C3 Snow/Sport flashing on dash and Solid black line?

[Electrocustard]

Hi all!

I've recently serviced the transmission on my old C3 2002 (automatic) as it had been a while, and after putting everything back in place and putting in the new fluid it's coming up with the dreaded snow/sport mode flashing but with a solid horizontal line where you would usually see P/D/R etc. It's all there from ignition and doesn't go away or appear at any certain time otherwise, car runs beautifully and doesn't drop into limp mode, and gears are shifting easily. Any idea what this could be?? Thanks!

 

[seasink]

From Citroen's AL4 booklet:

FAULT WARNINGS

The appearance of certain faults in the system causes the SPORT and SNOW
warning lights to flash.
The sport and snow warning lights flash in the following cases:
• when the transmission oil is too hot (extinguish when oil has cooled),
• when the transmission oil is old (oil counter value at calibrated maximum
value),
• when there is a break in the serial link between the transmission ECU and the
control panel.

The "SPORT" and "SNOW" warning lights flash if there is a fault on the following
components or information:
• transmission ECU,
• ECU supply,
• oil pressure sensor,
• supply to sequence electrovalves (EVS1 to EV6),
• regulation fault in main hydraulic pressure,
• multifunction switch,
• sequence electrovalves (EVS1 to EV6),
• main pressure modulating electrovalve (pressure EVM),
• converter lock-up modulating electrovalve (lock-up EVM),
• oil flow electrovalve in heat exchanger,
• main hydraulic pressure electrovalve,
• accelerator pedal not programmed,
• input speed and output speed,
• input speed and engine speed,
• output speed and engine speed,
• engine speed information,
• pedal position,
• supply to analogue sensors.

 

[jaahn]

Hi
It is time to put a scanner on it and see what the code(s) are. That will point you in the direction of the problem on that extensive list. Probably get the codes ok with any scanner. You will need to be careful how you interperet the generic codes though.
Even Supercheap or Repco will do a code read for a modest amount.
Jaahn

 

[Electrocustard]

Hi
It is time to put a scanner on it and see what the code(s) are. That will point you in the direction of the problem on that extensive list. Probably get the codes ok with any scanner. You will need to be careful how you interperet the generic codes though.
Even Supercheap or Repco will do a code read for a modest amount.
Jaahn

That's my next plan of attack! Thankfully I work at Supercheap so I'll pop in tomorrow and borrow the scanner for a while. Definitely been a learning curve with this car, but I've never had issues in the past year I've had it, so I'm truly hoping it's just been a simple mistake on my half or something isn't connected correctly!

 

[seasink]

after putting everything back in place

What did you do, apart from a fluid change?
Codes whose first number is 1 are specific to the manufacturer (PSA in this case).

 

[dimistyle]

Will more than likely be the long grey connector not mated properly or a bent pin as you say auto is changing as it should so signal is being received by Trans ECU.

Oil counter should Always be reset when fluid has been changed but i think only PP2000 can do this?

 

[ozVTR]

Nothing should have been disturbed on the gearbox, only the filler plug, drain plug and air filter box.
Did you hose down the engine bay? Anything like that?
The usual suspect is the selector switch assembly on top of the gearbox around the selector input shaft, for a fault like this, but...
The CAN bus runs from the gearbox ECU to the engine ECU then to the ABS ECU. Communications doesn't seem to be a problem as there are are no ABS or engine lights and the speedo works(?). Engine and gearbox seem to be communicating as "car runs beautifully" .
However, problems with the selector tend to manifest themselves on one or more positions not typically all of them. The "bar" usually flashes but the sport and snow lights stay out!
From the list above the most likely seems to be:
"when there is a break in the serial link between the transmission ECU and the control panel"
The only point that I can see that happening is, as Dimi said, at the large inter connector at the back of the gearbox.
But this also means the gearbox ECU is cut off (communicating) from the engine ECU and the rest of the car! I don't understand how the car can run beautifully? What's the point of all this communications...if it's unnecessary? That's a rhetorical question by the way.
I hope the scanner can read the gearbox codes, if the gearbox is talking to anyone! My bet is...it isn't. LOL.