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2004 2.7L Transmission / Limp Mode Woes

4K views 9 replies 4 participants last post by  Ronbo 
#1 ·
Hello everyone, I am a new member but have read several threads on this site and decided to turn to people who have a lot more experience with these cars than I.

Quick Background on the car and issues
I bought the car used from my parents, car is on its second motor but has been in the car for quite some time now. Before I brought the car home I paid a mechanic local to the Traverse City MI area to replace the water pump, Timing Chains, Timing Chain Tensioners, Timing Gears and Alternator.

I drove the car home which was roughly a 4.5 hr drive with no issues. The car originally just sat for a few months because I didn't really need it at the time. I then started driving the car everyday but only drove it for 1-2 hrs each day. I started to notice the car would get stuck in first gear but after turning the key off and back on it would shift normal.
At first this was completely random then it started to happen everytime I would drive my car right around the 15-20 minute mark and then after doing this 2 times in a row it would not do it for the rest of the trip which was about 45 minutes. I also noticed it would only do it after I slowed down below 10 mph so if I didnt slow down under 10mph for the first 30 minutes of the trip it wouldnt do it until I did.

After doing some searching I ended up replacing the Input and Output sensors on the transmission but this didn't fix the issue. I put up with it for a couple of weeks because I drove the car so little. Recently the issue has become much worse, now sometimes after getting stuck in first gear and then key off key on the car will hesitate really bad inbetween shifts. Sometimes the car will not allow me to shift regardless of the gear. So for example if I was in second gear going 45mph and attempted to speed up, once the car got ready to shift into 3rd the car would act like I just hit a rev limiter with the car picking up then dropping down over and over. If I gave it more throttle the jerking would become even worse as the car would start to accel at a higher rate but then would shut off more severly and drop back down then kick back in. Once again key off and key on would normally resolve it for a little bit.

Last issue to add to the list is now sometimes when I restart the car it would just stall and die out. I would normally do my restarts while driving by putting the car in neutral. I noticed when it dies off the RPM go up to about 750 then hover around 250 then it peters out.

So I decided maybe its time to check the codes, here is the list with a breif description of each.

I think these 2 may be related
P0016 - Crankshaft Position - Camshaft Position Correlation (Bank 1 Sensor A)
P0344 - Camshaft Position Sensor "A" Circuit Intermittent

I think these 2 are related as well
P0700 - Transmission Control System Malfunction
P1698 - PCM Fault No CCD Message From TCM

This one I am not as worried about
P0158 - O2 Sensor Circuit High Voltage

The description for the P1698 is literally "The Powertrain control Module (PCM) unable to communicate with Transmission Control Module (TCM)"
Because of this & the P0700 I was reading faulty TCM so I go to the pull it yard and yank a TCM out of a 2001 Intrepid only to find my 2004 doesn't have an independant TCM but its built into the PCM. So I guess the Module is having trouble communicating with itself then?

One last thing, because of all the restarting on an old battery that had been sitting for a while discharged I had to replace it but I did get the more expensive highest CCA battery. I noticed a lot of these issues say wiring harness, low voltage and so on, so tonight I plan to go through and check connectors and harnesses and wire up some new ground points because I noticed some are really corroded or just missing.

I also purchased a Cam and Crank sensor so those will be going in as well to rule them out.
 
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#2 ·
UPDATE

After adding some new power and ground wires, replacing the Cam and Crank sensors and cleaning a bunch of the connections including the PCM connection I am only receiving 2 codes and am back to only having the transmission issue.
I think I may have failed to mention in my previous post the I have replaced the Input and Output sensors on the transmission.

So the 2 codes are
P0700 - Still
P0533 - AC Related so I don't care about this one

This was after about an hour of driving and the check engine light didn't come on until about 35 minutes of driving which is also when it first stuck in first gear. After a key off and key on the car shifted fine for the remainder of the drive.

So it appears I am somewhat back where I started before things got really bad and made the car undrivable.
I was really trying to avoid needed to get inside the transmission to change the Shift Pack Whatever it is but at this point it seems it's that or the PCM.

Any thoughts?
 
