Evening,

I've just been out for a 10 mile drive, and I was playing with the manual gear selection on the J-gate. I've never used it before and I read about it today so I was trying it out.

On trying to select 4th I heard a slight crunch like on a manual when you don't quite press the clutch hard enough and the dash came up with an orange warning saying "Gear Box Fault". I pulled over and restarted the engine and the dash warning disappeared.

I wasn't overdoing the revs when playing with the J-gate. I don't think I got above 3500rpm.

After that, I stopped playing with the J-gate and left it in Drive, but if I put my foot down the revs went up and the engine sounded like it was doing high revs but the car barely got any faster.

My cheapo OBDII scanner saw no codes.

Any suggestions?

 

You should probably check the fluid level.

 

You need a better scanner to get proper gearbox codes from the TCM. Checking the fluid level is a good idea, not the simplest thing to do (no dipstick), but when shifting to manual gears the common problem is the range sensor, or as Jaguar US calls it "Transmission Rotary Switch".

 

Is it safe to drive in the meantime, or do you think it's being damaged by low gearbox oil?

 

No one knows if the fluid is low or there is a problem with a solenoid or a drum. I was suggesting a fluid check because that can be done fairly easy (but not real easy). Having the codes read would be a big help, if there are codes stored.
I would not be comfortable driving it without knowing what is going on, but I'm retired and don't have money to gamble.