p38 auto gear box issues

i have a 1997 p38 2.5td

having a few issues with the auto box

1. if you press the sports button it slows the car down instead of making it go faster

2. iv read about torque converters not locking in, when im at 60 mph and manually select 3rd gear the box aint dropping a gear and revving up.

i have dropped the gear box fluid and replaced the filter at the same time not made a difference

also i have noticed if i hit a small incline it makes the engine temp rise slightly but then drops when i level back off

please help someone as i dont want to have to spend loads of money or condemn the rangey

The car won't go faster in sport mode it just holds the gears longer. Car won't change down to 3rd at 60 MPH. It will only select 3rd at an appropriate speed. Check your viscous fan sounds like it's knackered.

fan is spinning constantly, even chopped the middle out of the thermostat. if i have a trailer on the back it struggles quite bad to climb the hills. when garage dropped atf fluid it was full of metal particles. when you engage the sports mode you can actually feel the power drop....surely this aint right? as for the manually dropping it into 3rd was something i had read from another post on this site

antonysx said:

fan is spinning constantly, even chopped the middle out of the thermostat. if i have a trailer on the back it struggles quite bad to climb the hills. when garage dropped atf fluid it was full of metal particles. when you engage the sports mode you can actually feel the power drop....surely this aint right? as for the manually dropping it into 3rd was something i had read from another post on this site

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When its hot, try stopping the fan with a rolled up newspaper. if you can its fecked.

antonysx said:

fan is spinning constantly, even chopped the middle out of the thermostat. if i have a trailer on the back it struggles quite bad to climb the hills. when garage dropped atf fluid it was full of metal particles. when you engage the sports mode you can actually feel the power drop....surely this aint right? as for the manually dropping it into 3rd was something i had read from another post on this site

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If you're running with a fan constantly powered and no stat your engine is probably running cold, hence lack of power (assuming everything is O.K.) Gauge should be between 11 & 12 o'clock and shouldn't rise beyond that in this country, unless you're towing a bungalow,

I suggest you get some decent diagnostics on it. Sport mode is a gearbox ECU function not an engine ECU function. All it does is increase the road speed and therefore engine speed at which changes occur. Just because the fan is spinning does not mean it is shifting any air. Check it for function. There are lots of reasons for power loss, MAP sensor, Intercooler restrictions/hose restrictions, Running cool. I suggest you do a search and read up on them. The gearbox will not change down to 3rd at 60 MPH. It will only select 3rd when road speed drops to a suitable level. Have you thought of using kick down?

it wont kick down when i stamp on the accelerator at 60 i just slowly picks up speed.box will kick down at lower speeds but not at . before i took stat out temp would run at half way unless towing or driving up an incline then it would go to 3/4 nearly red not it has been removed it drives normally at 3/8 when going up incline/towing will rise to just over half way

antonysx said:

it wont kick down when i stamp on the accelerator at 60 i just slowly picks up speed.box will kick down at lower speeds but not at . before i took stat out temp would run at half way unless towing or driving up an incline then it would go to 3/4 nearly red not it has been removed it drives normally at 3/8 when going up incline/towing will rise to just over half way

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It should be at half way or just less, fit a new genuine stat and check the viscous fan sounds as though it's knackered. Check the MAP sensor and the pressure pipe to it for blockages or splits also make sure nipple to manifold is clear. 3/8 deflection on temp gauge is not driving normally. It is not a racing car by the way.

fitted new hose from manifold to sensor as when i bought car it had a stupid boost box that just caused car to run like a bag of s**t, so was disconnected

i have also noticed that the car will start straight off the key when cold but soon as it is warm i have to still wait for the glow plugs to go out and will still turn over for good 10 seconds

antonysx said:

fitted new hose from manifold to sensor as when i bought car it had a stupid boost box that just caused car to run like a bag of s**t, so was disconnected

i have also noticed that the car will start straight off the key when cold but soon as it is warm i have to still wait for the glow plugs to go out and will still turn over for good 10 seconds

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You either have a hot start fix fitted or the ECU temp sensor is knackered. That's the green one below inlet four in the head.

AP90 on here had an unresponsive transmission - it turned out that his BECM thought the car was a petrol - once it was switched over to the right settings (and resynced) the transmission started behaving - which surprised me as I didn't realise there was any interaction in that area. I'm surprised from a security system point of view that it started and ran.

this car was stood up with a flat battery for 2yrs. then once put back on the road cost me a new key fob as that went down, dont know if this effects the problem i have in any ways

antonysx said:

this car was stood up with a flat battery for 2yrs. then once put back on the road cost me a new key fob as that went down, dont know if this effects the problem i have in any ways

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Could be corruption issues in the BECM. Diagnostics is really the way forward.

its in the garage today getting the radius arm bushes done so will get them to plug it in see what comes up

the garage i used there equipment wouldnt read the car does it require some specially software?

antonysx said:

the garage i used there equipment wouldnt read the car does it require some specially software?

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Yes.

antonysx said:

the garage i used there equipment wouldnt read the car does it require some specially software?

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If the garage you took it to didn't know this, then it is the wrong garage to take it to...I hope you didn't pay for this lack of knowledge and service.

The P38 requires Land Rover specific diagnostic equipment as the systems are bespoke to Land Rover (bar the petrol engine ECU which by law has to be OBD compliant)

BBS, Bearmach, Britpart and Autologic are a few that come to mind that provide home user diagnostic solutions for the P38.... Most common is the BBS Nanocom

Saint.V8 said:

(bar the petrol engine ECU which by law has to be OBD compliant)

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I don't want to be a thread-hijacker, but does the OBD law really only apply to petrol. Do diesels (any make) by law, not HAVE to be OBD compliant? That may explain why I couldn't get a 2006 Hyundai diesel to talk to Torque via a bluetooth obd adapter, yet a Petrol Kia of the same age was fine...

Nik

NikTheGeek said:

I don't want to be a thread-hijacker, but does the OBD law really only apply to petrol. Do diesels (any make) by law, not HAVE to be OBD compliant? That may explain why I couldn't get a 2006 Hyundai diesel to talk to Torque via a bluetooth obd adapter, yet a Petrol Kia of the same age was fine...

Nik

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I think you will find current diesels have to be compliant but compliance date was much later than for petrols. VAG seem to be one of the few that are fully OBD compliant.

NikTheGeek said:

I don't want to be a thread-hijacker, but does the OBD law really only apply to petrol. Do diesels (any make) by law, not HAVE to be OBD compliant? That may explain why I couldn't get a 2006 Hyundai diesel to talk to Torque via a bluetooth obd adapter, yet a Petrol Kia of the same age was fine...

Nik

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From memory need for OBDII compliance for petrol engines came in 2001, diesels 2004. Only engines must comply. Other specific systems, suspension, brakes, Hevac Etc, maybe manufacture defined and dealer diag specific.