Thread: auto gearbox malfunction

It does sound like the position (xyz) switch - if it had a new one only 20k ago then it's probably just out of alignment.

It's on the side of the gearbox near the muffler, so do it when the car is cold, loosen the 10mm bolts, and move the switch around until the lights on the gear lever show you the gear that the lever is actually in - get a helper in the car to check for this whilst you move the switch around.

Google search below should pull up a few threads if you just type in xyz switch.

Load test your battery and make sure it is fully charged

Originally Posted by SiddersC

Load test your battery and make sure it is fully charged

x2 on this.

I had a dying battery that caused all sorts of drama with the Auto.

Mostly it was the missing PRD321 number on the dash and the lack of lights on the actual gear shifter surround (the red ones that appear on each side of the selector). And finally, the "Sport" mode button was non-functional while all this was going on. New battery resolved it all.

Best of luck with it. Please post back if you get it sorted so that others may benefit from your experience.

if it is the switch, you should be able to find a new one on ebay for around $600. Otherwise you can fix it :

see : http://www.aulro.com/afvb/projects-t...uhb100190.html

Also try loosening the two bolts that hold the switch to the side of the gearbox and adjusting its angle.

I find I often get M&S warning light faults with the ZF going into limp home mode (locked in 3rd) when the CAN computer times out This occasionally is triggered by a door being left open and the ignition on for awhile, such as when camping and needing 12V accessory for a light! Who ever thought it would be a good idea for the transmission computer to talk to the interior lights was a stupid engineer. Anyway, the D2 is my first computerised car, so I bought a Hawkeye with the car, which has more than paid for itself in clearing stupid M&S faults.

Originally Posted by Michael2

if it is the switch, you should be able to find a new one on ebay for around $600. Otherwise you can fix it :

see : http://www.aulro.com/afvb/projects-t...uhb100190.html

Also try loosening the two bolts that hold the switch to the side of the gearbox and adjusting its angle.

I find I often get M&S warning light faults with the ZF going into limp home mode (locked in 3rd) when the CAN computer times out This occasionally is triggered by a door being left open and the ignition on for awhile, such as when camping and needing 12V accessory for a light! Who ever thought it would be a good idea for the transmission computer to talk to the interior lights was a stupid engineer. Anyway, the D2 is my first computerised car, so I bought a Hawkeye with the car, which has more than paid for itself in clearing stupid M&S faults.

Those faults will happen when the supply voltage drops below 11.2V. That represents about 50% SOC, so the engineers have been fairly conservative.

In normal usage the only reason that would occur was if the battery was failing, or had been left standing for an extended period. If this is happening often you should probably consider a dual battery setup of some kind to protect your starter battery.

cheers
Paul