2003 C3 1.4 Sensodrive Gearchange Actuator Problem

[davedougan]

Hi,

I've a C3 as above with 50k miles. Everything been working perfectly until last night when I went to start it I got nothing. Dash showed it was in Eco Safe Mode and on the dash where it normall shows which gear you;re in it had a - .

The wheels were locked solid and the greenflag gents had to slide it off the transporter when they finally got it home. 

I've tried all the usual stuff like a)disconnecting the battery for 10 mins to reset ECU b) turning ignition on for 2 mins with brake depressed and c) swearing. None of these has worked. I did however manage to get it into neutral by turning the gearchange mechanism next to the actuator which has at least allowed me to push the car into the parking space.

So, I suspect the actuator itself is faulty or the wiring going to it is.

My questions are a) has anyone had a similar problem and found it to be the actuator as I suspect it is. And b) if i buy a 2nd hand one off ebay is it a plug and play or do I really need to get someone with a laptop to code it?

 

Any help would be appreciated.

 

David