Auto Gearbox

Hi there

Had my disco just over a week and took it today to pick up a horse trailer. Pulled it with no problems dropped the box off and when we set off to go home she was revving up and not changing gear. The M and S light were flashing on the dash and the LED that tells you what gear you are in was flashing too. Tried stopping and starting again, tried setting off in 1st etc to no avail. Was close to a nervous breakdown and then it suddenly started working again....Its been foot perfect all week and as I said towed really well, anyone got any ideas??

I guess its a Td5 ?Have you recently changed the transmission fluid ?

Assuming it is a TD5 auto. When you start the engine, wait 20 seconds before selecting any gears, then see what happens.

If you main battery is low and you start the engine and immediately select gears, the autobox ECU can be starved of volts and it throws a tantrum.

I may be wrong... but it sounds remarkably similar to the "X,Y,Z" problem I had with the gear sensor... Research it on the site... if it is and the symptoms sound familiar, then it can be replaced as long as you have a diagnostic tool and a flexible hand to get up into the gearbox! But then again, I may be wrong! The easiest way to find out would be to get a hawkeye or nanocom plugged into it... That will tell you for sure. It is is a "X,Y,Z" problem.. the sensor will cost £350.. not cheap.

Good luck..

buggit said:

Hi there

Had my disco just over a week and took it today to pick up a horse trailer. Pulled it with no problems dropped the box off and when we set off to go home she was revving up and not changing gear. The M and S light were flashing on the dash and the LED that tells you what gear you are in was flashing too. Tried stopping and starting again, tried setting off in 1st etc to no avail. Was close to a nervous breakdown and then it suddenly started working again....Its been foot perfect all week and as I said towed really well, anyone got any ideas??

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Hi there, I had the same problem with mine. Luckily it happened just two days after buying the car so managed to get the dealer to pay for the repairs. Repairer replaced a sensor in the gearbox. It cost about £200 to repair. Will try and find the work sheet for exact problem.

Cheers for that, started her this morning and same problem, drove around 6 miles - had no choice! when I set off back on the return journey it didnt put a foot wrong and changed gears just as normal... To get her plugged in do I need to take it to a dealership - sorry for all the dumb questions knew I should have brought a 300 tdi but like a typical girl was seduced by the headlights and cream leather interior

Well, no. I love my TD5... It is the love of my life... I prefer it to the 300 and 200, but that is controversial I know.. The XYZ problem is a common one and the fix is simple. The sensor is just expensive. Depends where you live, but try and find a friend who has a Nanocom or Hawkeye (Diagnostic computer). It just gets plugged in and runs a diagnostic and it will tell you if the gearbox sensor is knackered. Usually if it is buggered, then you can switch the engine off and switch on again and it should resolve the issue. Sometimes it does not. You can get it done at a garage, but they usually charge you £80 just for the diagnostic.. hence try and find someone local to you who can help. There are normally people on this site who would not mind helping out. Depending on how mechanical you are, you can change the sensor yourself. It is just fiddly. The garages say that you need a special "locator" tool, but this is rubbish. I did it without one. You just need two people. One to hold the sensor in the right position and the other to see what the lights say on the dash to make sure the gear selector is giving the right gears....

Just all depends on how mechanical you are, but either way.. TD5 is the right way to go!!!!!

Good luck..

buggit said:

Cheers for that, started her this morning and same problem, drove around 6 miles - had no choice! when I set off back on the return journey it didnt put a foot wrong and changed gears just as normal... To get her plugged in do I need to take it to a dealership - sorry for all the dumb questions knew I should have brought a 300 tdi but like a typical girl was seduced by the headlights and cream leather interior

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Thats why I asked if the transmission oil had been changed. It sounds like the governor valve is sticking. Problem goes away once the gearbox is warm. This can happen soon after the oil has been changed because the new oil acts like a detergent and disturbs all the crap in the box, this fine sediment can get past the filter and block the governor valve.

disco 2 dont have govenors ,but other is possibly ,but i would go with mudrat

jamesmartin said:

disco 2 dont have govenors ,but other is possibly ,but i would go with mudrat

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Oh well thats my theory out the window ! :behindsofa: