Help please

This site contains affiliate links for which LandyZone may be compensated if you make a purchase.
N

N Gauge Bob

New Member
Posts
24
Hi Everyone.
I have a 1995 Rangey, 2.5 BMW diesel AUTO. I have done just over 6,000 trouble free miles. Having done 300 plus miles yeasterday I was returning home on the motorway and the following happened....
Dash showed gearbox failure followed by ABS failure followed by loads of other failures. Electrics went dim. I still had full drive. I pulled onto the hard shoulder. I tested all through the normal box and all worked well...reverse, forward, etc. I called out Green Flag who took me to their depot for as quick check over. The battery was flat. They boosted it up, started the engine and all was OK.....but no drive!!!! they also had to reset the keys to get it functioning.
Any suggestions as to what may have happened, what I should check and where I might locate what ever it is I am checking?
I am new to Rangeys having driven Volvo V70R's for the past 10 years. I have some mechanical knowledge.
My thoughts were the ECU for the gearbox may have malfunctioned but would this cause everything to fail and the electrical sytem to drain.? I assume it can't be the main ECU as the it would not have re-fired after a battery boost.
Any help, thoughts, ideas, suggestions would be hugely appreciated.
Cheers
Bob
 
Dorset VogueSE said:
Did they check the altenator output when recharging your battery. it seems strange for a battery to die like that unless its not being recharged.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the response.
No they didn't. It was just a case of flat battery let's re-charge it. However I would have thought I would have had some warning of impending flatness as I was doing 60mph on the motorway and had done so for some 40 miles since the last stop. In all other vehicles I have had I have had a red light on the dash showing battery problems. This was an instant problem not a slowing down / decreasing of power as one normally gets with alternator problems.
I see where you are coming from on the battery side of things but would this account for the gearbox not driving depite the battery being fully re-charged?
The vehicle has now been returned to me on a low loader and the battery is not just flat it is defunct. Not even the hazards or interior lights have a glimmer of power. I shall re-charge it again, but the garage thought it was drained via something, as opposed to on its own due to condition.
Cheers
Bob
 
Gearbox Fault is a standard sort of message for 'Hello, I'd like to inform you the battery is dead/dying' most of the time.

All the ECU's fault because they are receiving less voltage than they require. Replace the battery and then go from there. You have the diesel so make sure you get a heavy duty diesel battery with as many CCA's as you can.

My father had EXACTLY the same as you describe in a Saab 95 two/three years ago and it turned out it was a damaged cell in the battery that had finally given up the ghost, however it did take Saab almost 2 weeks to figure this out (luckily it was a company car so at least we didnt get charged for it).

I had a dying battery I also got the famous Gearbox Fault message as well and various other strange errors. When you say you had no drive do you mean you put it in D and the vehicle didnt move AT ALL?? Did you try giving it a few revs and seeing if it would move then. When I got my gearbox fault it went into limp home mode, i.e. stuck in 3rd gear. When the vehicle is stopped in this mode trying to get it moving again is hard and requires alot of revs, it certainly doesnt creep like it would if it was in 1st.

As I said I think its the battery you want to start looking at. If you don't want to buy one then try and beg/borrow one. Once you know you have a good battery you can go from there.

Let us know how you get on.

-Wills :)
 
wills said:
Gearbox Fault is a standard sort of message for 'Hello, I'd like to inform you the battery is dead/dying' most of the time.

>>>>All the ECU's fault because they are receiving less voltage than they require. Replace the battery and then go from there. You have the diesel so make sure you get a heavy duty diesel battery with as many CCA's as you can.<<<<

Thanks for responding Wills. OK will do :)


>>>>I had a dying battery I also got the famous Gearbox Fault message as well and various other strange errors. When you say you had no drive do you mean you put it in D and the vehicle didnt move AT ALL?? Did you try giving it a few revs and seeing if it would move then<<<<

Yes. The car was recharged to get it running. They then revved it up quite loud and long. They then engaged drive / reverse and absolutely no response at all :confused:


>>>>>As I said I think its the battery you want to start looking at. If you don't want to buy one then try and beg/borrow one. Once you know you have a good battery you can go from there.<<<<<

What I cannot understand is why the battery just died instantly and without any warning whatsoever. I have had many batteries die over the years on many cars but it has ALWAYS been a gradual process over 1 to 20 miles typically.

Cheers
Bob
Click to expand...
 
N Gauge Bob said:
Yes. The car was recharged to get it running. They then revved it up quite loud and long. They then engaged drive / reverse and absolutely no response at all :confused:

What I cannot understand is why the battery just died instantly and without any warning whatsoever. I have had many batteries die over the years on many cars but it has ALWAYS been a gradual process over 1 to 20 miles typically.
Click to expand...

When they put it into gear did they rev it then or not?? Was the gearbox fault message still showing??

I cant answer why the battery might of died like that, I just know as soon as I read what you put it reminded me of exactly what happened to my father in the Saab he had, one moment all was fine, next car had died and had an apparent flat battery. We were jump started by the RAC. Bloke tested the battery with his battery tester and it showed fine. We were on our way again but within about 6/7 miles the same thing happened, battery appeared flat. Recovered to Saab who eventually replaced the battery and all was fine from then on.

If it was me, the first thing I would be doing is getting another battery and putting it in. I would then get it running and check out the alternator output.

Do you know the history of the battery thats in there at the moment?? As in how long has it served etc etc

-Wills :)
 
>>>>>
wills said:
When they put it into gear did they rev it then or not?? Was the gearbox fault message still showing??<<<<

Didn't think to ask / check that one:(



>>>>Do you know the history of the battery thats in there at the moment?? As in how long has it served etc etc<<<<<

Yes I have a receipt for it. It is 20 months old. The guy I bought the car from had used it for towing a caravan once but apart from that it just lead a normal life. The vehicle has full service history from new and appears to have been well looked after...new suspension, regular changes as required, etc., etc.. In good condition throughout although the seats do have excessive wear and splits on the front pair.

Thanks Wills:)
Cheers
Bob
Click to expand...
 
Hi Everyone. Hope we all had a good Christmas.
I charged the battery just before Christmas and left it free standing. The reading was the same this morning, so the battery may be OK. I have now plugged it into the car and yipppeeee we have ignition and Gears:D However several things are happening which make no sense and I am wondering if I need to re-set things and how I should do this.:confused:
1) Each individual window is registering a fault...not set-up.
2) The Airbag SRS light is lit along with message.
3) The suspension which has always been very high up all the time has now sunk to what I call a normal ride height. It presumably is working as the control unit is clicking and whirring as it normally does.
4) When I remote lock the car I get a double alarm bleep..this has never happened before.
Can anyone explain why, and if so how do I fix these items.

Also can anyone confirm that if the alternator was not charging properly I would get a warning light on the dashboard.

It appears that the fault was an electrical one which drained the battery. It was a foul night and I had all lights, wipers, heaters, demisters and CD player on. Could it just have been too much for the alternator, battery to handle?

Any help appreciated.
Cheers
Bob
 
N Gauge Bob said:
Hi Everyone. Hope we all had a good Christmas.
I charged the battery just before Christmas and left it free standing. The reading was the same this morning, so the battery may be OK. I have now plugged it into the car and yipppeeee we have ignition and Gears:D However several things are happening which make no sense and I am wondering if I need to re-set things and how I should do this.:confused:
1) Each individual window is registering a fault...not set-up.
2) The Airbag SRS light is lit along with message.
3) The suspension which has always been very high up all the time has now sunk to what I call a normal ride height. It presumably is working as the control unit is clicking and whirring as it normally does.
4) When I remote lock the car I get a double alarm bleep..this has never happened before.
Can anyone explain why, and if so how do I fix these items.

Also can anyone confirm that if the alternator was not charging properly I would get a warning light on the dashboard.

It appears that the fault was an electrical one which drained the battery. It was a foul night and I had all lights, wipers, heaters, demisters and CD player on. Could it just have been too much for the alternator, battery to handle?

Any help appreciated.
Cheers
Bob
Click to expand...

Hi Bob,

Windows (and sunroof if fitted) are easy, they are just 'not set' which means the auto open/close functions wont work. To reset read the owners manual or just open and close each window in one go, so hold the button down to go down and then as soon as its fully open and stopped press the up button and hold it until it closes, message centre will then beep with window set. This needs to be done for each window. Sunroof is the same but you will need to fully open it, then close it, then tilt it open and then tilt it closed and you will then have set it.

