Me too, all lights on gear selector!
 

Hi all,
Sorry if this is a repetition, but I'm not sure if mine is slightly different or not.

Now and again all the gear selectors light up (this has just started to happen) and it feels like the gearbox has gone into 'limp' mode. If I switch the engine off and start again, then lights will go off but more than likely will come back on again. When I restart the car the gearbox goes back to normal.
So I scanned the car with a cheap code reader that I have and it gave me the following:
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...z/IMAG0273.jpg

If I clear it, then it goes but will probably come back again. I have read about 'F125' switch etc, but I think this might be something different. Can anyone shed any light on this?

I can also confirm that the rear output shaft seal needs replacing as does the offside drive shaft seal as oil is coming out.

Any help or advice is much appreciated!

Many thanks
Yas

I can't read the scan (no access to photo sharing sites at work), but the symptoms do sound very similar to a faulty F125 switch. Mine lit up as yours does and was reluctant to change gear, so it felt a bit like limp mode.

Check the VagCom register on this forum to see if there's someone close to you who'll give it a 'proper' scan

Could still be the F125, but could also be part of the gearbox electronics internally. Good thing is, that bit is easy to get to (assuming it's the problem)

Weird. Your display says "18243 - 163 pressure control valve 5 (N233) short to plus P1835".
If you google that it leads to DSG gearbox errors, which you won't see on any S8. I'd get a "proper" VCDS scan and post that here.

Hi guys,
thanks for the responses, so if it is the F125 what's involved there? Is it a big job or easy?

ainarssems - what does this mean?

Thanks
Yas

I had my new F125 fitted at a local independent garage. The first issue was to check which type of switch is was as there are more than one.

Where abouts are you (that's handy in your posts) and I'll have a look for a link to the register. Here it is: http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1005&page=7

Send a PM to the nearest person and ask them if they'll give your car a scan. Traditional payment seems to be a beer or two.

Thanks bud, I'm in Essex

So, looks like your nearest guy is M-A8 (real name Marcin, pronounced like 'marshin' IIRC). He's a real good guy. Try a PM to him and see how it goes.
A proper scan should mention the F125 switch if that's what it is.

Or maybe me, depending which bit of Essex you're in.
(I'm near M25 J17)

I'm near Colchester, so north Essex. I would join the M25 at junction 28 Brentwood. I work in north London area near junction 24 of the M25.
HPsauce thanks for the offer and I might take you up on it +++

I know Marcin as I met him at ADI earlier this year and I think he's in Dartford area which makes him the closest.

The garage I use is owned by a friend of mine and he has vagcom (Rosstech on a laptop) assuming this is the same thing?
I will try him first and see what his diag says, I will post results on here.

Thanks again for your help guys, I just hope it's nothing serious!

Vagcom is fine, it's the predecessor to VCDS and works fine on a D2.

I bought Vagcom ages ago and used it on an old XP laptop. Later updated FOC to the equivalent VCDS version so that I could use it with a later laptop, USB lead and Windows 7.

Hopefully it's just a bad plug contact or a bit of corrosion that can be cleaned off.

My current S8 lived in the Colchester/Chelmsford area before I picked it up in early 2013.

If the fault codes point towards the F125 switch, I would check the condition of its connector first.

One of my previous '8s had similar issues. On inspection, the connector was in a similar condition to the one in this article: click -- Cleaning the connector fixed the problem.

The connector seems to be fairly prone to corrosion, but in my case it was made all the more vulnerable because the bottom engine tray/cover (aka the 'noise insulation' cover) was missing. Often they're removed for servicing and never refitted. My present S8's was also missing when I bought it (and it cost me £70 for a new one!).

Hi all, thanks again for your replies, however I have an update.

As well as the shifter lights lighting up all at once and the gearbox going into limp mode there have/has been some other strange problems.
I haven't had the car for long and since purchasing it, the parking sensors had a mind of there own and mostly wouldn't work properly. But a few times they did, which I thought was strange. I had the car scanned on VCDS and nothing came up.

Then last weekend my wife and I loaded the kids into the car and push chair in the boot etc, then I tried to start the car and there wasn't enough power to turn the engine over!
Now I don't know how old the battery is (Bosch S4), but as I use the car only at weekends I thought it would be best to just get a new battery and save the messing about.
So I bought a top of the range Exide Premium (1000CCA) and all of a sudden my parking sensors are working all the time without fail and the gearbox isn't going into limp mode anymore which is great, but I don't want to speak too soon!

So my conclusion is that the voltage from the battery wasn't up to scratch and in turn caused some electrical issues.
Has anyone else had a similar problem?

I would check that the battery is getting properly charged. There may be voltage regulation or charging problems.

Never had any similar problem with any of my '8s, but I did experience something similar with a previous car I owned (an XM) that had battery and alternator problems. The battery slowly discharged one day while driving and the car exhibited all sorts of weird faults as the supply voltages to each ECU began to dip and fluctuate. A new battery and alternator fixed it.

Thanks for the heads up, I will also check the output on the alternator just to be sure.

Right, just checked the new battery on my cheap multimeter:

Engine off = 12.42 volts
Engine on = 14.47 volts

I would assume that this is normal and that the alternator is fine??

Thanks
Yas

You can't conclusively test the alternator condition with DC voltage levels alone, but I would say that those are about the voltages I'd expect to see.

Was that under load?

If not, I would meter it again under heavy load; engine running and everything on ... headlights, fogs, rear demister, heated seats, etc.


EDIT: Also, check it with your meter switched to AC too. You should see close to zero volts on AC if voltage regulation is good.

Yeah I did think afterwards that I should've put the AC on etc, but I will check this another time now.

My gut feeling is that this should be ok now. I know the car wasn't used much by the previous two owners as it was a 2nd car like it is for me too and I would say that a combination of age of the battery, cold weather and lack of use on my part has probably contributed to this.

But time will tell!
Thanks again for your help and advice +++

My previous S8 had similar bugs when the battery was failing. ABS warning, transmission error codes, some other random error codes. When I put a new battery in and cleared the codes all those warnings disappeared and didn't come back.
I hope yours will be sorted by the new battery as well.

Thanks Goran, me too!

I hope you're well?
Yas

Hi Yas, I'm fine thanks.
Funny enough I had some issues with the battery in the current car too, but it was still hanging on so no warning lights. I replaced it now too.
Hopefully yours is fine now.

Strange thing just happened, took the 8 out to get some fuel and whilst all is good with the gearbox, the parking sensors have decided to play up again! :Confused:

That can happen regularly in cold or wet weather - it's either a faulty sensor or its picking up moisture under the surface if the paint etc

Hi Neil, thanks for that, I hope it's something simple...

Hope all is well?

Thanks
Yas