Stepspeed gearbox warning light- Some advice

At this time of year there are a rash of Stepspeed owners contacting their local garage because the gearbox warning light keeps coming on. Usual scenario is start car as usual, light comes on and either extingushes after a few minutes or stays on until engine is stopped and restarted when it resets and seems fine. Usually the car goes to the garage for diagnostics and shows no fault and garage recommend an oil change "just to be on the safe side", which cures the problem as if by magic.This fault is caused by water vapour from the atmosphere condensing in the gearbox and shorting one of the sensors, and is easily cured. Take the car for a longish run 30 to 50 miles and keep the gearbox in sport mode, this keeps the revs above 3000 and ensures that the engine and gearbox get hot. This will boil off the water and clear the fault - SIMPLES:) Using this simple process will clear gearbox faults 9 times out of 10 without resorting to expense.
Chris

Quicksilver;9895 wrote: At this time of year there are a rash of Stepspeed owners contacting their local garage because the gearbox warning light keeps coming on. Usual scenario is start car as usual, light comes on and either extingushes after a few minutes or stays on until engine is stopped and restarted when it resets and seems fine. Usually the car goes to the garage for diagnostics and shows no fault and garage recommend an oil change "just to be on the safe side", which cures the problem as if by magic.This fault is caused by water vapour from the atmosphere condensing in the gearbox and shorting one of the sensors, and is easily cured. Take the car for a longish run 30 to 50 miles and keep the gearbox in sport mode, this keeps the revs above 3000 and ensures that the engine and gearbox get hot. This will boil off the water and clear the fault - SIMPLES:) Using this simple process will clear gearbox faults 9 times out of 10 without resorting to expense.
Chris

I dont have a stepspeed but that sounds like a top tip for those who do, I wonder how many have been out of pocket because of this.

nice one

thats for that, happened to me yesterday , timimg couldnt be better, good excuse to take car for a run this weekend.

quick question, quicksliver, do you know where we can get gearbox oil, i was thinking about changing the oil soon but having difficultly in finding someone near where i live supplying it.

thanks

Guess a gallon and a bit of spirited driving is cheaper than a trip to the garage!

stamford;9899 wrote: Guess a gallon and a bit of spirited driving is cheaper than a trip to the garage!

and a whole lot more fun :yesnod:

bobscot;9897 wrote: thats for that, happened to me yesterday , timimg couldnt be better, good excuse to take car for a run this weekend.

quick question, quicksliver, do you know where we can get gearbox oil, i was thinking about changing the oil soon but having difficultly in finding someone near where i live supplying it.

thanks

Depends where in Northumberland you are. Sometimes it is available at Halfords or Unipart stockists

i am near morpeth i tried halfords but they wanted to sell me normal auto gearbox oil and said that would do, i thought time to leave.

i tried the local car parts place but they couldnt get it.

i will phone unipart tomorrow , thats a good shout ,

cheers

Quicksilver;9895 wrote: At this time of year there are a rash of Stepspeed owners contacting their local garage because the gearbox warning light keeps coming on. Usual scenario is start car as usual, light comes on and either extingushes after a few minutes or stays on until engine is stopped and restarted when it resets and seems fine. Usually the car goes to the garage for diagnostics and shows no fault and garage recommend an oil change "just to be on the safe side", which cures the problem as if by magic.This fault is caused by water vapour from the atmosphere condensing in the gearbox and shorting one of the sensors, and is easily cured. Take the car for a longish run 30 to 50 miles and keep the gearbox in sport mode, this keeps the revs above 3000 and ensures that the engine and gearbox get hot. This will boil off the water and clear the fault - SIMPLES:) Using this simple process will clear gearbox faults 9 times out of 10 without resorting to expense.
Chris

Excellent advice, Chris.:yesnod:

it's amazing just how many problems can be cured by a good drive.:bye:

David Aiketgate;9917 wrote: Excellent advice, Chris.:yesnod:

it's amazing just how many problems can be cured by a good drive.:bye:

Especially with F/ TF they were designed to be driven hard, so dont take kindly to occasional use. I drive mine daily ice permitting, and can really feel its reluctance if its had an idle day or two.
Chris

top advice chris will file that in the old cabinet to help out the future step-speed owner in distress