Only first & second gears?!

Hi all - had a great time recently at goodwood revival & hoping for a quick blast back to Bristol in the coupe but alas, as soon as I hit the dual carriageway & tried third for the first time - nada! Wouldn't shift gear & then would throw itself into neutral. After trying all the usual turn it off & turn it back on again, disconnect the battery, switching through the sport/auto/normal/snow modes ecetera I conceded and the nice man from the AA saved me fifty notes and brought me home on the back of a flat bed.

I put her under a cover when we got back (fortuitously bought that day) as we took our honeymoon & there she's stood for a couple weeks but now I'm itching for a drive (especially as I'd only had the new straight through, crossover exhaust built the previous week) & want to get it sorted! Any ideas from the knowledgeable folks out there?!

She had a full major service including clutch & software update in April but have read somewhere (?) about a relay burning out the F1 pump?! The AA guy suggested maybe a solenoid?! But I'm open to suggestions & a keen, and relatively well spec'd home mechanic. I'm not adverse taking it to Dick Lovett but if it's simple would rather keep the pennies in my pocket or take it to a local garage if its a simple swap & change of parts!

Any thoughts appreciated!

SF

SF

Well we are going to need a little more to diagnose this one remotely.

My initial thought were that it was a collapsed clutch spring/cover. This usually manifests as a lot of clunking in the gearbox when trying to select first then it gives up and gives you 2nd. It will also slip too but yours sounds more like the pump or actuator.

Any chance you can start here up and do some manoeuvring and report back

Any lights on?

When you unlock and open the drivers door do you get a 5-7 second whir from the pump at the back priming or is it longer?

Any wetness around the gearbox at the back?

Morning Matt - quick off the block!

No wetness evident on the ground (I'll jack it up & have a butchers too - around the gearbox at the back right?), no lights on the dash & the gearbox and gear change had been as smooth as it's ever been since I bought it (hadn't driven it a lot since the clutch change c. 1000miles but that did include 150 miles at CC on a 40C day)

SF

Yep wetness on the underside, there is a pipe from the CC reservoir to pump that perishes around the 10 year old mark.

Also let me know about the pump priming, that's the main one we need to rule out diagnose it.

We assume the clutch is fine so I don't think this one is going to be an expensive one, pinkies crossed.

Conaero said:

pump priming, that's the main one we need to diagnose it.

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Pump priming?! Right?! Ummmm - the sound you hear when you turn the key before starting the engine?! Feeling a bit dense right now ;-)

SF

No, pump priming should be heard when you open the drivers door.

Pump priming happens when you open or unlock the doors, a slight whine from the back if the car for a few seconds

Does the engine start?

Mine just gave up completely and it was a fuse being blown as the gearbox solenoids were firing incorrectly. Autoshield fixed it, but I didn't ask which fuse. Maybe I should !

Went to second gear, them refused third, even refused neutral until I pulled over, at which point some safety override kicked in and forced neutral.

BennyD said:

No, pump priming should be heard when you open the drivers door.

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As CB says above it should on initial unlock and opening of the drivers door. If it does not and there is no CC warning light (fluid low) then it's the pump or relay.

Chris - that sounds exactly what has happened to mine! The pump priming happens exactly as described by Benny & Conaero - I'll see what I can see in the fuses.

Matt - am I right in thinking the relay is in the boot by the battery?!

SF

Snowfakes, yes. It's a bit of a pig to get to, but can be done without too much issue.
Have to confess though, if the box is happy shifting back and forth form first to second for a period it sounds like there's pressure in the system.
C

If the pump is priming and you don't have the little red gearbox light come on then it doesn't sound like the same issue as me, but check fuses anyway.

Are you basically stuck in neutral now, refuses to go into 1st or R?

How is the battery...is it fully charged as these can throw up some issues and if your departure from Good wood was like ours it was lights/wipers/fans heated rear window etc

Hope the pictures work!

So engine starts ok, and shifting between first & second is as expected and normal. Didn't mention but reverse is also lost. Pump priming is also as expected when it's unlocked or with door opening. Battery is only a couple months old and the clutch was done (along with spigot etc) in April. I don't have any warning lights on the dash at all (apart from brake wear sensor that got knocked off at Castle Coombe in August)



Apols for the quality of the pic - Conaero, think this is the pipe you mentioned. Although damp, not heavily leaking or dripping. Thoughts?




These are the fuses under the passenger footwell - could it be one of these? They all "look" undamaged however without pulling each out any idea which it may be? (for the eagle eyed - the picture is upside down!)



These are also the relays/fuses in the boot - again, any idea which to look for first? And how to tell if the relay is shot?! There must be a simple check one would've thought?

Thanks for all guidance so far! Fingers crossed for a simple fix!

SF

safrane said:

from Good wood was like ours it was lights/wipers/fans heated rear window etc

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Wasn't the best exit from the Revival I must admit! If I'd known you were coming back this way, would've come with you ;-)! We're regulars so let me know if you're heading back down next year!

SF

I'm no expert, but if it goes into first, and shifts into second, the clutch and F1 pump sound okay.
So it sounds like me either a problem with the valve block or linkage alignment. Hopefully a resetting job. Surprised no gearbox warning light though?
I think it is beyond DIY though unfortuately.

mjheathcote said:

I think it is beyond DIY though unfortuately.

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:'-(

Not adverse to taking it DL in Swindon - it's more a pain in the **** than anything else. The nice man at the AA said he'd take me there though ......

Is **** really bad enough to be bleeped out? I'm surprised?!

SF

is it too far to go in second?!

40 miles or so?!

Thats answered that one!