Coming back from a weekend away my transmission warning lamp started flickering on and off. It appeared as though it was triggered by the bumps in the road. I was 100km from any town. Nonetheless I stopped the vehicle for an hour, checking for leaks, and allowing things to cool down. The light began flickering as soon as I restarted the journey. I limped into the nearest town, and managed to locate a mechanic on the Sunday evening. He checked the gearbox oil level and temperature, and said that all was fine. He suspected it was an electrical/electronic problem, and said that I could continue my journey, which I did (another 200km).
The next morning , as I drove to work, I noted that not only the transmission warning lamp, but also the oil warning lamp began flickering. I suspected the electronic problem was escalating, since both lights came on intermittently. As soon as I arrived at the office I contacted the Land Rover specialist mechanics, and booked my car in for a repair (first thing the following morning). That evening, on my way home (10km from work) after having driven 1km, my engine seized. Another 15km and it would have been at the mechanic.
An autopsy found that a piece of metal had blocked the oil pump, preventing lubrication to the crank. I had had no overheating, or any other warning. The car just died.
My questions are:
- How could this failure be related to the transmission warning lamp?
- Is this sort of failure (sump oil pump) common?