Manual and sport mode lights flashing

[DiscoSE03]

Quick background. The truck is a 2003 discovery and has 51,500 miles on it. It has been regularly maintained and taken to the dealer for ever scheduled service interval.

Turned it to come home tonight and the manual and sport mode lights are flashing green. Turned it off and then on, lights came right up. turned it off and on again, the lights are still there. the owners manual says that when this occurs there is a electrical fault within the automatic gear box and that i should get to a dealer urgently. I called the lr road recovery service to see if i could drive it home (10 miles) and they said it should be alright. Seemed to drive alright, but it snowed a lot today and i didnt go faster than 30mph, so it was difficult to actually tell.

What exactly is an electrical fault in the gear box, should i take it to the dealer immediately (its 50 miles away), and how much should something like this cost to get fixed (at a dealer vs a independent lr shop)?

Thanks in advance.

[Ioan]

Hi there,

the first thing you should check is that your battery is alright. Any electronically controlled transmission (bmw...etc) will do this under a low voltage situation.
Second, if the battery is ok, you can try disconecting it, let it sit for a couple of minutes and then plug it again...maybe the error code will reset itself (make sure you have the radio code before you do this so that you can make your radio work again).

regards

[Disco Mike]

I agree with checking your battery first, low voltage can cause the mode lights to flash.
If it continues, I would rather see you take the truck to a tranny shop, not the dealer. They will have lots more experience with this issue and not just want to sell you a rebuilt tranny like the dealers will.
Mike

[DiscoSE03]

thanks guy. the battery was just about shot. got a new one and the warning lights were gone. thanks for the advice.

[Ioan]

I am glad to hear that. How old was your battery?
You should check your voltage to make sure the alternator is charging at around 13.5-14.0 volts...just to make sure that the battery didn't die because the alternator wasn't doing its job properly over time.

Regards

[DiscoSE03]

To be honest, im not sure how old the battery was. We got the truck used in the spring of 2005, and i dont remember if we got a new battery then or not.

And i checked the voltage. it is charging at right around 13.5 volts.

Ioan and Mike, thanks again for the advice.

[Ioan]

In that case it was the battery...you shouldn't have any problems now (your alternator is fine at 13.5 volts)
I am glad you fixed it and saved the trip to the mechanic shop.

all the best

[Rovin4life]

actually transmission shops know jack squat about rovers.

they will rebuild your transmission for a simple MAF sensor.

when those lights flash it can be anything in the transmission. I have seen modules go and simple water intrusion in the connector at the bottom of the transmission. you need the codes translated and diagnosed before you decide to go the route of a transmission.

On this board and many others not to mention at work I can honestly say I have seen only a handful of transmissions on a land rover break down. A handful, not a whole bunch. The only one with a record for bad transmissions are the freelanders.

[Disco Mike]

That can be said about dealer, small shops or tranny shops, it all depends on their experience. All the ZF trannys are pretty common and some will know them well others won't.
Mike