Hi Clemens,
I just checked out the latest u-boot git HEAD and did a
$ make PM854_config or a $ make TQM8540_config followed by a $ make all using binutils-2.18, gcc-4.2.1, kernel 2.6.21 on a native mpc8540 environment.
I checked PM854 with gcc-4.2.0 and binutils-2.17.50.0.12 working as a cross-compiler (ELDK 4.2 alpha) and only see warnings (maybe they help you daignose the problem):
make[1]: Leaving directory `/.automount/castor-vlab/root/home/dzu/src/git/u-boot/libfdt' UNDEF_SYM=`ppc_85xx-objdump -x lib_generic/libgeneric.a board/pm854/libpm854.a cpu/mpc85xx/libmpc85xx.a lib_ppc/libppc.a fs/cramfs/libcramfs.a fs/fat/libfat.a fs/fdos/libfdos.a fs/jffs2/libjffs2.a fs/reiserfs/libreiserfs.a fs/ext2/libext2fs.a net/libnet.a disk/libdisk.a rtc/librtc.a dtt/libdtt.a drivers/libdrivers.a drivers/bios_emulator/libatibiosemu.a drivers/nand/libnand.a drivers/nand_legacy/libnand_legacy.a drivers/net/libnet.a drivers/qe/qe.a drivers/serial/libserial.a drivers/sk98lin/libsk98lin.a post/libpost.a post/drivers/libpostdrivers.a post/lib_ppc/libpostppc.a post/lib_ppc/fpu/libpostppcfpu.a common/libcommon.a libfdt/libfdt.a |sed -n -e 's/.*(__u_boot_cmd_.*)/-u\1/p'|sort|uniq`;\ cd /.automount/castor-vlab/root/home/dzu/src/git/u-boot && ppc_85xx-ld -Bstatic -T /.automount/castor-vlab/root/home/dzu/src/git/u-boot/board/pm854/u-boot.lds -Ttext 0xfff80000 -n $UNDEF_SYM cpu/mpc85xx/start.o cpu/mpc85xx/resetvec.o \ --start-group lib_generic/libgeneric.a board/pm854/libpm854.a cpu/mpc85xx/libmpc85xx.a lib_ppc/libppc.a fs/cramfs/libcramfs.a fs/fat/libfat.a fs/fdos/libfdos.a fs/jffs2/libjffs2.a fs/reiserfs/libreiserfs.a fs/ext2/libext2fs.a net/libnet.a disk/libdisk.a rtc/librtc.a dtt/libdtt.a drivers/libdrivers.a drivers/bios_emulator/libatibiosemu.a drivers/nand/libnand.a drivers/nand_legacy/libnand_legacy.a drivers/net/libnet.a drivers/qe/qe.a drivers/serial/libserial.a drivers/sk98lin/libsk98lin.a post/libpost.a post/drivers/libpostdrivers.a post/lib_ppc/libpostppc.a post/lib_ppc/fpu/libpostppcfpu.a common/libcommon.a libfdt/libfdt.a --end-group -L /opt/eldk-4.2-2007-08-22/usr/bin/../lib/gcc/powerpc-linux/4.2.0/m8540/pic -lgcc \ -Map u-boot.map -o u-boot ppc_85xx-ld: warning: dot moved backwards before `.bootpg' ppc_85xx-ld: warning: dot moved backwards before `.rela.text' ppc_85xx-ld: warning: dot moved backwards before `.bootpg' ppc_85xx-ld: warning: dot moved backwards before `.rela.text' ppc_85xx-ld: warning: dot moved backwards before `.text' ppc_85xx-objcopy --gap-fill=0xff -O srec u-boot u-boot.srec ppc_85xx-objcopy --gap-fill=0xff -O binary u-boot u-boot.bin [dzu@pollux u-boot]$
ELDK 4.1 (gcc-4.0.0 + binutils 2.16.1) doesn't even throw warnings, so I'd say check for changes in binutil (once more).
Cheers Detlev