Thread: Odd Td5 auto behaviour

Originally Posted by sierrafery

You should try to set the TPS to 3 track even if it's from a vehicle with 2 maybe you are lucky... setting 2 track on Eu3 engine might keep it on idle all the time

I'll certainly give it a try when I get time. Another suggestion, from another forum, is to set the current 3 track to 2 track and see what happens. I can't really see that working though.

According to a page from a workshop manual that I found yesterday you can go to a 2 track from a 3 track but not from a 2 track to a 3 track. So, a 2 track from a EU2 engine should work OK in a EU3 engine with the appropriate settings from Nanocom.

Time is the big issue - now that I'm retired I have none. How did I ever find time to go to work ???

I remember that many years ago i was helping a friend to rule out an ECU fault cos his Eu3 was not running and plugged in his ECU in my Eu2 just for test and it ran at idle then i set the TPS to 3 track and it got throttle response too... my only dillema is if the TPS was changed to a 3 track one on mine by the previous owner or not so worth a try cos the reality might beat the theory on this.

Originally Posted by sierrafery

I remember that many years ago i was helping a friend to rule out an ECU fault cos his Eu3 was not running and plugged in his ECU in my Eu2 just for test and it ran at idle then i set the TPS to 3 track and it got throttle response too... my only dillema is if the TPS was changed to a 3 track one on mine by the previous owner or not so worth a try cos the reality might beat the theory on this.

Well it was certainly worth a try to set the TPS to 2 track. I had to go out for a 20 minute or so drive. The "driver demand" errors and the "P1884 CAN..." error haven't made a reappearance. I now have a "turbocharger overboosting" error. That will possibly be due to a maladjusted wastegate or one of the wastegate solenoid hoses disintergrating.

The intermittant TC lockup problem remains, however. It goes to the autobox people tomorrow so hopefully they can diagnose that. Who knows what more new fluid, fliter and a good flush can do? I still have a bit of a gut feel that the root of the problem is electonic and not mechanical. I really hope that my gut feel is right and it's not a dying TC.

Probably tomorrow I'll get a bit of time to replace the solenoid hoses and have a look at the wastegate adjustment.

Well, it's looking more and more like the TC that's responsible for the intermittant lockup. While looking at some data I collected from my Nanocom during a short drive where lockup should have happened and didn't, I found that "Solenoid Valve 3" was "ON" in places. The nanocom docs say that is the valve that governs lockup and seeing as TC lockup didn't happen I think I can assume a faulty TC.

The scary thing is that the box had an oil and filter change a couple of weeks ago. It's going back to the auto place tomorrow for new oil and filter again as well as a full flush. He's also going to test the TC lockup clutch and solenoid while the pan is off.

I've been told that if it isn't electronic there's a few options for the fault with the most expensive being a new TC. I hope it isn't that one.

Yep, solenoid 3 is definitely the TC clutch, I've been monitoring it a bit lately.

Torque Converter Technologies in Melbourne build a TD5 TC based on the V8 one, so much heavier duty.
It's what I'll be fitting one day.

Well the car is back from the auto mob. They've extensively test driven it and found that when the TC lockup does occur it is both smooth and solid without any slip. They've run their electronic test gadgetry over it and come to the conclusion that it's either the valve block or the internal loom. It's worth noting that we took it from Moe to Port Albert and back (hilly and windy) and for the most part it behaved perfectly.

When I went through the history of my ownership with them - when purchased and for about 700km's the gearbox worked perfectly and only after they did the fluid and filter change did it start to play up - they surmised that it may have something to do with them putting Transmax Z in it which loosened some bits of gunk which have clogged up the works somewhere. When they changed the fluid the stuff in the gearbox was clean, as was the filter. Trouble is it was a completely unknown quantity - no idea what it was at all.


I'll talk to them again on Monday to map out a course of action which at the moment will be to pull the valve block out, dissasemble it and put the whole lot through an ultrasonic cleaner and make sure it's all squeaky clean before putting it all back together.


In the meantime I've changed the TPS and the fuel pump (YAY a properly working fuel guage) and it goes like a goodun with no evidence of CAN or DRIVER demand faults.

A couple of months later it's still behaving badly. Dammit. The COVID-19 stay at home thing gave me a heap of time to do a whole load of stuff. Refurb the XYZ switch, fix up the loom where it passes over the gearbox/transfer case, put a good second hand 3 track TPS in, clean out the engine loom, clean the oil out of the ECU, replace the gasket between manifold and turbo, replace the wastegate solenoid and all of its tubing, and a few other bits and pieces including cleaning the wheel sensor plugs and sockets to banish the 3 amigos. I even got around to replacing the head gaskets and knock sensors in my wife's '97 Subaru which is closing in on 800k km's..

I have banished the driver demand and canbus faults as well as the happy trio.


It's back at the auto place to have the gearbox out. He's told me that he's pressure tested it and that the valve block is in good nick so that leaves the oil pump or the torque converter. His gut feel is the oil pump as the stall test is OK and when it decides to lock up it does it smoothly and without any slip.

So where are we at ? He's quoted me an affordable price for a TC and oil pump replacement. If it's just the oil pump it'll be even more affordable. He reckons that given the lack of bits in the oil and filter the rest of the box will be OK. We'll see - fingers crossed.

Originally Posted by Markf

A couple of months later it's still behaving badly. Dammit. The COVID-19 stay at home thing gave me a heap of time to do a whole load of stuff. Refurb the XYZ switch, fix up the loom where it passes over the gearbox/transfer case, put a good second hand 3 track TPS in, clean out the engine loom, clean the oil out of the ECU, replace the gasket between manifold and turbo, replace the wastegate solenoid and all of its tubing, and a few other bits and pieces including cleaning the wheel sensor plugs and sockets to banish the 3 amigos. I even got around to replacing the head gaskets and knock sensors in my wife's '97 Subaru which is closing in on 800k km's..

I have banished the driver demand and canbus faults as well as the happy trio.


It's back at the auto place to have the gearbox out. He's told me that he's pressure tested it and that the valve block is in good nick so that leaves the oil pump or the torque converter. His gut feel is the oil pump as the stall test is OK and when it decides to lock up it does it smoothly and without any slip.

So where are we at ? He's quoted me an affordable price for a TC and oil pump replacement. If it's just the oil pump it'll be even more affordable. He reckons that given the lack of bits in the oil and filter the rest of the box will be OK. We'll see - fingers crossed.

What happened. I'm having similar issues.

Where did you go for the transmission people