Do I Really Need To Replace My Auto Gear Box

[fclauson]

Hi all

 

The engine fault light on my galaxy recently came on (little yellow engine symbol) - following a test by the RAC they came up with code PO700 - Trasmission Control System Failure.

 

Took the car to the dealer and after a "full diagnostic check" they think that the gear box is caput and its a good idea to replace the gear box control unit at the same time in case it caused the damage.

 

Previously I had noticed that the car was sometimes slow to pull away - so prehaps their diagnostics are correct.

 

 

Any other checks I should do before handing over 2 grand plus !!!!!

 

 

 

 

Francis

 

Y reg Galaxy

2.3 Zetec Auto

[Dave-G]

At the very least get a second opinion from an auto gearbox specialist. Main dealers do not repair gearboxes - they only replace them.

 

Having said that a repair would still cost a load of labour - but a specialist would be cheaper than the dealer

[Steve S.]

Hi Francis

Yes, I agree with Dave on this.I've had some trouble with my auto box and the main dealer is not really the place to go . I notice you're from the E. Midlands, it depends where but I took my Galaxy to both Oakdene in Nottingham, and Eddie Rose in Mansfield. Both seem to know what they're talking about and gave the same diagnosis.Further South, D&K Automatics ,Whetstone near Leicester have a good reputation evidently.Do you have other symptoms

with your box eg slipping. "cattle grid effect". delayed change.whistles on change. snatch on reverse take up etc. or is it all down to a faulty control unit..cost about

[Dave-G]

Erm - he seems to be in cobham, Surrey?... near-on the most expensive place on the planet methinks

[El Dingo]

Erm - he seems to be in cobham, Surrey?... near-on the most expensive place on the planet methinks

 

Cobham is beaten only by Manhatten - and that not the repairs, just the parking charges. :unsure:

 

Some of the older businesses around here (West London and surrounds) keep their costs down by owning their premises, and having done so for many years - this is their pension fund when they finally 'down tools'!

[fclauson]

thanks for all the useful Pension and Property advice !!!!

 

thinks I sill exchange one of my very expensive Surrey blades of grass for the new gear box - hope they are prepared to barter !!!

[jowett69]

Hi, I had a scorpio (stop laughing) and that autobox kept coming up with alight on dashboard which was a limp home mode. I when to a autobox dealer/fixer and they plugged into a computer and said oh dear its broken you need a new one!, but i search on the scorpio wed site(which is very good) which told me to clean the MAF sensor with carb cleaner, and yes it works. So dont jump in and but a new box, check the fordscorpio.co.uk web site and clean that MAF

[Steve S.]

Doh !

I've not been well.....I think I must have had half an eye on Dave G's reply ...he's East Midlands. Anyway the advice still holds, and after all Leicester isn't too far from Cobham, you'll find it just east of Inverness.

Regards,

Steve S.

[Ivor_E_Tower]

Try

http://www.hardyengineering.co.uk/

There also used to be a place in Guildford - cannot think of their name at the moment, think it was something like Willow Engineering

[Grumpy]

I had my autobox repaired under warranty by a place in Leatherhead, I think it was hardyengineering, its been fine since

[fclauson]

Leatherhead is near so I will try Hardy's

 

I also spoke to "AllGears" in Kingston-upon-thames

 

They gave some intersting observations

1 - the boxes are fitted to many models (golf, VM and Ford)

2 - 3rd gear is know to burn out it's clutch - specifcally with lots of 20 to 40 mph driving (i.e faster than round town but not motorway driving)

3 - this is sometimes caused by the computer not getting it completly right - so swapping computer and box does makes sense

4 - his price is some 75% of the main dealer - to include overdrive unit - (but I have no way of checking qulity is like for like)

 

So Monday I will have to decided what to do next

 

Francis

[fclauson]

Thanks for the advice of going to Hardy's in leatherhead, surrey - what a really really nice chap - knows his stuff - no "you will have to replace gear box" here

 

We took it for a test drive - the car behaved perfectly - so advice was - it might go again - but at the moment its perfect - ford would have unplugged all the connectors etc to the gear box - prehaps one of those was damp/rusty/corroded etc and it was thats which caused the problem originally

 

Any way- he said bring it back if it happens again and we will take a look

 

In the back of his w/shop he had lots of boxes all in different stages of repeairs - so really understands what does and does not go wrong with them

 

He also hade the a Morris 1000 gear box there - something which I took appart some 25 years ago - he said they need rebuilding once every 10231231023 miles - and only if you have been grinding the gears a bit !!

[Grandad]

Saw the earlier reply from Steve S mentioning "cattle-grid effect". I sometimes get this on my 1998 2.8 Ghia X at around 1500 - 2000 revs. Is it caused by the auto box? Can it be fixed? I fitted a new maf last year but it made no difference.

 

Thanks