Gearbox fault urgent help please.

[aeroboy64]

2008 c5 x7 2.0 hdi auto,2 days ago car stalled in traffic and started straight away then it jerked in 1st gear but changed smoothish through all gears.The wife just rang me and said car won't move when in gear and handbrake/pollution/gearbox faults are showing on dashboard and will only pull away in 3rd.
I have just told her to turn it off and wait 1/2 an hour and see what happens.Would topping up with transmission fluid help?Bit desperate as need to get kids to college and the wife is panicking any help would be really helpful?

[aeroboy64]

Quick update,told her to turn on engine and place in D and see that box shifts up/down smoothly with no faults on dash,so far all is good so fingers crossed she gets home o.k.

[Mandrake]

I would not add more oil if you don't know how much oil is already in there. The level is quite critical in most auto boxes and has a very particular procedure to check the level. Also it is supposedly more dangerous to have the level overfilled than slightly low! (Not sure why, but the service docs on most auto boxes clearly warn about not overfilling)

[aeroboy64]

I would not add more oil if you don't know how much oil is already in there. The level is quite critical in most auto boxes and has a very particular procedure to check the level. Also it is supposedly more dangerous to have the level overfilled than slightly low! (Not sure why, but the service docs on most auto boxes clearly warn about not overfilling)

Was thinking of a partial drain and top up with new fluid as per specs.

[Mandrake]

That would be fine, as long as you have the correct oil, tools, and service procedure to do the job. You might need a Lexia to check the oil temperature at the time the level check is done and possibly (not sure on that model) reset an oil wear counter.

I was only advising against blindly "topping up" the level without knowing if the level was low or being able to measure it properly.

[xantia_v6]

A (partial) refill of transmission fluid won't fix the symptoms in your original post.

You need to get the fault codes reasd with a Lexia to have any idea where to begin.

[GiveMeABreak]

What about the fuel supply pressure from the tank being too low to the HP circuit causing the stall? Those other warnings could just be because of the Auto box stalling when it was in drive etc.

[Mandrake]

A (partial) refill of transmission fluid won't fix the symptoms in your original post.

You need to get the fault codes reasd with a Lexia to have any idea where to begin.

Agreed - the fault codes really should be read first to find out why it went into limp mode before doing anything else.

If the level was a little bit low it wouldn't generally cause any major problems that topping up the level would solve, and if the level was significantly low you then have to ask the question "why is it low". Unless someone has tampered with it the only reason would be a leak, and in that case topping it up without finding the leak is not a solution.

[aeroboy64]

Would stalling when in drive cause lots of errors that have now cleared as car drove home fine with no messages on dash?

[GiveMeABreak]

The handbrake warning would come on if the car had stalled and was in drive with the handbrake off - and those pollution messages could mean several things - not necessarily related to the anti pollution system - hence needing to get it checked on a Lexia first as the others have mentioned.

[aeroboy64]

The handbrake warning would come on if the car had stalled and was in drive with the handbrake off - and those pollution messages could mean several things - not necessarily related to the anti pollution system - hence needing to get it checked on a Lexia first as the others have mentioned.

Thanks for all the advice but as this has only happened 3 times in 8 mths it can't really be that serious a fault but the other day when the car stalled and restarted it drove like it had an extra 50 bhp and was zooming and 100% more responsive so that got me thinking as car has just rolled over to 70,000 miles it could be the diesel fuel filter needs changing?

[aeroboy64]

Having spoken to the Mrs again the car stalled in gear and when put in N and restarted the car would'nt move forwards or backwards and made a horrible noise and just came up "3" on the dashboard,Wife won't drive it now so don't know what to do...............

[GiveMeABreak]

The handbrake warning would come on if the car had stalled and was in drive with the handbrake off - and those pollution messages could mean several things - not necessarily related to the anti pollution system - hence needing to get it checked on a Lexia first as the others have mentioned.

Thanks for all the advice but as this has only happened 3 times in 8 mths it can't really be that serious a fault but the other day when the car stalled and restarted it drove like it had an extra 50 bhp and was zooming and 100% more responsive so that got me thinking as car has just rolled over to 70,000 miles it could be the diesel fuel filter needs changing?

It is quite possible. How is the vehicle driven? If it is mostly on short journeys then you could find that the Diesel Particulate filter is not getting a chance to regenerate. If it can't regenerate it will get clogged up and and some point if it isn't cleared, then the car will go into reduced performance mode. A good run in 4th gear (or keep it manual mode for the auto) for 15-20 minutes keeping the revs at 2-2500 rpm on an A road will give the car a chance to reach operating temperature and enough time to trigger a regeneration cycle. It could also mean that your Eolys fluid needs topping up - hence getting in checked with a Lexia so you can see what state the filter is in and the Eolys levels, as well as any fault codes. If the filter never gets a chance to regenerate then it will just get clogged and near 80%+ blockage will likely not be able to be regenerated, necessitating a removal and a clean or a replacement. Always try and ensure the car gets a good uninterrupted run regularly to allow regeneration.

A bit about it here:
https://www.groupe-psa.com/en/newsroom/ ... te-filter/

[GiveMeABreak]

Having spoken to the Mrs again the car stalled in gear and when put in N and restarted the car would'nt move forwards or backwards and made a horrible noise and just came up "3" on the dashboard,Wife won't drive it now so don't know what to do...............

That "3" displayed on the dash means that you are limited to third gear - I believe it's a safety feature and puts the gearbox into a downgrade mode to prevent damage once a fault is detected. You should be able to drive it carefully - but I would suggest you get it straight to your garage for a diagnostic.

[aeroboy64]

Having spoken to the Mrs again the car stalled in gear and when put in N and restarted the car would'nt move forwards or backwards and made a horrible noise and just came up "3" on the dashboard,Wife won't drive it now so don't know what to do...............

That "3" displayed on the dash means that you are limited to third gear - I believe it's a safety feature. You should be able to drive it carefully - but I would suggest you get it straight to your garage for a diagnostic.

The bit that i don't understand is that she said the gearbox sounded like it was going to fall out but was smooth when she went home.Obviously could'nt be started in gear so its not that!just have to reassure her that its o.k. to drive as need picking up later.