I too had the TFS warning, 9 times out of 10 when I started up in Park.

I can confirm that after removing the inhibitor switch and drilling out the rivets, that the internals looked normal even under a magnifying glass. I tested continuity of the wiring loom and the internal tracks and all seemed fine.

I bent all the brass fingers upwards about 1mm and reassembled (with new pop rivets, because there is no room for a bolt head or nut on the gearbox side) and refitted, and the issue has totally gone away. Thanks for all the good advice.

I have a sneaking suspicion, based on the wear marks under the two 10mm bolts that hold the switch on to the gearboox, that one of them wasn't tight enough, and the switch may have been rotating slightly. Check movement before cracking open the switch.

EDIT ---
The issue has returned after a few weeks. I am now on the lookout for a reasonably priced inhibitor switch, or a better fix
I workaround the problem by starting in park (and getting the fault) and then moving to Neutral and starting in neutral. If you move gear selector into or out of Park, the fault occurs.

Hi Glen, how did you end up sorting the issue? New unit altogether?

I've found this too :
http://www.linesoon.com/?lang=en&unit=...amp;id=348 l=Oo\________/oO=l l:OolΞΞΞΞΞΞΞloO:l

Current
RANGE ROVER Vogue 4.4L SDV8 - 2013 - Indus Silver, on Almond.
RANGE ROVER Vogue 4.4L V8 - 2002 - ex-2003 G4 Challenge Event Vehicle, Stage 3: Australia
RANGE ROVER HSE 4.4L V8 - 2004 - one-of-one Overfinch
RANGE ROVER P38a 4.0L V8 - 1999 - ex-2000 TReK Event Vehicle: South Africa

Previous:
RANGE ROVER Vogue 4.4L TDV8 - 2012 - RANGE ROVER 3.6L TDV8 x3 - RANGE ROVER Td6 x1 - RANGE ROVER Classic 3.5L V8 x1

I bought a 2nd hand unit for 250aud and installed it and all is fixed.

I had the common Trans Failsafe Mode pop up intermittently a few months ago, then pretty much every time I started the car more recently. My workaround was as suggested and to start it from Neutral. Got fed up with the starting procedure eventually, so decided to investigate at the weekend and try and sort.

Pretty easy to remove and strip down for a competent DIYer. My switch was quite tight on the shaft, so ease / prise / wiggle and jiggle it off gently. Rivets drilled out easily and replaced with 4mm countersunk bolts once cleaned up, aluminium plate countersunk to suit. Nothing significant found to be honest. Cleaned it all up, gave the little contacts on the rotor a gentle tweak. Tested the resistance through the switch, as per the guide on page 1 and all checks ok, between plug and switch. So other than maybe some old grease or the springs losing contact, I can’t find much wrong between switch and plug.

The question is, is there a bit of setup needed? The 2 bolt holes that hold the switch onto the gearbox are slotted, so the switch can be slightly rotated before being tightened in its final position. Is there a trick to set this up? I’ve reassembled it in the mid position, without the cover plate temporarily, so I can get to the switch if I need to adjust the position on those slotted holes.

Any help and advice gratefully received
Thanks
Tim

The angular orientation of the switch should be fixed relative to the casing as it is located by the selector shaft and a dowel pin. The bolts just stop it falling off.

Hi Phil, thanks for the picture and explanation. Makes much more sense like that, than lying on my back under the car!

Just to wrap up my issue, after dismantling, cleaning, testing for continuity, tweaking the 4 spring fingers on the rotor, and reassembling with contra lube, I still occasionally got the trans failsafe warning. So when I got a spare hour or two, I had another go at it. Stripped it apart for a second time, I got braver and gave the 4 brass contacts on the rotor a bigger tweak. Didn’t want to bend them too much though and risk snapping one. Anyway, gave them a bigger bend, reassembled it all, and so far so good, and a few weeks on, the message has still not reappeared. Touch wood!

If anything I suspect the gear change is a bit smoother too. I don’t get the big click I used to get when I selected reverse.

Once it’s been off and dismantled, it’s quite an easy thing to get apart again and service.

Tim