Sensodrive unable to select reverse or forward gears with the console gear stick

Since last Thursday my C3 SensoDrive vehicle is no longer able to select any forward or reverse gears using the console gear shift. However, I am able to engage all forward gears using the steering wheel paddles and still able to place the gearbox into neutral using the console gear shift lever. I am also able to use the auto function button to run the vehicle in auto mode (forward only). My problem is that I am able to reverse the vehicle in this parlous state. The vehicle is booked in my local Citroen dealer to attempt to ascertain the potential cause of the problem on Monday week (earliest booking available). In the interim I would seek any assistance from any forum members who may have any experience with this issue with the sensodrive gearbox and what was done to rectify the problem. Should I be looking at picking up a replacement Gear change and selection actuator unit from a vehicle parts recycler or an aftermarket spare parts supplier as the vehicle is over 17 years old and not worth any further expensive repairs before we consider upgrading to a new set of wheels?

Glad for any assistance you are able to provide.

Hi

You will be in a much better position to know the fault when citroen (or any mechanic) has driven the car and read the fault codes.

I think your problem is in the console selector, or there may be corrosion in the green electrical connector of the sensodrive ECU. The ECU sits on the front of the gearbox down the bottom and is exposed to water and salt spray.
Personally, I would go straight to the connector on the ECU.
If you can change gears from the paddles then the problem is not the gear selector actuator.

Thanks so much for the advice. I will checkout the green electrical connector of the sensodrive ECU if it is readily accessible, otherwise I will raise this issue with the Citroen dealer service personnel when they inspect my vehicle on Monday and hopefully resolve the problem.

While you are looking at the ECU, check the integrity of the 4 rubber mounts holding the ECU to the bracket on the gearbox.

The mounts can perish and the ECU can be left dangling by it's wires under the car!

Hello again, I finally had the floor gear-shift issue diagnosed by a qualified technician this morning and the problem was identified as a faulty gear-shift module as you suggested. I am having problems locating a secondhand replacement unit. Does anyone have any suggestions where I would be able to pick up one within Oz?

I would also add that I originally took the vehicle into the local Citroen dealers' service department last month and they claimed that they were unable to find any error codes when they conducted the diagnostic test and advised that I would need to replace the entire transmission which didn't seem logical. I sought a second opinion from another local European car specialist technician who identified the faulty gear-shift unit. I certainly won't be taking the car back to that Citroen dealer again.

Thanks again for your advice.

naud wrote: ↑Mon May 01, 2023 7:36 am Does anyone have any suggestions where I would be able to pick up one within Oz?

If I knew you lived in Australia I wouldn't have stressed the corrosion route so much. That's more for European cars where they salt the roads in winter.

Wreckers or EBay. Check out adds for the Citroen C2. In Aus most of the C2's had the sensodrive gearbox. C3's tended to have the AL4 auto.

Be careful, there are 2 types of selectors. Yours should be "rectangular" with the selector in an "L" shaped gate. The "old" ones were round and had no visible gate.

There is a blurb >here< on how to remove the center console.