Thread: Won't move when first started.

Hi guys,
I'm certain someone must have had the same problem I've got.
It's a discovery 2 1999 td5 auto.

Our niggling problem with it is when it's first started and put in gear,
it won't move. Sometimes if it's been sitting only for 10 minutes it will do the same.

The car will idle creep (indicating it is in gear) but the accelerator pedal does nothing.
If I leave the car running in neutral for 5 minutes (sometimes more, sometimes less), jump back in it will be fine, but sometimes if i'm just up the road, it will surprise me going around a corner not respond, and I have to floor it get any response, but flooring it does illicit a response.

Is there some kind of load sensor for the engine? The best description I can come up with is that it feels like the cpu has decided that the engine isn't ready for a load and won't respond to the pedal.
Sometimes i've sat in the car with it in gear, held my foot flat and waited, the car will eventually take off, after several minutes.

The problem is magnified if the airconditioning is on.

But the weird thing is, that after a driving it for a while (engine fully warmed up) it drives like a dream, problem disappears, air con can be on, accelerates no problem, which leads me to not think it's the accelerator pedal potentiometer.
I guess there could be a short somewhere that is closing up when things warm up?

I'm in Toowoomba, i don't know anyone here to look at it (new resident), and don't want to/cant afford to, change random things in it in the hope of finding the fault.

I should add, that I've recently replace the battery 3 months ago. Checked the voltages when cold and when the alternator kicks in and they are fine.
I've also checked the red cpu plug for oil, it did have some in it (not saturated), none on the actual cpu board though (cracked that open). I've cleaned the red plug and new loom coming soon(ish), but the fact that the problem goes away when it's been running for a while wouldn't point to oil in plug problem would it?
When I say the problem goes away, it completely goes away, every time. I can drive it all day and not have a problem, stop for 10 minutes and it's back, until driven again for a while.
I've also cleaned and tightened all the earth wires for the engine and battery.
This all had no effect on the problem.

Has anyone had a similar problem or heard of a similar problem.
If I can get an idea of where to start, maybe I can track it down, I'm sure it will help someone in the future.
I hope I've explained the fault enough.
Thankyou to all in advance.

Never had it that seriously but occasionally can switch on, engine running but no throttle response (manual TD5). What I do is "restart" the engine without turning off ie just flick the key quickly to position 3 again. Every time I do that I get throttle response straight away. I put it down to a tiny bit of oil somewhere in the loom. Stopped happening so much when I changed harness etc, but very occasionally returns to remind me its there...