Hard to shift out of first gear when warm.
A couple of weeks ago, after a 3 hour drive I put the car in park, without shutting off the engine, then shifted to the first "D" in the J shifter. The car would not shift out of first into second. I found after driving that I could make the transmission shift by moving the selector to the "D" in the manual shift (left side) of the J. It then shifts smoothly through all the gears.
I got the car out the next day, shifted fine in the first "D" until I stopped for a couple of minutes, restarted the car and it stuck in first until manually shifted. Subsequently I have found that my back up lights only work when the selector is shifted just past the "R". Also, when the transmission is in it's "acting up" phase, the cruise won't engage. I know now that if the cruise isn't working, even though it may have shifted fine cold, when I get to the next stoplight it will be stuck in first until manually shifted. I can't help thinking this is an electronic issue and somehow these issues are related.

 

Hi growler94,

Welcome to the Jaguar Forums! It's great to have you with us.

I'm sorry to hear your transmission is acting up. When the problem happens, do you get a warning light on the dash?

Have you checked the VCM for any stored Diagnostic Fault Codes? With the key in position II (engine not started), press and release the VCM (Vehicle Condition Monitor) button on the trip computer to the right of the steering wheel. Watch for a message in the small window below the speedometer. If anything appears, write it down and report it here and we'll help you sort it out.

Nine times out of ten it is an electrical issue, but the first thing to rule out is low transmission fluid, especially since your problem seems to be temperature-dependent. Does the fluid come exactly to the HOT line on the dipstick when the fluid is hot after a good drive? A fluid level that is low or high can cause odd transmission behavior. By the way, I have found cold readings of the fluid to be unreliable - only hot readings should be trusted.

If the fluid level is correct, my next suspect would be the rotary switch on the left side of the transmission. The reverse lamps receive their ON signal from the rotary switch. The switch may be contaminated with oil, or out of alignment due to loose nuts or a missing nut, or the cable that connects the shift lever to the rotary switch may be stretched and need adjustment, which, if I recall, is accomplished by loosening the nuts that secure the rotary switch and rotating the switch slightly. Here's a link to photos of the rotary switch and how I cleaned it:

Welcome to Jag-lovers - Members Photo Viewing Page

While you're there it would be worthwhile to clean the transmission electrical connector:

Welcome to Jag-lovers - Members Photo Viewing Page

Some transmission problems are associated with oil contamination of the electrical connector for the Throttle Position Sensor (TPS) or the TPS itself. The electrical connector mounts on a bracket on an intake manifold elbow just to the left of the Throttle Body (TB). Here's a link to photos showing how many of us have drilled drain holes in the TPS case to allow oil and other contaminants that seep down from the TB to drain out of the TPS:

Welcome to Jag-lovers - Members Photo Viewing Page

There is an excellent detailed diagnostic routine for the ZF 4HP24 transmission in the XJ40 eBook at the Jag-Lovers forum (jag-lovers.org). To view the eBook you may have to join but it's free.

Cheers,

Don

 

Don,
Thanks! I do not have any codes or lights on the dash. The fluid level is fine.
I will say that the condition went from happening once in a week to happening every time I drive it now. I am out of town until next week I was thinking it might be a bad bushing in the shifter since the retreat lights and the manual shift won't shift into shift 2nd. That really didn't bother me but thought it might be related. I'll check into your suggestions when I get back Tuesday and let you know. Thanks!

 

Ok, back home and have driven twice for a half hour or so and no problems. I know it didn't decide to fix itself whilst I was gone. Is there a post somewhere about the switch on the transmission about how it can be adjusted? I'm thinking that if it can be rotated that I could put the selector in reverse and adjust until the back up lights came on. That would mean it should be positioned correctly for the rest of the gear changes. My other question is, can the cable stretch and if so, can it too be adjusted?
Thanks for all your help!