I had a weird problem with my 2005 LR3 today. I was stopped at a stop sign and when I tried accelerating there was a delay and my engine reved but didnt move. I put it in park… back to drive and it worked normally. I stopped and the next stop sign and it did it again. I put it in reverse (worked fine) back into drive and drove back home. No check engine light. No weird sound. No smell. I really hope it’s not my transmission.

It was basically… stopped… gave it gas… about a one second delay… engine started revving… no movement… park… drive…normal. The Does anyone have suggestions? 

 

Check the trans fluid level as a start.

 

thanks for the quick response! I will definitely do that.

 

Could maybe be the shift linkage. Some spray lubricant can do the trick. What happens is the bushings and such on the end of the cable that interface to the trans bind up and there is a mismatch between selected and actual position which usually results in a neutral state. But I have not heard of this happening when just coming to a stop. Some replace the bits on the cable. For me, lubricating every year has been find. Cable is on the right side towards the front of the trans (cable points forward). Will be a bit hidden above heat shield.

 

oh man that would be amazing if that’s the case. Thank you so much!! That actually makes more sense to me because there are no other symptoms or warnings and it’s not consistent. I will definitely try that today!

 

Def check that trans fluid level tho as mentioned. Also check for any leakage around the electrical harness connector at the trans. It will be on the same side as the shift linkage and pointing to the rear.

 

Awesome! Thanks again! I just ordered a new shifter linkage kit from Atlantic British. Is there a specific spray lubricant you would recommend?

 

I just use silicone spray.

 

that drive in reverse but not in D sounds like a linkage adjustment problem. It is a fairly easy fix as descibed and was the first problem I fixed in the Rescue Rove.

 

I have a situation that I think is related, would love anyone’s input. The scenario is thus:

if I accelerate slowly (rpm’s stay at or around 3000) up to highway speeds the Rover will shift smoothly between gears as required and utilize overdrive when cruising along. Acceleration to account for hills is not a problem and the rover shifts back into overdrive fairly quickly.

however, if I aggressively mash the pedal to accelerate quickly to highway speeds, the rover will never shift into overdrive once at a steady speed. I’ll have to switch to manual mode and shift into 6th gear. However whenever a downshift is required, it will not shift out of 5th gear to 6th or overdrive once speed and engine load would otherwise allow for it.

I need to shift the car into park and turn the engine off for the transmission to act “normally”

No dash lights or error codes. Trans fluid and filter changed last summer. MAS cleaned last year. Spark plugs are probably 5 years old.

does this sound like a trans linkage lubricating problem?