow. I think this is just the clutch slipping.

The click is from downshifting from 2nd to 1st. I kept it to about 20 mph. The top speed in first is around 36 mph. I didn't want to stress out the internal parts testing this.
 

Irishace

Ready to race!
Location
Toronto
I have been beating on my GTI from the word go (believer in hard break in to get solid seals) and notice a very fient siren noise from the turbo in 1st gear on. No clicking from the DSG yet.
 

wlfpck

Ready to race!
Location
United States
The clicking does not occur in other gears. It's really only audible from 2nd to first. Not to mention you have to be going slow enough so that the engine noise doesn't drown out the click.

Other gears, I have not noticed or heard a clicking sound. I'm pretty sure this is just the clutch engagement. Some people on VWVortex mentioned that it's most likely moving parts.
 
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