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P1776 Code.. persistent, I'll give it that.

5K views 11 replies 7 participants last post by  mingusth 
#1 ·
Hello everyone,
This is my first post, and I am helping a friend work on his 2004 300M, with the dreaded P1776 code. He tells me the transmission will shift fine, once he goes over 45 MPH, if he goes back under 45, the transmission will shift into 2nd and stay there unless he pulls over, shuts the car off and starts it back up. He's flushed the transmission himself, which didn't help, so he had it professionally flushed, which also did nothing. Now, we're gonna dive into the repair. I've worked on a lot of cars and trucks, mainly Fords and a few imports, so I know my way around and engine and transmission.
I've done quite a bit of reading on this subject, and I know that we're going to have to replace the solenoid pack or possibly the valve body. This is my main question. Is there any way to tell if the L\R is in the valve body or solenoid pack without pulling the pan and reading the date code on the valve body itself? We're trying to get our ducks in a row, so we can knock this out in a weekend. We live in a small town so everything has to be ordered online and takes a few days or a week to get here, so we'd like to have everything we need to do the job before we get started.

I found a write up on the replacement before I registered, and I'm still looking for it again...If I ended up finding the write-up on another site and this site doesn't have one, I'll be more than happy to create one (I've written quite a few for Fullsizebronco.com and Fordtruckclub.net). One thing I noticed on the write-up I did find, is that there was no mention of a valve body gasket or a solenoid pack gasket, anyone have any input on the best place to get these gaskets?

Thanks for any help or advice you guys have to offer. I'll continue my search for the write up and any other information on the repair. My main question was if we'd have to replace the valve body or the solenoid pack.
 
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#2 · (Edited)
In my case - 2003 SXT.
I replaced the whole tranny.
Two reasons:
.. The person that had the car before me was doing the same as your friend.
.. (He would hit limp mode, pull over shut it off and re-start.)
.. I think he did this over a long period of time as there was a considerable amount of metal dust in the pan.

.. Second reason is that I picked up a 54k mile tranny for $100.
.. (Replacing the tranny is no small job but it was worth it)

You have a couple of options.
.. Keep in mind that from 1999 to 2004 the transmissions for the 300M, Concorde and the Intrepid are the same.
.. (No matter the size of the engine, the transmissions are the same except the gear ratio.
.. 2.7 cars and 300M Specials came with 3:89 gears, all others came with 3:66.)

.. You can spend $350 and order a rebuilt valve body and solenoid pack from the dealer.
.. (I would just get both)

.. You can pull a valve body and solenoid pack from a 1999 - 2001 at the wrecking yard.
.. (Earlier years do not have the same issue)

.. You can look for a low mileage replacement tranny from 1999 - 2001.
.. (You'll need to swap tranny wiring harnesses, putting your harness on the 98 - 01 tranny)

Good luck with your project,
--Terry
.
.
 
#4 ·
Would the following option be the best one providing that the tranny is from a 2.7 car which gives the better, higher gear ratio over what he currently has:

.. You can look for a low mileage replacement tranny from 1999 - 2001.
.. (You'll need to swap tranny wiring harnesses, putting your harness on the 98 - 01 tranny
 
#5 ·
The 3:66 will give you better gas mileage being a taller gear set.
Like the 3:23 in the Chrysler products from the 60's and 70s.
IIRC they also had a really tall set coming it a 2:71.

The 3:89 will give you peppier performance off the line.
Think 4:10 Dana rear end on a Hemi Challenger or Cuda.

The 3:89 gear set and the PCM are what give the 2002 300M Special the quickness that everyone likes.

Swapping a 3.5L SXT over to the 2.7 gears gives a very noticeable performance difference.
.
 
#6 ·
Thanks for the input and welcome guys, but I don't think he wants to replace the entire transmission due to funds right now. Junkyards in Missouri are VERY expensive, a transmission for this car would be well north of $1000. I did download the FSM which gives very detailed instructions on the repair, but it doesn't give me any information on how to tell if the solenoid pack needs replacement or the valve body. Is there any way to tell without dropping the pan and reading the date code? I remember reading somewhere that the date code 0603 was when the valve body would no longer need to be replaced, only the solenoid pack. This car is a 2004, and I might be able to find the build date on the car itself, would that help?
 
#9 ·
What part of Missouri are you in? Perhaps a short drive north for a transmission would be worth it - that transmission isn't worth more than a couple of hundred bucks, and a quick look around might pay off.

Have you looked on Car-part.com for what is around your area? Something that will dramatically drop the price of the transmission is to search for a 2.7 transmission, not a 3.x transmission.
 
#7 · (Edited)
Date code is on the solenoid pack and the only way to read it is to remove the valve body/solenoid assembly.
**If replacing the valve body assembly for DTC P1776 Solenoid Switch Valve Latched in LR Position first inspect the build date on the solenoid pack (Fig. 1) or (Fig. 2). If the build date range falls in between 3001 and 0603 replace the solenoid pack not the valve body**


http://www.dodgeintrepid.net/showthread.php?t=227089&highlight=valve+body
 
#11 ·
I work nights with him and talked to him about all this info last night, and replacing the transmission is a no go. A local shop says they can repair it for ~$350, but I don't know if I trust them. I'd have to go talk to the mechanic myself before I let him put my friend car under the knife. What ironic is while I made this thread, he called the dealer and asked to talk to the service department, and basically asked the same question as I did. The dealer said it's definitely the valve body. I've learned not to trust dealers, so I'd be inclined to believe you guys. His build date on the door sticker is 03\03 so I'm thinking the solenoid pack is the replacement we should go with. Anyone have any input on where to get a valve body gasket?

Edit: Thanks for all the Craigslist adds, I'm in Ava, MO so Springfield would be the closest to us. Seymour isn't too far away at all, so I'll see what he says...
 
#12 ·
Had the same symptoms with my 04 SXT last year. I changed the solenoid (bought one on ebay for around $80). Not the easiest thing to do by yourself, an extra set of hands would have been good. Haven't experienced any issues with it since.
 
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