Lr3 Low Coolant Message

[bbyer]

Problems might be interrelated - it is a LR thing!

Regarding the coolant, I guess the real question is what is the coolant level in the coolant tank? If it is low, then it should perhaps be topped up. Per the jpg's attached, there is a low level line molded into the plastic.

Usually when the engine is cold, the tank level can be low and after a run, the level is higher, however you are I presume getting a low level message or am i reading your post wrong? When asking for help, the more specific you are, the better it is for you.

As to if the coolant message is related to the tranny shifting concern, it is difficult to say as more often than not on the 3, problems are interrelated.

I assume the "one gear" comment is a gear other than first or reverse gear?

My view is that tranny related stuff requires that you find an independent tranny shop that can spell ZF in German; hint: Zahnradfabrik

When I say "independent", I do not mean one of those tranny franchise places; I mean a small not very pristine shop usually found in the East End, where the yard is littered with dead Mercedes, Audie's, and perhaps Ford pickups. The newer Fords such as the Raptor use a license built version of the ZF 6HP28 which is on the 4; the Ford version is called a 6R80.

The link below has a fair bit of info re our 6HP26 and also a cutaway of the 6R60. You will have to remove the three spaces in the link which are inserted to resolve the blocking concern.

http://www. disco3. co. uk/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=5059

 

[Wildeez]

Thanks. To be more specific, my coolant level is good, but I keep getting a "Low Coolant" message. After driving around for awhile a "Trans Fault-Certain Gears are Unavailable" message comes on. I believe it's either 2nd or 3rd gear that is available and I still have reverse. It's like it's in limp mode. When I turn off the vehicle and turn back on the message goes away and may or may not come back after driving for another 10-15 mins. It doesn't do it all the time. Only when I drive for more than 30 miles. I took it back to where I bought it and their trans shop said there were no fault codes found, nor could they duplicate the problem. Also, it shifts hard when coming to a stop or accelerating from a rolling stop, only in and out of first gear.

 

[bbyer]

Tranny oil change and filter

I guess the low coolant message is just the soaked float problem so that is solvable by yourself - replace the tank assembly complete and you get a new float.

Re the tranny, I presume there has never been an oil and filter change. This I would suggest first, (and not a flush). The "East End" shop I refer to will charge about eight hundred dollars as it is not a fun task.

If you read some of the tranny files per that link in my above post, you will see mention of the Mechatronics unit that is basically a collection of electric solenoids within a tranny oil bath.

Dirty oil contains metal particles that interfere with the operation of the solenoids, (the oil becomes a conductor). It sounds like as the oil get hotter, you have problems, hence first suggestion is new oil.

It will not be wasted money and if it solves the problem, it is a cheap fix relative to the alternatives.

The trouble with fault codes is they do not have any for dirty oil or broken wires; simple sort of stuff is ignored.

To me, hard shifting suggests a problem in the Mechatronics unit as that is what does the shifting, hence an oil change a cheap first attempt at a fix.

 

[Wildeez]

Great, thank you very much for the info. I will post on the outcome, may be a few weeks.

 

[domdom]

I replaced my coolant reservoir tank two weeks ago and it went swimmingly. There is a great video to follow here. You'll need this tank and the cap that is currently on your tank. I'd recommend a nice long vice grips, I've also found that useful for getting into tight places like the rear valve block.
http://www.roverparts.com/Parts/LR020367

There are two different tanks possible to purchase. The $125 version is simply the original, while the $60 version is the aftermarket. Best of luck.