2001 Citroen xsara 1.6 Auto Gearboc issue

[Valen13]

Good Day,

I have a 2001 Citroen xsara 1.6 Auto. Recently I started having a problem with the car where while I am driving (going about 90km/hr) the car will kick back from 4th gear to what seems to feel like 2cnd gear, so it is a hard kick back. The car will then have almost no power ie the revs stops climbing even though I press petrol. Then once I have stopped the car, while it is still in drive it doesn't move and the revs don't climb. I switch the ignition off, take it out of gear, then start again and it will drive fine. (this all usually happens in the morning after a few minutes of driving but is not limited to only causing the issue then) Can anyone help or at least give some advice as to where to start looking for the problem?
Much appreciated.

[xantia_v6]

It sounds like the transmission is going into "limp" mode. There can be many reasons for this, and I think that your best course of action is to have the fault codes read.

There should be some transmission faults recorded, and perhaps some associated engine fault codes. It is better to get the codes read with a dedicated Citroen tool (Lexia/Diagbox) rather than a generic reader which may not be able to access all of the codes.

When you have some fault codes, come back here with the codes and your VIN, and we should bee able to help with the diagnosis.

[wheeler]

You really need to have the fault codes in the gearbox checked, if there are any oil pressure regulation faults (assuming the oil level & condition are ok) then in most likely will need replacement electrovalves, the new electrovalves are modified & can be replaced with the gearbox in situ. The gearbox ECU software must be updated when the modified valves are fitted.