Engine cutting out - gearbox fault

Today, for the second time in a week my engine has cut out with a dashboard warning of 'gearbox fault'.

Right, let's start at the beginning because I really need some help before I end up in a smash with this fault.

It's a 2.5 DSE automatic first registered in July 2000.
I bought it a few months ago with 95k on the clock and took it straight to my local Indy who did the 96k service on it and had a good look over it. (Yes I trust them) The only point that they could raise was that the airbags looked a bit worn so I replaced them and then it sailed through an MOT without even an advisory. After reading some posts on here I replaced the in-tank pump to cure it's poor starting, fitted a brand new battety and replaced the fuse box.

I only drive at weekends so I haven't done great mileage but, apart from it feeling very sluggish when cold and needing a lot of 'encouragement' to keep speed up on long hills on country roads it hasn't put a foot wrong and I'm loving it.

A couple of days ago whilst driving in town, so below 30mph, just entering a downhill stretch I suddenly realised that I had no power. A glance at the dashboard and all of the ignition lights were on and the warning read 'gearbox fault'. I don't know about a MIL light I was a bit busy at the time. I managed to get it to the kerb, no powered steering, turned off and then it started first time, no fault showing and it drove home. My immediate thought was gearbox fluid so I jacked it up but my box looked different to the one on RAVE. I found what I assumed to be the drain and directly above it another Allen key that I assumed would be the filler. I did the business with up and down the box a couple of times and, with the engine running, loosened this and got a trickle of clean red fluid.

Then today I've had a repeat performance. I've been out for about an hour on country roads the about half an hour on the motorway. Back into town onto a gentle downhill stretch and, no engine and 'gearbox fault'. This time there was nowhere to go so I just had to block the traffic and get it started again as soon as possible. Thinking back over both occasions the both had double bends just before the downhill.

I've searched RAVE and there is no gearbox fault that should cut the engine.
I've connected up my new Faultmate and got, in the EDC a fault - 02087 - 'loop control boost pressure invalid' I haven't got a clue what that means and I can't find this fault code in RAVE (too many digits).
In the gearbox section, and just to add confusion in the Bosch GS2.38 section, for gearboxes before 2000, I have a fault of - OB015 - 'invalid engine rpm date'. Again this doesn't appear in RAVE, wrong format.
I've done a search on this forum and there was talk of a fault like this a couple of years ago possible linked to the crankshaft sensor or injector four but no-one ever offered a conclusion.

So can anyone make sense of this?
Is the gearbox fault warning a red herring caused by the engine cutting out with the box in drive?
Can any-one cast any light on the BlackBox faults?

i,m watching this one like an hawk coz i too have the same problem,cut out 3 times now,everytime seems to be whilst going downhill.engine dies but restarts straight away.i,m anxious to get this sorted before it cuts out whilst traveling at speed.any ideas

I think the gearbox fault is just thrown up due to sudden power failure to which end I would be looking at all the connections to the main fuse box. Did you get new relays with the new box ?

Gearbox fault is because the box is being driven by the wheels with no input from the engine to drive the oil pump I believe. I would go for the crank sensor as a first step as they are cheap to replace.

would this crank sensor have any relation to my bad starting problem?

I have had similar symptoms to this and cured it by dropping the tank and cleaning a load of crud from the pick up filter - cost me nowt but an hour and a half on the floor

Thanks for the replies lads.
Sorry I haven't been around to join in but my doc insisted on a little hospital stay. Silly doctor!

Anyway, some replies;

Bart 2181 - Exactly as I said, slowly going downhill. My only hope at present is that this is the key and it's not going to happen at speed, but if there had been another corner on the hill I'm not sure that I could have got the steering round in time.

rewmer - No I didn't get new relays with the fusebox and it's definitely an electrical /electronic fault that's turning the engine off with no other drama so, because of the simplcity of getting to them and checking them I think that the relays have gone to the top of my list.

datatek - As I've come to expect from you on here a simple, logical answer. The more I think about this (and I've had a fair bit of thinking time) I think that the engine is turning off and then the gearbox is raising the fault. So, I'm going to ignore the gearbox fault and concentrate on the engine. I quite fancy the crankshaft sensor myself and am currently reading Rave on it. However before I swap it I'm going to try and repeat the fault (with a mate behind me) so that if I change something I can 'prove' that I've cured the fault.

bart2181 - Sorry mate, can't help you with starting problems. Since I replaced my in-tank pump mine starts first time, every time.

