'SELECT NEUTRAL' Alert in low range

[redandy3575]

Hi guys & gals

Done a bit of off-roading this weekend and found that i'm constantly getting a 'Select Neutral' alert when i'm in low range going uphill and never when going downhill. It doesn't seem to affect the drive at all and i'm not rushing the changeover from high range at all as i wait for the changeover to complete.

I'm guessing there might be a loose sensor somewhere.

Has anyone else encountered this? if so, what is the remedy for this? Could possible over warm trany oil cause this? as it's quiet anoying when off-roading.

[Scouse]

I haven't heard of this problem before but I think you might be on the right track thinking it's a sensor.

I would assume the shift motor would have some sort of triggering device to let the ECU know which position it's at & maybe this is working out of position when under load.

From the manual:

Interface to transfer motor inside Transfer Box
(X313)
The Transmission Gearbox Control Unit (Z256) has
a seven wire interface to the Transfer Motor inside
the Transfer Box (X313), consisting of the four motor
position switches, the ground for the switches and
the drives to move the motor one way or the other.

Motor Position Switches–pins 17, 32, 33, 7

The Transmission Gearbox Control Unit (Z256)

reads the position of the motor in the form of a

binary Gray Code.
So the Transmission Gearbox Control Unit (Z256)
can find out in which gear the Transfer Box (X313) is
in and where the motor should move to, to engage
the desired range. If the Transfer Box (X313) moves
outside the normal modes (e.g. Left of High) then the
Transmission Gearbox Control Unit (Z256) can move
the motor back to the correct position.

Motor Position Switch ground–pin 19
The switches on the transfer box motor are

referenced to pin 19, i.e. if there is a problem with

the harness to pin 19 then the Transmission
Gearbox Control Unit (Z256) will not be able to
assess where the transfer motor is and so will not
move the motor.

Motor drive Clockwise (pins 25, 26) and Counter

Clockwise (pins 1, 2)
The Transmission Gearbox Control Unit (Z256)
receives signals from the motor position switches,
the drivers request, the vehicle speed and the
transmission neutral signal and, when the
parameters are correct, powers the motor from one
mode to another via the motor drives. This is actually
a single wire interface for each direction which is
split down to two wires at the Transmission Gearbox
Control Unit (Z256) to help pass the current though
two pins rather than one. If there is a problem with
either the motor drives or the harness, then the
motor will not move and a range change will not be
possible.

[PhilipA]

Gee mine never does that!
BUT then I have an old fashioned LEVER to change ratios on my RRC. But then I guess it is much more physically taxing to push a lever than press a button.
Regards Philip A

[Scouse]

Us poor P38 owners still have to push a lever to get it into low range .

It's those D3 & Sport owners who have it easy !!

[Hoges]

Gee mine never does that!
BUT then I have an old fashioned LEVER to change ratios on my RRC. But then I guess it is much more physically taxing to push a lever than press a button.
Regards Philip A

Ahhh! but that was before LR engineers dropped their slide rules in favour of computer 'workstations'...after all , why stick with a $100 mechanical failsafe device when a $1000 electronic 'single point failure' device is available?

[redandy3575]

i forgot to mention, it's an Auto.

[Scouse]

I would be most surprised if it wasn't .

[wanglemoose]

check your xyz switch. when i bought my p38 it would say the same when trying to change into low range and it also would not select gears properly.

cheers
mick

[willem]

Ahhh! but that was before LR engineers dropped their slide rules in favour of computer 'workstations'...after all , why stick with a $100 mechanical failsafe device when a $1000 electronic 'single point failure' device is available?

Oh dear! The Luddites are coming!

Willem

[PhilipA]

Yes and I also get soooo fatigued in having to actually PULL UP on that darned RRC handbrake.
But of course I have had the car 11 years and never even had to adjust it. I recently pulled it apart to put new seals in the transfer and it was a bit rusty but worked perfectly.
Progress is only if something is IMPROVED and how does an electric button to change ratios that goes wrong improve on a lever; or for that matter a push button handbrake that often goes wrong improve on something that NEVER goes wrong.

Slightly quieter inside is the answer I guess, but I do not think it is being a Luddite to prefer simplicity and reliability.
Regards Philip A