AL4 Gearbox P1167 Fault Even after Solenoid Change?

[Sam-Kelly95]

Hi Again,

Has anyone ever bought a "refurbished" Valve Body from EBay?

I have found the below VB for sale but I am a bit unsure on whether the pressure adjustments are all correct? I suppose I could compare this to my current VB but what are the possible watch outs when buying a refurbished one??

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/357482384180

[mickthemaverick]

That listing invites you to send them your VIN and they will confirm whether or not the VB is compatible with your car. I'd do that first and then carry out the usual ebay seller checks, eg read all feedback, confirm business address via a different source and read the returns policy.

[Sam-Kelly95]

Hi Again,

The Valve Body I have purchased comes with a wiring harness- does anyone know the procedure for replacing this? as it looks like the harness feeds through a sealed connector behind the Valve Body?

[ozvtr]

You can replace the wiring harness or disconnect the connectors at the solenoids and leave the old harness and grommet in place.
The loom and grommet are fed from the inside of the casing to the outside of the casing. So to remove the old grommet and loom, push the grommet and loom back into the casing of the gearbox.

[Sam-Kelly95]

Thanks Ozvtr,

I am a little reluctant to do this as I risk disturbing something and causing more problems..! I have noticed that one of the connectors for one of the solenoids didn't "click" into place the same as the other which made me feel less confident about the connection- The new VB came with a full harness but that grommet looks pretty solid and I was worried about the risks if this doesn't go back in place properly?

Also, Does anyone know if there is a method of cycling through the gears to confirm the arm position to the cam? currently I have the full front end of the car stripped down- cooling system fully removed, battery disconnected, Multi-pin unit in front of the gearbox disconnected.

My idea was to re-connect the battery, turn the car to key position 2 and cycle through the gears in manual +/- mode.. will this work?

I just want to confirm that the cam is sitting nicely on the arm and everything is moving nicely before sealing everything up.

TIA!

[Sam-Kelly95]

Hi Guys,

I'm in a bit of a pickle here! I have received the new Valve Body but upon inspection I have found that the pressure regulating plugs are at different depths and stupidly, I matched them to my old Valve Body assuming that these should be identical without taking any prior notes of the plug depths...

I have done some research and it looks like there are a few minor variations of the valve bodies- but, how do I confirm the correct depths for these plugs?

The original Valve Body from the car is marked "E/07/079" whilst the new valve body is marked "3/99/301".

Does anyone know how I can find out the correct depth adjustments for the pressure regulating plugs?

I am referring to plugs "38, 33, 41, 51, 54, 56" in the below schematic:

[ozvtr]

I have found that the pressure regulating plugs are at different depths and stupidly, I matched them to my old Valve Body assuming that these should be identical without taking any prior notes of the plug depths...

Oops!!! They are set individually at the valve body factory for that particular valve body! Air pressure is applied to certain orifices and the valve tension adjusted to get pressures at other orifices.
An auto transmission shop might be able to set the valves for you.

[ozvtr]

Also, Does anyone know if there is a method of cycling through the gears to confirm the arm position to the cam? currently I have the full front end of the car stripped down- cooling system fully removed, battery disconnected, Multi-pin unit in front of the gearbox disconnected.

I have a blurb over at the C3 site. Take a look at the latter part, on aligning the roller blade and the multifunction switch. Perhaps it will be of help.
https://citroenc3owners.com/automatic-t ... tent=zid-1

[Sam-Kelly95]

Thanks ozvtr,

I assumed wrongly that the Valve Bodies are all of the same construction and therefore all plug depths would be the same, hence why I began matching the new valve body to my old. I have fortunately taken pictures of all of the screws before the change apart from one- plug number 54 which appears to be "(54) adjusting plug of the converter lock–up regulating valve".

Would it be possible to "guess" the screw depth and fit to the car- I could then monitor the performance of the gearbox to check for any unusual behavior and make adjustments afterwards? I have read that the lock-up regulating valve can have the below effects:

Too far in (spring too stiff):
- Lock-up may come in late, or feel like it never engages properly.
- ECU may command lock-up but pressure never reaches the clutch → slip, higher RPM at cruise, possible overheating, and fault codes (P0741 “Torque Converter Clutch Circuit Performance”).

Too far out (spring too weak):
- Lock-up applies too soon or too hard.
- Can cause harsh shudder/jolt around 50–70 km/h.
- At light throttle, you may feel the engine bog or the car “chugs” because lock-up is being forced in too aggressively.

Does this logic sound acceptable since there is only one plug I need to confirm?

[ozvtr]

Would it be possible to "guess" the screw depth and fit to the car

You don't have much of a choice. Try your best guess I suppose.

Too far in (spring too stiff):
- Lock-up may come in late, or feel like it never engages properly.
- ECU may command lock-up but pressure never reaches the clutch → slip, higher RPM at cruise, possible overheating, and fault codes (P0741 “Torque Converter Clutch Circuit Performance”).

Too far out (spring too weak):
- Lock-up applies too soon or too hard.
- Can cause harsh shudder/jolt around 50–70 km/h.
- At light throttle, you may feel the engine bog or the car “chugs” because lock-up is being forced in too aggressively.

I think the worst case is the P0741. The pressure from the regulator is too weak and causes the lock up clutch to slip and the gear box detects it. Too much pressure might damage the seal in the lock up hydraulic actuator.
But I think a best guess might get you out of trouble.

[Sam-Kelly95]

Quick Update- I managed to transfer the components from the new VB to my old VB and re-built everything.

Took the car for a test drive (2 miles) and it ran fine so fingers crossed its all ok!