wantaquad - Thanks for your input but it's not a typical fuel starvation thing. There's no cough, no splutter it's just as is you had turned the key back to position one then to position two. In fact both times that it's happened to me I didn't even realise that the engine had stopped until I saw all of the dash lights on. One of the drawbacks of an auto box going downhill I suppose, you're virtually freewheeling.
Mind you I'm impressed at you cleaning out a tank in an hour and a half. How have you got yours fitted on, velcro?

im watching this too. This has just happened to me for thr fourth time and it is overfuelling like mad. It wont even start now and the engine management light is on. Im actually sat i the recovery truck typing this

dogsbody said:

Thanks for the replies lads.
Sorry I haven't been around to join in but my doc insisted on a little hospital stay. Silly doctor!

Anyway, some replies;

Bart 2181 - Exactly as I said, slowly going downhill. My only hope at present is that this is the key and it's not going to happen at speed, but if there had been another corner on the hill I'm not sure that I could have got the steering round in time.

rewmer - No I didn't get new relays with the fusebox and it's definitely an electrical /electronic fault that's turning the engine off with no other drama so, because of the simplcity of getting to them and checking them I think that the relays have gone to the top of my list.

datatek - As I've come to expect from you on here a simple, logical answer. The more I think about this (and I've had a fair bit of thinking time) I think that the engine is turning off and then the gearbox is raising the fault. So, I'm going to ignore the gearbox fault and concentrate on the engine. I quite fancy the crankshaft sensor myself and am currently reading Rave on it. However before I swap it I'm going to try and repeat the fault (with a mate behind me) so that if I change something I can 'prove' that I've cured the fault.

bart2181 - Sorry mate, can't help you with starting problems. Since I replaced my in-tank pump mine starts first time, every time.

wantaquad - Thanks for your input but it's not a typical fuel starvation thing. There's no cough, no splutter it's just as is you had turned the key back to position one then to position two. In fact both times that it's happened to me I didn't even realise that the engine had stopped until I saw all of the dash lights on. One of the drawbacks of an auto box going downhill I suppose, you're virtually freewheeling.
Mind you I'm impressed at you cleaning out a tank in an hour and a half. How have you got yours fitted on, velcro?

Click to expand...

For safety, select 2 on the gearbox selector when going downhill, that will keep the engine turning whether it wants to or not

Datatek said:

For safety, select 2 on the gearbox selector when going downhill, that will keep the engine turning whether it wants to or not

Click to expand...

thats what i,ll be doin in future,better safe than sorry

Blimey..this is deja-vue! Picked up a P38 4.6hse this week for delivery to denmark. First 300 miles great..then i noticed it was finding a false neutral when i was on motorway..just for 2-5 seconds then kicked in again.

Happened about 5 times the next 200 miles..then engine died with same display 'gearbox fault'.

i let it go cold then checked the ATF level..it was below low. I've filled it up and driven 200 miles without a problem. Fingers crossed, its for a customer in Portugal...

I'm sticking to my landys from now on..cracking motor the p38..but too many gremlins i fear that can't be fixed with string, snot and swearing...good luck fellas!

the gearbox fault is because the engine cuts out. mine used to do this just as i drove over the brow of a hill or started down hill, the gearbox would select a higher gear because is suddenly didn't need the lower gear and cause the engine to overrun and force the rev's down. if they went to low the engine would stall. not good when towing!!
someone on here would help me out here i'm sure but my indy adjusted a setting to keep the revs up when the engine returned to idle???? i'm sure thats what he said.
hope it helps guys!
i got so used to this i was towing a friends horse once, and the dreaded beep and gearbox fault came up....car full of screaming girls!going 30mph. cool as a cucumber said it's ok, select neutral, start car, select drive didn't even alter the speed. car full of screaming girls went silent!!!:hysterically_laughi

Ladyranger - This sounds EXACTLY what I'm experiencing. Just a thought, is your's a diesel?

Second thought - car full of screaming girls - would you be looking for a chauffeur at any time?

Hi guys. I'm reading your syptoms with interest. I have a 2000 (W) Rangey DHSE and this does this to me regularly, whether I'm driving on the autobahn (I'm a soldier living in germany) or through town. I lose power, 'gearbox fault' comes on, I have so far on every occasion managed to coast to the hard shoulder. Then turn off the ignition, put it in park, turn on again and no problems.

Is the crankshaft sensor easy to find and to replace, if so I will try this before i send it to the mega overpriced dealer. Its only a matter of time before I run out of luck with this and end up with a truck rear ending me.