I started the car this morning to go to work and "bong, bong, bong" low box neutral and the yellow mountain flashing constantly on the dash. Tried turning on and off but didn't do a thing. I had to drive to work like that, it drove fine just done my head in! I got to work and put my diagnostic tool on and got the fault code noise on actuator signal. Thing is I had the transfer box motor refurbished not that long ago and I changed the battery a few weeks ago, I also had low battery voltage but could have been an old code. Also could have sworn I had a whiring noise on start up this last few mornings. 2004 RR 4.4 V8 Autobiography

Did the shift motor re-manufacturer claim to fit a new rotary potentiometer?

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Hi Phil, yes they did. I fitted it and it cured all my faults until now. I just looked at my receipt and I'm 1 month out of the 12 month warranty. Thing is I've not even done 4,000 miles since fitting it. Here's the website with all the info on. www.4x4lro.co.uk 2004 RR 4.4 V8 Autobiography

Interesting. They say on their website that “Our aim was to seek a more rugged sensor than the potentionmeter (sic) and we investigated alternative sensing technologies. Eventually, we identified the ideal sensor which we believe is the best, and most cost efficient solution for the harsh environment to counteract vibration, and heat cycling.” If yours is out of warranty maybe you could pop the top off (six torx screws) and see exactly what it is that they’ve fitted as an ‘ideal’ replacement?

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I notice that the list price of a new shift motor from Land Rover has now gone over the £2,000 mark !

Phil

Yes Phil, maybe that's what I'll do to see what's what. Even if it was in warranty, how could they tell I've opened it? I'm also going to contact them today as it's 5 weeks out of the 12 month warranty and should have lasted longer than that. If the original last 13 years and 100,000 miles, I would expect their more rugged version to last at least that. £2000 now at LR..........that's daylight robbery!

I'll post up my findings once I open it up. If not that, what else could cause the issue? What about the low range switch? 2004 RR 4.4 V8 Autobiography

Whenever the ‘Noise on actuator signal’ error is flagged it is generally assumed that the potentiometer is the culprit. People report that replacing the shift motor fixes the issue which, I guess, reinforces the theory. However, we should try to keep an open mind as to whether there might be an alternative cause and it will be interesting to see how 4x4LRO react to your predicament when you approach them. Hopefully they will offer to test their alternative potentiometer/sensor to see if it is indeed the culprit.

Phil

Update on the issue: spoke to 4x4LRO and Andrew said send it straight back for testing, got a phone call last night to say it is indeed faulty. They are sending me out another unit today and also £20 Waitrose voucher for the inconvenience which I thought was brilliant customer service. I'll have it back by tomorrow so should be back on the road for the weekend, it's a big thumbs up to 4x4LRO  2004 RR 4.4 V8 Autobiography

The new type of potentiometer would be very interesting... any news on that topic?

G'day,
Message for PaulM or anyone that knows.
I am in Au and have the same problem. Today bench tested the trans box shift motor, all good. Checked the ohms with a multimeter as per the uk video, no reading at all. Bench tested the motor again with the multimeter hooked up and no cycling of different ohms. In fact no cycling at all.
So now I'm interested in this encoder from 4x4lro, did you manage to find out which encoder they are using?
For me to send my shift motor to UK to get refurbished and sent back again is going to cost in the vicinity of 11 to $1200 so any help from across the puddle would be greatfully appreciated.
Cheers
Hans

In the end i bought a remanufactured Transfer Case Motor from Cardone in the US - Part Number 48-1300. It‘s for the 3.0 BMW and 4.4 BMW Engine.

They say that they fit a new sensor in the unit and test the unit several times during the manufacturing process. i hope this is true.

For me in Europe it was cheaper to buy the unit incl. core charge and import fees. i ordered it at Rockauto.

Unit is in car for 2 years and still trouble free!

Correction: I ordered it at Summit Racing!

Thanks very much for the response, would you mind telling me the price you paid for this and just to confirm your purchase from Summit Racing or Rockauto?
Cheers

No Problem

As i wrote i ordered it at Summit Racing.
I checked the bill from 2017. With shipping and core charge i paid 412.80 Dollar. And some import fees (around 70 euro) in austria, but you have to check that for your country!