[Scuttle]

Okay my learned friends, fixed coolant in starter motor (inlet gasket gone) but now My Daughters 1992 Clio 1.4 auto 'drops' down a gear & stays in that gear until restarted; the Electronic Fault warning light comes on at the same time.

It's the AD4 gearbox, which works ok sub 35mph but seems to dislike anything faster.

Gone through wiring & pulled apart connectors to the various sender\sensors .... nothing pyshical spotted, like bad contacts etc.

Removed the transmission cooler box, inlet & outlet choked with brown sludge flushed with a power washer & is clear. Put hose pipe into cooling system & flushed gunk from that to!!

Topped up ATF fluid (as per a posting) put back pipes, coolant etc. & off for test drive ...... smoother, felt good :d & then BOING! same thing, dropped a gear & locked in it

Stopped, switched off, then re-started & all was okay again, no fault light & changed through gears fine, stayed fine until I went over 30mph.

Read lots of related posts, some faults very similar to this one, most pointing to another gearbox.

It's a nice car, daughter's very fond of it, but a new box is too much for my pocket & more than the car's worth.
(did the AD4 stay in production for a while, is it worth trying to find a lower mileage, 'newer' box?)

So, unless any experts can point to a different conclusion, this Clio baccara is heading for the tip & the daughter is heading for the buses.

 

[carl66]

Start by going and getting the fault code read, about £30 from an independent.

It will probably come up with a pressure regulation code and that relates to the hydraulic block solenoids., about 2 hours to replace.

 

[Scuttle]

Thanks carl66, hoping someone might be able to shed a ray of hope :d

If it is as you suspect, are 'hydraulic block solenoids' affordable & is the '2 hours to replace' DIY time?

Tight budget so might run to a 'fault code read' but solenoids sound expensive.

Cheers

 

[leozeo]

I have a 1996 Espace that does the same thing-it drops out of high gear and (most of the time) I need to restart it to get it to work again. Tell me a bit more about the automatic transmissions cooling system.

 

[Scuttle]

I have a 1996 Espace that does the same thing-it drops out of high gear and (most of the time) I need to restart it to get it to work again. Tell me a bit more about the automatic transmissions cooling system.

Sorry for tardy reply....

I know only about the bits I've played with on the Clio, whether it's relevent to your Espace I have know idea.

On top of Clio gearbox there is an oval cannister with a hose attached either end, one hose is from front of engine block, the other from behind, two bolts hold cannister onto gearbox.
Basically coolant from radiator/engine block passes through this cannister either heating or cooling transmission oil. Inside cannister is a matrix of fins to aid heat transfer, these were completely blocked with sludge, no coolant getting through.
Should be easy to tell if working, just run up engine from cold & feel hose at either end, one should heat up followed shorty by the other. Proves that at least some passge through for coolant.
No big job to remove it anyway, drain off coolant, unclip & tie back hoses, undo the two bolts. Be carefull though, as you lift up cannister you reveal two holes into gearbox, make sure nothing drops in! There should be an 'o' ring around each hole in a recess.
Re-fit is reversal of above, flush cannister out from both directions & use new 'o' rings.
Hope my long reply is of some use.