Our 1998 XK8 develops a gearbox fault when selecting reverse gear. the fault appears on the dash and the car goes into limp mode.

It appears to happen when the gearbox goes into reverse with a clunk. It appears that the gearbox and engine speed are not in synch. If I select neutral for a few seconds (and let the engine revs drop completely) then select reverse it does not fault.

If I restart the engine the fault disappears. The gearbox seems to be working fine otherwise.

Has anyone come across a similar problem and have any suggested solutions?

Thanks for listening!

Nigel, Cowes, Isle of Wight.

 

That maybe your first indication of an A-drum failure. Clunking either going in reverse or 1 of the other gears is very symptomatic.. it's also very common in the transmission. If you do a search on ebay our online you will find reconditioned drums that are beefier than original

 

Matt
I learned something new today
Thanks
Doug
2001 XKR Silverstone

 

Thank you Matt,Very illuminating!

It is great to understand what might be going on before trying to get it fixed.

Nigel.

 

A-drums are a little weak on the xk8'S ZF 5HP24, that's one reason the earlier (pre-2003) xkrs get more reliability respect with its mercedes tranny.