#3 ·
Get the transmission codes read at AutoZone or the like. That P0700 doesn't tell you jack **** about what's actually wrong with the transmission. It's only an indicator that something's wrong.
 
#4 ·
Yeah that's what I'm thinking at this point cause it could only be a couple of things now but either those things are expensive or involve more work than I want to do unless it will fix the issue.

I was reading you needed a dealer with a DRB III Scan Tool, AutoZone has this and can scan the PCM / TCM ?
 
#5 ·
You don't need a DRB to read codes. you just need an enhanced code scanner that will read the underlying transmission codes. And yes many auto parts stores have these enhanced scanners and don't charge to read the codes.
 
#6 ·
As Ronbo said - get the underlining P0700 codes for the transmission.

You said it's the second engine and the input - output tranny sensors have been changed. Have you drop the tranny pan and replaced the fluid and filter?

I would get the codes - see what that says - then determine if new ATF+4 and filter will help.
 
#7 ·
How many miles are on the car and has the transmission ever been serviced? As in fluid/filter change by the dealer or anyone else?
 
#8 · (Edited)
When I had the water pump replaced the trans pan was dropped and it got new fluid and a filter. I am not sure on the fluid because it was my dad who did it. That was a couple of months ago but it has been driven minimally since then.

The engine miles is a tough one cause it says 200k but the first motor blew up because it threw the chains through the motor which was likely due to the water pump the first time around. This time my dad who was the previous owner of the car knew about the water pump and what damage it can cause if left to fully go out. I'd guess around 100k.

I plan to go to Autozone today or tomorrow. I still dont understand why it doesnt happen until the car is fully warmed up and after X miles of driving. I think its more the miles than the time because I can leave the car running in my driveway for an hour and it will still get stuck in first gear around the same exact area on my way into work. Its like the computer says "OK we are at the 15 mile mark time to f*ck up".
 
#9 ·
FYI, limp mode is 2nd gear. :)

If the fluid used was not ATF+4, the first step is to flush and refill.

Also, to eliminate the power system as causing or contributing to the problem, you should check some things:
• Measure voltage at battery with engine running at approx. 2000 rpm. Voltage should be in the range of 13.5 to 14.5 - towards the high end of that range in cold weather, towards the low end in warm/hot weather. You can measure at the pos. and neg. jump posts.
• If there is corrosion on the battery posts and terminals, you must remove the cables from the battery posts and get posts and terminals clean. You probably know about using a paste made of baking soda and water to clean the acid powder off. If really hardened and difficult to remove, soak in Coca-Cola to get down to clean metal. Use a battery terminal cleaning tool too wire bush the OD of the posts and the ID of the terminals. Rinse with clean water, let dry, apply thin layer of axle grease to posts and terminals, including surfaces where they meet (post ODs, terminal IDs), and re-assemble. Inspect green fusible link coming off of the positive cable for acid residue and damage (missing metal, break). Thoroughly clean with baking soda, rinse with water, let dry. If more than 1/3 of the cross section is eaten away at any point, it needs to be replaced or repaired. It is *the* connection between the alternator and the battery.
• Check for looseness of the stud nuts on the positive jump post. Test that by trying to rotate one cable terminal relative to the others. If loose, disassemble and clean the terminal faces off with emory cloth or sand paper. Lightly coat with grease, and re-assemble. Tighten well with one wrench on one nut working against another wrench on the other nut. DISCONNECT THE TOP CABLE AT THE NEG. JUMP POST BEFORE DOING *ANY* WORK TO THE POS. JUMP POST. IF A WRENCH ON THE POS. JUMP POST TOUCHES ANY SURROUNDING METAL WITH THE NEG. JUMP POST CONNECTED, THERE WILL BE LOTS OF SPARKS AND POSSIBLE DAMAGE TO VEHICLE OR WRENCH AND/OR INJURY TO YOU.
• Tighten neg. jump post. Wouldn't hurt to disassemble it, clean mating surfaces, apply light coating of grease, and re-assemble.
 
#10 ·
If the fluid used was not ATF+4, the first step is to flush and refill.

Hoop! There it is!
 
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