Automatic gearbox problem

oscarBravo

Curious if anyone has come across this one.

I'm driving a borrowed car here in Chile for a week or so, a Citroen C3 automatic. It has a problem the owner is aware of: when you start driving it from cold (like completely cold, as in parked overnight or for five or six hours) after a while it beeps, an orange SERV light comes on (not the orange engine-shaped symbol, it has one of those also), and it won't change up from third until you stop it completely, kill the engine and start back up. It usually does this up to three times in normal urban driving before settling down, but I've had it happen five times in one trip driving on the winding mountain roads down south here.

The gearbox has sport (S) and winter (*) modes, and when this fault happens, the S and * indicators on the dash flash alternately. If the car is in "manual" mode, it is forced back to automatic; if it's in fourth gear, it downshifts (abruptly!) into third.

It seems that once the transmission has warmed up, the problem goes away - until the next time. Any thoughts? The obvious answer is "take it to a dealer", but the owner isn't terribly flush and dealers are expensive here, so if there's a simple answer it would be good to know.

Atlantic Dawn

Changing the gearbox oil would be my first thing to try, shoukd be easy enough once it's not a sealed unit.

oscarBravo

Cheers - I think (at least, the owner thinks) it's a sealed unit.

biko

From a quick google it seems it can be topped up.
Is it the Citroen c3 with AL4 Automatic Transmission?
The atf oil is Esso LT 71141 (double check this).

Rather than just topping up do a drain/fill with fresh fluid.

colm_mcm

Is it a sensodrive box?

B00056718

I remember reading that on C2 (not sure if same box) the speed sensors my get dirty and start giving incorrect readings confusing the ECU and going in to limp mode.

The next stage apparently are sticky valves. Cant find where I was reading it.