TD 4 Auto Very slow to change gear when cold

After helping me out so well with my last problem I thought that I would hit you with the next one. My TD4 auto has 65k miles on it and I purchased about 3 months ago. Since the cold weather has hit in the last few weeks the car has become very slow to change gear when cold. Once it is hot it is fine. I have had a little look around and there seems to be some mention of an oil change/level check? Is this right. The seller seems to have spun me a yarn on the servicing which worries me in view of this problem.... what should I do?

mine is the same mate and my oil was changed 12 months ago...auto oil change is 60k so yours is due if it hasn't already been done. have a search around the forum about level plugs etc cos if you undo the wrong one you're buggered!!!

to get round mine being a bit sluggish at first i use it in manual (commandshift) mode til its warm

hookie.sails said:

what should I do?

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Do nothing!

This is normal - just take it easy until the box has warmed up a bit - less than a half a mile usually.

Mine has been like this since new when the temp drops - the fbh has no effect - we just have to accept it's a feature of the Jatco box.

Singvogel.

mines the same as Singvogels and I have just done an oil change so dont worry about it.As Marky says though yours is due but make sure you read up on it first.Undo the wrong nut and its loss of gears and off to someone who knows how to strip the box

Quote from Rave "When the fluid is cold, the EAT ECU changes gear at higher engine speeds to promote faster fluid warm-up". So it's actually programmed to do it, I don't like the engine reving too high when it's cold so I do the same as Markyzs180 & use Command shift for the first few miles from cold.

Thanks for all the feedback guys.... Cheers Hookie

Most, if not all, automatic vehicles with a cat hold the lower gears longer when cold, this enables the engine to reach operating temperature sooner and thereby reduce emissions.

Just leave it in auto mode. When it’s warn it will change gear at normal revs, as opposed to higher revs when cold. When cold it’s only a few hundred revs higher when cold. My v6 sits at 2500 revs at 60mph when warm. When cold it’s 2700 revs.

if you are changing auto fluid ATF-U Automatic Transmission Fluid same as N402 .cheaper only £28 for 4.5 ltrs eurocarparts

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Hi All,

My 2003 freelander convertible is doing amazing after replacing ECU that wasn't sending a signal to cylinder 6. Now on to the transmission:

I'm now pulling a pretty big boat. My transmission has been slipping for the past 6 months while the engine is cold. Once the engine warms up she's fine. BUT, with the extra boat weight, I feel I want to change ATF and add some lucas fluid that claims to stop autotransmission slips. It's been 27,000 miles since the last atf change and it has been weathered more than normal due to relocation from high elevation to low, -30°F to 100°F, canada to miami, Desert to ocean, blizzards to the equator.
To get to the point:

I was hoping for some advice for which ATF to buy, whether I would pay my local dealer $440 to change it, or if I'd change it myself with a mechanic friend.

The "slip" that I describe is where it just stays in neutral too long between 2nd and 3rd gear. Please let me know any advice. I will likely be changing the fluid even if I'm told to leave it alone. :flame:

I can't find Texaco N402.
a site tells me that valvoline VV324 would work but i'm skeptical.
STC50531 seems to cost $130.

I also want to change the filter and I wonder if there is anything else that could help. Thanks for info in advance!

friend with my dog:

fun boat video: http://www.facebook.com/v/3352057443978

How heavy is the boat+trailer (+dog )?

Hippo said:

Just leave it in auto mode. When it’s warn it will change gear at normal revs, as opposed to higher revs when cold. When cold it’s only a few hundred revs higher when cold. My v6 sits at 2500 revs at 60mph when warm. When cold it’s 2700 revs.

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I would point out that this feature is not nearly so pronounced on a V6. In fact until we got a TD4 we barely noticed it.

I don't know how much the boat weighs. With AWD everything is smooth up to 60mph. Above 60 and i start to feel out of control. SO I stay around 50. I guess I should have started a new thread for this ATF question.

Replace ATF fluid with 6 quarts
Replace transmission filter

Anything else? Instructions? Diagram or advice? Thanks for any input!

As you go faster you'll be asking for more power. So I guess higher speeds will pick out problems before lower speeds. I was wondering if the boat was over the towing limit. Never towed with my v6 so I can't advise. I would keep to lower speeds as you suggest. There's also a larger oil cooler available for the auto for towing. Think it may still be available as an aftermarket buy. Not sure if this is suitable for the v6 setup.

Have a look at this thread:

http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/f9/jatco-automatic-gearbox-69336-3.html

Freelander 1 auto gearbox oil change is easy to do, but you must do it the correct way. Make sure you undo the correct level plug. Pick the wrong one (on the rear of the auto) and you could loose reverse gear. Method in link above.

Don't know how to change filter. At a guess, being a Freelander, it's probably in a stoopid place inside. Never seen anyone report they've changed theirs.