Blinking N lite ....

[jpnvr4]

Yesterday I gave my girlfriend the car 2 go out .... this morniing when I get it 2 go 2 the shop I notice the N lite is flashing and the car was stuck in third gear.../Grrr ... now I'm worried I have 2 get a new tranny or something that equals BIG MONEY ... can any one tell me what may have happened and if I need a new tranny or something .. PLEASE ... I won't drive my baby til I know tha problem and solution ... thnx in advance

[Nick VR4]

Gearbox has overheated

Check you have enough fluid

Disconnecting the Battery should reset ECU I think

You might want to think about fitting a Cooler

[Nick Mann]

Nick has it right. The box has gone into limp home mode, which normally means incorrect oil, incorrect level, or just plain hard driving!

Check the oil level and colour, let the car cool down and try again.

[jpnvr4]

I hope so ... come 2 think about it I was late when I went 2 pick her up an I was at give or take 120kph average on the way there on very curvy roads .. so I'll check the by resetting the ecu and then the amount of oil i n there ... thnx guys ... keep U posted

[Davezj]

i am not saying this is the case but it might happen.

your girlfriend didn't knock it into Tiptronic first gear and leave it in that gear thinking it was in D and drive about in first all the way there and back.

If that was the case i imagine she would have cooked the auto fluid and you will need a change. fluid gone brown and smells horrid.

just a thought, as i have knocked it in to TIP first before with out realising it. obviously as the revs rise you realise what has happened.

Dave

[jpnvr4]

ok... so I disconnected the battery and I gave it 2 hrs then put it back in ... the same story ... yea the fluid looks cooked... really brown at that .... but I was wondering if there's another way 2 reset da ECU..? ... any one ? .... this is makin me wonder ..... helllllpppp!!!!!!!!!!!!!/help /help /help :sad3:

[Kieran]

Disconnecting the battery is the easiest way to reset the ECU, though normally just 10 minutes is enough to let the ECU reset.

Brown transmission fluid is not a good sign - you need a full flush and change. Don't just empty the gearbox and refill it as this will only change about 5 litres of fluid - and there's another 3 or 4 in the torque convertor and transmission cooler... You'll need to get the entire system flushed.:scholar:

[bradc]

If it is really brown then you do need to do a full trans flush. Once that is done and you've disconnected the battery after running the car for a little while after the flush, see what happens, hopefully it will go away.

[SHOWVR]

Id get the flush done asap, as this is why my trans blew up, apparently the oil in my trans was dirty as a hore!! Not Good!! although this was a blessing in disguise, as Ive converted to manual now!!/rally

[rayray24]

This was happening to me in my old vr4 and it was because it had a really bad leak. I just used to turn the car off then back on and away i went. :afro:

In the end i shouldn't of done that it screwed the box and i needed a new one. /pan

[jpnvr4]

I wrote this 2 AMSOIL... and he never replied so can anyone else help me


I live in the caribbean and I normally have very hot days ... now it's time 2 change my oil ( cause I cooked my tranny oil and it's now stuck in 3rd gear) ... and the rest isn't working ... so I need 2 kno is amsoil engine oil better than redline oils ... and what kinda amsoil oils do I need 4 the tranny, ayc, and engine if I had 2 get it .. I was referd 2 U by someone and I would really like 2 get my lovin car back on the road .... I feels just horrid when I put it in reverse( like a big jerkin movement .. and in drive it has issues going downhill from a stop)any possible info U can give is appretiated
THNX

also I heard of a filter in the tranny .. if so where can I get a replacement and also what kinda filters go best wid the car?

[Subaru ETA]

thhe trans filter is onto of the trans, just looks like a normal oil filter...dont know part numbers or anything tho sorry

[jpnvr4]

I kno this is old but I did my flush and guess what????? I still can't select any gears, N is still flashing, still in 3rd, and I'm stuck thinking I somehow messed up the clutch plates or somrthing... I'm super depressed now. does that mean I gotta get a new box/clutch plates? ... someone help/Grrr /help /help :5shots: :bigcry: I need a /grouphug

[d i c k i e s]

Sorry to spoil everything, but im guessing you would prolly need to get a whole new trans.

If the flush didnt work, then its the gearbox itself most probably stuffed as.
As you say, theyre not cheap. You may find some place cheap, but its getting to you i guess will be the next story? sourcing them and shipping to West Indies = Not cheap at all!

[bradc]

are there any auto trans specialists in the windies? If not then you can't do much other than look around on trademe.co.nz or kempys.co.nz and try and get a second hand transmission.

[Kieran]

Put the car into 'Diag' mode and see what code the 'N' light flashes out. Might be a starting place?

See here for diag code information and how to read them:

http://www.clubvr4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5456&highlight=diagnostic+codes

[Davezj]

If you miss the start of the flasking sequence how do you tell which it the first digit of each code when only one is shown, is it 32 or 23.

I have a sneaky suspition that the first digit flashes at slower rate than the second digit in each code.
Is this correct?

You will not really notice the rate of flash change unless you have high digit codes like 86 or is it 68.

If you have multiple codes then there is a pause between each code so working out which is the first digit is not rally a problem.

Anyone care to comment!

Note to JPNVR4 you might want to consider evoscan software and diag cable.
Evoscan $25 and diag cable from ebay £15 plus P+P. to get more information on you paricular problem.

Dave

[jpnvr4]

Put the car into 'Diag' mode and see what code the 'N' light flashes out. Might be a starting place?
ere for diag code information and how to read them:
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good idea (let me see if this is worth a rep point) when U get a flashing " N " lite U have to first check for one of 2 things ...1. the speed of the flashes.... if it is flashing at 2 flashes per sec, ur tranny oil is too hot and needs 2 be cooled and then the ecu reset to clear the error or take the car out of "safe mode" ...I wasn't told this in detail so I think I had a misunderstanding at this point....2. if U R gettin 1 flash per sec... U have one of what can be many problems... mines was a faulty overdrive silonoid... ( will get pics up later) 3. U may have the wrong level of oil or ur oil is cooked and needs a flush 2 sort u out ... I've got my car back guys, and I even did the work on my car ... I feel like a million bucks again....:iloveyou: /GJ

[Kieran]

Oh, that's great news! Glad you're all sorted!:afro:

[Davezj]

I presume you are talking about the "N" light flashing when not in diag mode as when in diag mode the following is ture.

if you in diag mode and any of the lights on the dashboard flashed at 1 sec interval then this means evrything is ok with the system indicated by that light.

had you put the car in diag mode it may have told you that the solenoid was faulty.

however i will keep track of this thread as the info on the flashes when not in diag mode is good infomation.