Transmission Trouble LR3 2005

[ridetheocean]

Hello All,

I am a proud owner of LR3 2005. I really love this vehicle and enjoy driving it in tons and tons of snow in Boston.
I have had to leave my LR3 in the garage for couple of months due to my travel to Europe. After couple of months, the car started first time as I hit the ignition. However, there were challenges in the transmission. The car could go in the reverse but the transmission would not stick in the "D" mode. I had to leave the car on and push the car back and forward a few times. Seems like once the car heated up, transmission was working fine; meaning "D" was engaging.
Can someone please explain this behavior and how to avoid it? Much appreciation from the cold and blustry London.

 

[jjvd21]

Does it seem like the gear lever has a tendency to fall out of whatever selection you put it in i.e. loose?

 

[ridetheocean]

You are correct. The "D" selection does not engage. Meaning, if you put the car in "D", it does not move forward. "D" does not also show up in the dashboard display.
Once the car heats up after 30 or 45 mins, then "D" engages and the car moves forward. Please note that "R" seems to be working fine. Car goes in reverse all the time.

Hope this helps.

 

[jjvd21]

There is a known issue wherein the linkage below the gear selector can wear out. Its a cheap and easy fix. But the symptoms include difficulty in selecting gears, and falling out of gear. Yours sounds different.