SRS warning message could very possibly of been tripped by the fact there was low voltage to the ECU. Unfortunately on this one you will need to get it hooked up to a diagnostic computer to get the light reset and the fault(s) read.

Is the suspension changing heights ok?? Have you tried changing heights with the dashboard button?? I take it you have no error messages on the message centre from the EAS??

With the alarm, are all doors/windows and tailgate shut?? Sounds like its trying to tell you theres a mislock, i.e. something is still open. Set the windows and sunroof and see if this still occurs. Also when you lock it and get the double beep does anything appear on the message centre inside??

With regards to the alternator, I would of thought that the light would of shown if it wasnt charging properly, HOWEVER, when the bearings in my water pump failed and the belt slipped off the water pump pulley meaning everything else stopped getting driven, it took a good 2/3 seconds before the computers realised. When they did I immediately got the battery warning light and ALTERNATOR FAULT show in the message centre.

If you still are worried about the alternator you really need to test its output etc. As a quick test what voltage are you getting at the battery with the vehicle running??

Running everything in bad weather is normal, we've had fog and some snow recently and ive been out and like you had all lights, cd player, a/c, demisters, wipers and heated seats on and I had no problems.

-Wills :)
 
wills said:
Hi Bob,

Hi Wills, and again thanks for your help once more.

>>>>>>Windows (and sunroof if fitted) are easy, they are just 'not set' which means the auto open/close functions wont work. To reset read the owners manual or just open and close each window in one go, so hold the button down to go down and then as soon as its fully open and stopped press the up button and hold it until it closes, message centre will then beep with window set. This needs to be done for each window. Sunroof is the same but you will need to fully open it, then close it, then tilt it open and then tilt it closed and you will then have set it.<<<<<<<<

I tried all that and it worked perfectly :D

>>>>>SRS warning message could very possibly of been tripped by the fact there was low voltage to the ECU. Unfortunately on this one you will need to get it hooked up to a diagnostic computer to get the light reset and the fault(s) read.<<<<<

I think it may be time to run over to Marshalls in Lincoln and get them to analyse any problems using their kit....unless anyone knows an independent in the Newark / Lincoln area????

>>>>Is the suspension changing heights ok?? Have you tried changing heights with the dashboard button?? I take it you have no error messages on the message centre from the EAS??<<<<<

It has never worked before but it does now. I just wonder if it had been running with a load of things incorrectly set, although it does have full service history!!!

>>>>>.With the alarm, are all doors/windows and tailgate shut?? Sounds like its trying to tell you theres a mislock, i.e. something is still open. Set the windows and sunroof and see if this still occurs. Also when you lock it and get the double beep does anything appear on the message centre inside??<<<<<

It appears to be a dodgy reading from the bonnet lock.

>>>>>With regards to the alternator, I would of thought that the light would of shown if it wasnt charging properly, HOWEVER, when the bearings in my water pump failed and the belt slipped off the water pump pulley meaning everything else stopped getting driven, it took a good 2/3 seconds before the computers realised. When they did I immediately got the battery warning light and ALTERNATOR FAULT show in the message centre.

If you still are worried about the alternator you really need to test its output etc. As a quick test what voltage are you getting at the battery with the vehicle running??

Running everything in bad weather is normal, we've had fog and some snow recently and ive been out and like you had all lights, cd player, a/c, demisters, wipers and heated seats on and I had no problems.<<<

It appears everything is now running properly. The battery is charged and has still full power. I have run the car on tick over for 30 minutes. Each five minutes I have added extra things on..lights, wipers, heaters, demisters, etc and still all seems fine. Just one strange thing when I put the front screen heater on I get a reduction in engine revs.....very slight, but just descernable.
In a while I will take it for a run and see what transpires..will take flask and sandwiches just in case :rolleyes: :D

If everything is OK. could it be just that there was a problem which has now gone away? One thing which did occur to me was that on the night of the breakdown it was very wet, very cold and the roads were heavily salted...could it just be that something got penetrated with water and has now dried out?

Again thanks for the help
Cheers
Bob
Click to expand...
 
