Shift Pointers
- Subject: Code 00349: electrical fault for solenoid 10
- Unit: 09A (JF506E)
- Vehicle Application: Volkswagen, Land Rover, Jaguar, Mazda
- Essential Reading: Rebuilder, Diagnostician
- Author: Pete Luban, ATSG
I recently had an interesting call concerning a 2002 VW Jetta with an 09A (JF506E) transmission. The technician was scanning the TCM for codes using the computer-based diagnostic program called VAG-COM. The VAG-COM program is as good as the factory scan tool if not better. Like the factory VAG tool the VAG-COM displays VAG codes.
The code displayed was 00349, with the definition of an electrical fault for solenoid 10. The first thing I thought was, “How can you have a code for solenoid 10 when there are only nine solenoids in the unit, and which of those solenoids would number 10 be?”
If you look a little further with the VAG-COM, under “possible cause” it displays “wiring open or shorted, solenoid valve 10 – N283 faulty.”
Do you see the clue to this confusion? It’s the N283 designation; this explains which is solenoid number 10 – that is, if you have something that shows you which solenoid is N283. Sounds as if we’re back to square one, and that’s the reason for this article.
The chart in Figure 1 shows the VAG code, the number of the related solenoid and the factory designation for that solenoid. I’ve even included which measuring block to look at to check the operation of a given solenoid.
So, the answer to the question ”How can you have a code for a number 10 solenoid when there are only nine solenoids?” is that there is no number 7 solenoid. They are numbered 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10. Don’t ask me why; I couldn’t answer that one. My guess would be that VW created the diagnostic software that way.
One of the other problems with this transmission is that it is used in a variety of vehicles such as Volkswagen, Land Rover, Jaguar and Mazda. As a result of this, a solenoid mounted in a particular location on the valve body may be called something entirely different and may have an entirely different function, depending on which of these vehicles it is being used in.
Figures 2 and 3 indicate the solenoids’ locations and the solenoid nomenclature. Mazda’s solenoid application is significantly different from those of VW, Land Rover and Jaguar.
When you’re performing code retrieval on Mazda, Land Rover and Jaguar, the scan tool will display the typical OBD-II codes, and the code definitions will call the solenoid by name.
