Reverse light won't go off

[darbuck]

Hi all as you know I am having some teething issues since I pulled the engine from my x7 I noticed last night that the reverse lights are stuck on when the ignition is on and car is in neutral. Any suggestions what could cause this apart from the switch needing to be replaced which on these is not as simple as it sounds.

[Paul-R]

Manual or auto gearbox?

[Hell Razor5543]

While replacing the switch is difficult, it may be possible to unplug the cable. What happens when you do?

[darbuck]

It's a manual, you can't unplug the switch it's interlinked to the gear shift.

[Hell Razor5543]

The switch will probably be on the top of the gearbox (underneath the air filter pipes). It certainly is on my C5 facelift.

https://www.gsfcarparts.com/parts/elect ... ght-switch

I have just looked at my copy of Docbackup, and there is a reverse light switch with a number 2257 53.

[darbuck]

It's at the back of the gearbox beside the wheel arch I'll take a picture when I get home from work. It seems to be a self contained system. It's not the ones like a coolant sensor if you know what I mean.

[darbuck]

I have a couple of photos there not great because my paws are too big to get in there with the camera. It's connected to the spring on the selector in the cockpit aswell.

[wheeler]

Dont think thats the reverse light switch, just looks like the reverse lock to me unless im missing something. Should be a 2 pin connector for the reverse light switch. Its normally on the top of the box accessed from under bonnet.

[darbuck]

Hi wheeler, I am not great with gearbox end of things. I thought it was the switch sorry lads being a numpty again. That will be a much less stressful fix. Thanks a million.

[Hell Razor5543]

You might find a lambda sensor socket a useful tool. On my second C5 (Mk1) the switch was faulty, and I could not get the wire to unplug. This meant I could not get a long socket onto it, but a lambda socket (with the cutout for the wire) did the job nicely.

[darbuck]

Thanks for the tip Hell Razor I have a set of them.