Hi Bob,

In a previous, problem free, life I ran a Landcruiser for a few years. Unbelievable reliability, 100,000 miles with one single break down. The battery packed up one day. I drove to a pub for lunch, came out and had absolutely nothing, luckily I'd parked on a hill and it started with a roll. I checked the battery when I got home and that was the problem. It went just like that in the course of a 20min drive. I'd take Wills advice and replace the battery as a matter of course as it will go again.
 
I have a 1996 4.0 rr auto.I have had the abs light come on for a minute or so after starting up then goes out .I have also had gearbox fault comeing up on the dash.Today when driving it took ages for it to get up to speed not the usual acelaration when in drive.From reading these threads i hope it is just the battery .I am going to change it tomorrow with my minibuses battery and hope this helps.Does the gearbox fault ever come up with there not been enough oil inthe box or is it mainly the battery?.
 
Hi Wills /Everybody
Tempting fate here, but a few days on and the battery and all runs fine. Still no idea what it was, but I am going to guess it was water in some where it shouldn't have been, shortimng something out. There is no other logical explanation for it.
Thanks again for all the help, especially Wills!!
Cheers
Bob
 
I have changed my battery for a brand new one and the gearbox fault has not appeared since .I hope thats the end of that problem.
 
Help i spoke to soon .The car has been running fine for the last few days no problems since i changed the battery.Until today .Driving along and again gearbox fault appeared on the dash .It only lasts a few seconds and then goes out.No other problems with the running of the car.Anybody got any ideas what it could be now?.Greatly appreciated any replys.
 
bobobaldy said:
Help i spoke to soon .The car has been running fine for the last few days no problems since i changed the battery.Until today .Driving along and again gearbox fault appeared on the dash .It only lasts a few seconds and then goes out.No other problems with the running of the car.Anybody got any ideas what it could be now?.Greatly appreciated any replys.
Click to expand...

When you get the message does the vehicle go into limp home mode (i.e. locked in 3rd gear) or not??

-Wills :)
 
It did last week before i got the new battery.But since then its been running fine no problems.Even when it came up on the dash no change to power or perfofmence.
 
Have you made sure all battery connections are tight and secure?? Check the main grounding cable from the battery for any corrosion where it earths etc.

If you STILL get problems then it may be wise to hook it up to the computer to read the faults that it has logged.

-Wills :)
 
arghhhhhhhhhh this is doing my head in .checked all the connections seem to be ok.Took it out for a spin all running ok.Jumped back in to go and get the papers and gearbox fault comeing back up on the dash then( running on limp home mode ).Stoped and started it again running fine .
 
>>>>>>It appears everything is now running properly. The battery is charged and has still full power. I have run the car on tick over for 30 minutes. Each five minutes I have added extra things on..lights, wipers, heaters, demisters, etc and still all seems fine. Just one strange thing when I put the front screen heater on I get a reduction in engine revs.....very slight, but just descernable.
In a while I will take it for a run and see what transpires..will take flask and sandwiches just in case

If everything is OK. could it be just that there was a problem which has now gone away? One thing which did occur to me was that on the night of the breakdown it was very wet, very cold and the roads were heavily salted...could it just be that something got penetrated with water and has now dried out?<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Hello Everyone

At last a possible cause of the fault.
I just popped into town, and as I started up, for a brief second, amd I mean a brief second, a warning came up on the dashboard...alternator failure. The car ran fine into town and back, but I wonder if this could be the cause of the fault? If so, do you think I am right in assuming brushes rather than anything else. I will of course check all the connections, etc., first for loose wires. Is it worth obtaining a reconditioned unit and if so can anyone suggest the best source. We have a Rangey breakers in Lincoln but I tend to try to get non breaker parts for this type of spare. I am in Newark, Notts by the way.
Comments, suggestions most welcome.
Cheers
Bob
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

E
P38A What can kill a battery?
2
Replies
33
Views
1K
Datatek
Datatek
D
2006 RRS 2.7 tdv6 gearbox help please
2 3
Replies
54
Views
2K
dave7494
D
Mikedodd
Gearbox warning light
Replies
3
Views
965
Mikedodd
Mikedodd
Blob
L322 Fixed (Sort of) - Every single module in fault. Where to start?
3 4 5
Replies
81
Views
7K
Mark Piercy
Mark Piercy
D
Automatc Transmission adaptions
Replies
11
Views
474
Datatek
Datatek
Back
Top