Gearbox Fault

[KevNoble]

Driving slowly around Bristol this evening, suddenly had "Gearbox Fault" and "Park Brake Fault" come up. Everything still seemed normal. After having leaving car parked for 1 1/2hours, still had the Gearbox Fault, but still seems normal in all modes. Looking on Google, a common theme seems to be battery degradation. Anyone had any experience of this fault?

[J44EAG]

From my own and others S-type experiences, an unstable aged battery will often throw up as a DSC fault. Once a tired battery picks up after start up, a tad of normality returns. It might be worth getting your battery drop tested at a garage or buy a tester on ebay for as little as £30 delivered. Well worth having and takes all the guess work out of future battery condition testing.

Replacement battery costs need not be crippling. Ebay has seen the end of over priced products. I recently bought a 019 battery for my S-type at half the typical local cost... delivered and with a three year warranty via ebay, from battery megastore.com for just £54 delivered and in less than 10 hours after placing the order. If the battery you have is tired, this might be a very cost effective solution for you if the battery is ailing.

Mike K

[KevNoble]

Since replacing the rear brake pads and discs, which entailed disconnecting the battery to reset the park brake, all has been well. I think the problem was the battery terminals not being well connected.

[J44EAG]

Indeed.

Had this myself when I first bought my V8 S-type. That together with minor corrosion powder caused a resistance hot spot.

You will probably find the engine starts easier and quicker and that headlights are a little brighter. Systems and services are also likely to be a little more perky and stable.

Well done.

Mike K