2006 Citroen C4 Auto | AL4 slipping in 1st gear eventually engages with a clunk, when warm

Is the solenoid actually wired, Ive seen both a blanking plug or the solenoid with the wiring cut off, when you scan the transmission ECU what error codes do you have and what temp is the fluid at normal running temp, I recall at 90 deg in stop start traffic the box forgot how to operate, on the highway no problems
 
Is the solenoid actually wired, Ive seen both a blanking plug or the solenoid with the wiring cut off, when you scan the transmission ECU what error codes do you have and what temp is the fluid at normal running temp, I recall at 90 deg in stop start traffic the box forgot how to operate, on the highway no problems
When car is driven moderately at 70~90kmh, engine temp is ~115°C & seldom trigger the issue, noticed issue will always trigger when engine temp start raising to ~125°C during stop/start & while all this coolant temp is steady @ 90°C.
As I did not have any scanner tool & depend on my current wshop for it, I'm waiting for a chance to have it scan by them when the time comes to replace the al4 fluid (been doing a regular ~30k km al4 oil change since beginning) & also for them to have a look on the solenoid control valve as well.
Car is now at 250k km with the gbox rework done once at ~115k km due to failing brake band on the al4.
Only recently that I've discovered that there is a solenoid valve actually controlling the al4 fluid before it pass thru the heat exchanger, this is after replacing new bigger exchanger but issue still crop up & had me go thru what could cause it & am wondering if anyone has somehow work on it due to heat issue.
 
Has the engine temp always been 125deg during stop/start traffic?. Not sure which engine your 407 has but engine temp above 90deg seems high
Others may know as this sounds like a thermostat issue.
 
Has the engine temp always been 125deg during stop/start traffic?. Not sure which engine your 407 has but engine temp above 90deg seems high
Others may know as this sounds like a thermostat issue.
The 407 2lt engine is an EW10J4 type, coolant temp has been around ~90°C ever since bought it. Thermostat & cooling fan has been changed new as well recently & from the heat cycle during idle am pretty sure they both are working as intended. Normal idle or moderate driving engine temp is about 115°C & goes up to about 125°C when driven hard at higher speed 120kmh & above where ambient temp is normally around 34~38°C, unless it rains up here.
 
Hi all,

I recently picked up a 2006 Citroen C4 Auto, the car drives fine until after some period of driving (say 30-45 minutes) the car will begin to lose the ability to "creep" forward from a stationary position, i.e. If the car is stopped on a flat road, letting go of the foot brake will result in no forward motion (creep forward). If I give it some throttle, the RPM will rise (higher than usually required) and it will eventually bite/bump/clunk and drive off. If I repeat this process multiple times it will eventually become nearly impossible to get the car moving in 1st (will needs lots of RPM to get the bite), the only way to get the car moving is going to "Manual" mode and putting the car into 2nd gear.

Does anyone know what my next steps are to troubleshoot this.

Regards,
J.
This problem is called flaring. It Becomes most prevalent when the fluid gets hot. It is a common problem that happens with the "sealed for life gearboxes". This is an Asian Warner gearbox, found in Toyotas Mercedes Volvos and many other vehicles. I had this problem in my 407 2 L diesel. The cheapest and quickest way I fix this problem was to go onto a Chinese site and pick up a rebuilt valve body. I used Aliexpress
Automobile Motorcycle Parts Store
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33001555071.html
Gearbox Valve Body AF40/TF80SC for PEUGEOT 407 ALFA ROMEO Sticker Car Automatic Car Accessories
AU $501.67x1
With the sealed for life gearboxes you still need to change the fliud about 40,000 Km. Should take your service people under 2hr to do the job.
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The above is not for an AL4, but same you can get rebuilt units from China and may solve the problem. I did repair a VB that was bought from China for an AL4 and the one of the small solenoids that dropped a seal mid operation and left the car permanently stuck in 3rd. easy fix so quality of the rebuild is uncertain but worth the risk if there are no local companies in Malaysia that do rebuilds
 
I had my electronic boards for an Audi A5 changed at J.Pringle in West Melbourne / Dynon Road. So far so good, that was about two years ago. Maybe give them a call?!
 
The 407 2lt engine is an EW10J4 type, coolant temp has been around ~90°C ever since bought it. Thermostat & cooling fan has been changed new as well recently & from the heat cycle during idle am pretty sure they both are working as intended. Normal idle or moderate driving engine temp is about 115°C & goes up to about 125°C when driven hard at higher speed 120kmh & above where ambient temp is normally around 34~38°C, unless it rains up here.
If temperature is going up at highway speeds then your radiator is not performing well enough.
 
Hmm, similar problem with my 2013 C5. Can anyone recommend an auto trans service place in Melbourne? Tried A&B in Dandenong but they aren't doing Citroen any more
Manuel Automatics in Thomastown were the other ones that fixed these. I can tell you they still sell parts for AL4s at least! I imagine they’ll change the fluid, although it’s a pretty easy DIY.
 
The 407 2lt engine is an EW10J4 type, coolant temp has been around ~90°C ever since bought it. Thermostat & cooling fan has been changed new as well recently & from the heat cycle during idle am pretty sure they both are working as intended. Normal idle or moderate driving engine temp is about 115°C & goes up to about 125°C when driven hard at higher speed 120kmh & above where ambient temp is normally around 34~38°C, unless it rains up here.
From what I have learned about Peugeot/Citroen cooling systems, normal operating temperature is about 85C. If the temperature reaches about 95C the fans should come on at low speed, and quickly bring the temperature back to 85C, then turn off. Should the car be under extreme load and the temperature somehow reach about 105C, the fans will come on at high speed and rapidly drop the temperature. Oddly enough, at the same time as the fans come on at high speed, the temperature gauge will proceed to indicate 125C even though it isn't actually that hot. Once the temperature has dropped below 105C, the fans will drop to lower speed and the gauge will return to normal operation.

If you idle the car with aircon off, you should be able to observe the behaviour of the fans coming on about 95C and cooling the car back down. You should only be able to observe the other behaviour if your low speed fan setting is not engaging.

At somewhere around 120-130C oil will boil, resulting in near total loss of oil pressure and catastrophic engine failure. Your engine should never really get anywhere near that hot.

Hope that is helpful.
 
Interesting Kim,

On most of the oil temp gauges I have seen in Citroens, the red section only starts at 130 degrees C, so there must still be some margin before the oil self destructs, maybe 140 or 150 degrees C.

Similarily, the GS oil temp warning light thermocontact is imprinted with 130 degrees C.

Cheers, Ken
 
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