O/D light flashing Eh?

[Chris]

Well I haven't had this one before and I haven't found it in the manual/ Just been for a quick spin and suddenly the O/D lights started a slow flash on and off. When I pressed the button the light went solid, IE overdrive off. But when engaged again, it just blinks. I have switched off and restarted and it seems to have gone for the second.

But never heard of that one before. Please tell me it's not terminal. Now with warning lights, there is always the chance that it's not associated with the normal use of the light. So it may just mean that my washer fluid is low. Wishful thinking. This weekend I dropped the AT sump, changed the throttle cable and put the sump back on. Nothing else. I put the same amount of fluid back in which seems just about right. Maybe another half litre.

Any clues guys? I will have to drive it again tomorrow - but the fact that it's lit once means that something isn't right. I have to guess that it means that the OD isn't available. Could it be a cable adjustment?

Chris

 

[DaveN]

It means it's recorded a fault in the transmission. Get out the paperclip and read the codes.

 

[Chas]

Mine has been doing this since 2008 , my 80 is with Julian V at the moment, I seem to remember him mentioning he may have found out why , it might be worth contacting him

 

[Chris]

Thanks chaps. I shall have a look when I am back on Thursday. It maybe that the fault resets if you switch the engine off. I shall be ready with my paper clip!



If anyone knows, it'll be Julian.


Chris

 

[BRE Fabrications LTD]

What Dave said. You need to pull the code to find out what the fault is.

 

[Chris]

I will once I can find the section in the FSM that deals with this. It's great having them but as a set of docs it takes me forever to find anything.

Chris

 

[Julian Voelcker]

Yes, has to be a reasonably major problem for the OD light to flash - most errors are just there in the background.

I've emailed the basic diagnostic pages to work through and codes.

The chances are you may have accidentally nicked on of the wires to the solenoids whilst doing the kick down cable - seen that before even by professional gearbox firm.

Good luck.

 

[Chris]

Thanks Julian. Hmm. That doesn't sound good, but I do know my way around that part of the car and I didn't touch anything at all as far as I know. It went smooth and easy. If you mean the 4 solenoids at the end of the valve block, I never went near them.

It's driven absolutely fine too. Just tonight, went for a jaunt and it came on out of the blue. Just got your mail JV, very much appreciated as always.

Chris

 

[Chris]

Right, thanks the most excellent JV, I was able to read the fault codes tonight. 6.1 was the info I got back which equates to Defective No 2 speed sensor either severed cable or short circuit. The good news is that this is one of the external screw in senders on the side of the box. Now as to cause, I am guessing here as it's dark outside, but it could be the terminal has simply been pulled off. I did go for a blast when I'd done the throttle cable and it was fine. It was the second time out that it faulted. But the sender is in the region where I had been furtling around trying to disconnect the throttle cable. I may have dislodged it and it's finally popped off. Or hey, maybe it's genuinely fnurked. But it'd be a hell of a coincidence.

I reset the ECU and took it for a drive. Well it crawled off the drive with foot to the floor. Once I got going, it was off just fine once the fault light reappeared. Now, when I stopped again and pulled away it went like stink off the mark. Perhaps I should leave it broken BTW it seems to have no effect on the gear changes. It goes into top OK it seems.

I shall have a look in the light. This transmission has been swapped as many may recall and as such the connections took a bit of a battering as did some of the other bits and pieces that stick out. We did knock it about a bit and we also had to salvage some wiring here and there. So it could well be a crappy connection.

On a different note - I tried the stall test. I have had doubts about my transmission for a while. Drives lovely, but try and climb up over a fallen log in high ration and it just sits there at about 1000 rpm with your foot to the floor. So I stuck my foot on the brake and gave it full throttle. Exactly the same effect. I only did it for 5 seconds or so as it's probably not that good for the transmission. So, what IS supposed to happen when you do this? Is my torque converter stuffed, is it the pump?

Any clues it's all black magic to me.

Chris

 

[Ecoman]

On a different note - I tried the stall test. I have had doubts about my transmission for a while. Drives lovely, but try and climb up over a fallen log in high ration and it just sits there at about 1000 rpm with your foot to the floor. So I stuck my foot on the brake and gave it full throttle. Exactly the same effect. I only did it for 5 seconds or so as it's probably not that good for the transmission. So, what IS supposed to happen when you do this? Is my torque converter stuffed, is it the pump?


Chris

I asked the same question about the stall test but I don't remember getting an answer. I will be interested to find out as mine did exactly the same as yours.

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

The stall speed test is documented in the FSM and it will say what RPM you should achieve. I can't remember off the top of my head but I don't think it's as low as 1000rpm. May not be a bad TC if so, could just be your engine isn't generating enough power to get there.

 

[Chris]

Thanks Jon, but I am still in the dark as to what happens - I take it that it actually stalls then? It doesn't say. I actually do think that my engine isn't generating enough umph actually.

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

It 'stalls' in the sense that the revs don't climb any more / the TC stops slipping any more due to friction in the fluid, so the engine is just held back by the brakes. You're right not to do it for very long, it puts at lot of stress on the TC and there will be a lot of heat in the TC. The stall speed is the maximum speed difference between the TC input (engine) and TC output (gearbox input shaft).

 

[Chris]

Ahh, then maybe it's bob-on Jon. I was expecting it to actually stop the engine.

That's what a stall would be to me.

Chris

 

[Chris]

Well hello little plug. What are you doing hanging down under there? Yep, once I got chance to go and have a look, I found a grey plug that had become detached. It was exactly as I had suspected. It was one where the 'snap' from the plug was broken and it was only fairy magic holding it in. I must have pulled it out when I was tugging on the loom.

Phew. Thanks everyone.

Chris

 

[silvercruiser]

excellent news,

 

[Ecoman]

Glad it was a quick and easy fix Chris

 

[adrianr]

Good news!

 

[Chris]

You're telling me. Never heard of one of those failing before so I had a sneaking suspicion. He says. Having had his legs and fingers crossed.



Chris

 

[Justin_Elliott]

My OD light is flashing on and off....

I took the truck for a short drive earlier, started off fine, but now OD doesn't appear to engage. It blinks or is on constantly (i.e. OD off) as per Chris symptoms...

So any instructions on how to do the pin check and what the codes mean would be appreciated...