Please Help Ford Fiesta 1.4 2007 Durashift Wont Start Thinks Its In Reverse

[mike9898]

Hello I have a 2007 1.4 Ford Fiesta Durashift the car will not start it says "Transmission Malfunction" "select neutral" when I attempt to start it, I know the most common problem with these are the actuator faults , I have read the forum about these I just want to make sure and pick a few brains, the car thinks its in reverse as the reverse lights are on when I turn ignition and and it does the beep as it does when reverse is selected, but the car is in neutral as I have had to push it down the road to my house, would a actuator or wiring problem cause this? as most of the actuator problems I have seen the car is actually stuck in gear, whereas mine just thinks it is??

about a month ago I was driving home and the same problem happened at traffic lights and I had to get it recovered to my local ford main dealer, it took a while for the recovery man to come and the battery went flat with my hazards on, the next day I spoke to Ford and they said they couldn't scan it as the battery was dead and wouldn't charge and said it would be £110 for a battery supplied and fitted, I said I wouldn't pay that and supplied them with a battery myself (£30) and they fit it for free, I spoke to them later on in the day to see if they had tested/scanned it and they said it started fine and no codes came up and road tested it with no problems, So I picked it up and drove it ever since, now It has done the same problem, I have disconnected the battery and will reconnect in the morning to see if it starts.

The car has only done 22,000 miles I drive it sensibly and I had the gearbox actuator replaced at a main dealer three years ago at 7000 miles, I cant believe the problems I am having at such low mileage.

If anyone has any suggestions or have had the same problem I would appreciate any advice.
Thank you

[Dan62]

Hopefully its just the reverse lamp switch on the gearbox that has gone bad (or out of adjustment).

As well as turning the reversing lamps on it also sends 12v to the PCM which is probably why it thinks its in gear and wont start.

To verify the switch you could try disconnecting the switch connector, which is easily accessible on the front of the gearbox or remove F48 and see if it will then start.

[mike9898]

Thank you I will have a look when I get in from work, this time it happened I had it in reverse prior to the problem so it could sound like that, but the time a few week ago I had been driving forward for a good half hour when it happened and I just broke down at traffic lights "transmission malfunction". and to select neutral but I had to push it then as well and it was in neutral not stuck in gear but without the reversing lights on that time.

[Dan62]

If the clutch actuator part of the TCU has failed it could be stuck in reverse with the actuator permanently holding the clutch in the disengaged position (from the engine) which has allowed you to push it home.

Seeing that its happened before on forward gears it could be the TCU

[mike9898]

Thank you for your comment, is the tcu built onto the actuator or are they seperate?

[Dan62]

The TCU sits in front of the actuator.

TCU.pdf

[mike9898]

Ok thank you I'm presuming that would be an expensive job, I was going to strip the actuator down like it explains in the other forum to see if the bush is jammed, or would it be a waste of time?

[Dan62]

You need to determine if the gearbox is stuck in reverse or not.

Removing the actuator will allow you to manually move the gearbox selector shafts on the gearbox plus while the actuator is out its worth checking the bearing.

If it is in reverse as indicated by the reversing lamps being on it is more than likely to be the clutch actuator at fault.

Several people have posted about clutch actuator problems on here, seems the motor brushes wear out and need replacing.

There are companies that specialise in both actuator and TCU repairs

I've not had any problems with the TCU yet, just found out the hard way how to bleed it.

[mike9898]

Just a quick update on this I stripped the actuator down like it explains othis forum and it was stuck in the plastic bush I cleaned I got it out drilled a whole in the plastic cap and freed it greased it up and put it back together and got it going, the gear changes seem a lot smoother as well and touch wood will be fine I've drove it last two days with no problems, thank you for the advice on here. Mike

[Philipr]

Just a quick update on this I stripped the actuator down like it explains othis forum and it was stuck in the plastic bush I cleaned I got it out drilled a whole in the plastic cap and freed it greased it up and put it back together and got it going, the gear changes seem a lot smoother as well and touch wood will be fine I've drove it last two days with no problems, thank you for the advice on here. Mike

I have the same problem, car won't start. Reverse lights on & will roll when pushed so not stuck in gear. Has stripping the actuator fixed the problem? How is the car now? Where can I find instructions to strip it?