Shifter won't engage N to D, but will engage fine from 3 to D

[Fosters]

Hey everyone. Just picked up an 04 aviator and the only thing not working properly on it is the shifter; if you come in from the top - shifting from N to D, the tranny will act as if it's still in N, I haven't revved too much to see if it engages as another thread I found suggested (don't wanna do essentially a neutral drop if it's on its way out), but basically doesn't start rolling on its own. The fix for the time being, going past D into 3, it engages just fine, and going back to D makes it drive perfectly normal. It sounds to me like something in the shifter more than anything, anyone experience this?

 

[Fosters]

Anyone any ideas? Where to start, what to look for? I'm tempted to get a shifter assembly from fleabay and give it a shot...

 

[RangerX]

Fosters, I moved this into the gen 3 section to try and get you some responses.

 

[Smear]

my guess is shifter cable issue. Probably worn connection between the shifter and the cable. Common among aviators

 

[Fosters]

my guess is shifter cable issue. Probably worn connection between the shifter and the cable. Common among aviators

Awesome, thanks for the suggestion. Gives me a starting point to check out once I get it up on the lift.