[nelgin]

Rather than be ripped off by a transmission shop I decided to hire a mechanic from CL - so now I've been ripped off a couple of times and now desperate for some help.

My car was fine one night, the next night I'm driving along at about 30-35 and expect the car to shift up but it seems it just keeps revving. The speedo would reach about 30 then jump up to 50 and bob around then back down to 30 or whatever speed I was going. There are no grinding noises, The car reverses and goes forward smoothly. It's almost like it's stuck in second.

Keep in mind I do computer stuff and am in no way mechanically minded so I'm at a handicap here.

The first guy tells him that the solenoid pack fails all the time and that's the first thing to swap out. He turns up and can't get something or other off because of a stripped torq screw. He puts it together and I at least give him $50 for giving my fluid a change which it needed anyway. It was low but it didn't make any difference.

The 2nd guy came over, I told him the first guy said the solenoid pack and he said sure and put it in after noting the previous guy didn't know what he was doing because some bearings or something were rattling around rather than being where they should be. Anyway, solenoid pack in - no difference.

Now, a third guy I was talking to was giving me all sorts of information and sounded much better than the last 2. I thought what the hell. He came over and said the reason it wasn't shifting gears was because of the motor mounts. Sounds debious. He then jacked up the car and said it's the CV joints that were out (Actually, I knew I needed those replacing so I let him to it anyway). Still, no joy. I raced him around at 50mph and 5K-5.5Krpm. He said if it was stuck in first, you'd be blowing the engine up at that speed, but if it was stuck in 2nd the take off would be sluggish and it wasn't. He said it seems to be shifting up but just not getting to the overdrive. He tells me the probably is electrical, one of three things and I might as well rip all the electrics out going to the transmission and replacing them.

I suggested a speed sensor to the 2nd and 3rd but the 2nd said there'd be a code and 3rd said very unlikely. The 2nd mechanic said he couldn't see the computer on the transmission although he could see the engine computer. The 3rd said he could read both but no error codes.

The only thing that seems odd is that if I move it to the manual position, the lights on the dash appear to flash in some sort of code but I cannot find a way to interpret these flashes.

So given this information can anyone suggest what the heck I should try next? I'm getting pretty desperate to get my car back and working again.

[Added information]

Forgot to add that checking the short runner valve, the rubber inside has worn away and the mechanic said that is why the car is idling high (1.5k rather than about .5k).

Thanks,
Nigel

[Ronbo]

You need to get the codes read for the transmission. Or just get the codes read period.


Guess instead of getting ripped by a transmission shop you got really ripped by Craigslist and the tards that inhabit it? Many times there's no substitute for real expert help.

[nelgin]

Ronbo,

Thanks for your feedback. I've generally had good luck finding help on Craigslist. I got all 4 struts changes for $200 - and it took him a couple of days cause the car was originally from Maine and everything had rusted up.

Anyway, I took the car to a local transmission stop and they gave it a good test. They told me it was in "failsafe" mode, pretty much stuck in 3rd gear. They said they were able to pull off a generic transmission failure code. P0700. He said the computer was probably bad and just quotes a price of $535+tax to replace it.

[paintballdude05]

Run away from that shop and quick! If all they pulled was a P0700 and they want to replace the TCM then something sounds fishy. BTW, a replacement TCM from a junkyard is a sub-$50 part and it just plugs in. P0700 is a generic transmission code and you need a higher quality scanner to get the underlying codes that tell you exactly what is going on with it. Many parts stores carry scanners, some have scanners that are good enough to pick the code up and it's usually free. Being a 2001, there's a good chance that it's a Input and/or Output sensor especially since your speedometer was acting funky.

As far as your short runner valve o-ring, you can get a bag of replacements off eBay for under $10. Look on the forum for he proper size.

[Daytrepper]

This. This is a very common failure on these, and a very simple fix. $50 ish for both sensors, takes 15 minutes to change them. Speedometer acting up is usually a dead giveaway. Solenoid pack problems are not that common. Sounds like you have a few mechanics that dont know how to properly troubleshoot.

[nelgin]

I've actually had two people with pretty sophisticated looking readers come out and neither of them could get any sort of code. In fact they said they couldn't even see the transmission computer. It's possible the car hadn't been driven enough to generate a code since the battery had been disconnected? It's only been driven around the block, I just drove it a couple of miles to get to the shop.

Would the speed sensor cause the gear lights to flash on the dash? That would seem more like an issue with it not knowing what gear it's really in?

[nelgin]

Talking of speed sensors. I was reading the Chilton manual for the Concorde upto '97 and it says the speed sensors are not interchangable. Is this true for the 2001 300M or did they do something sensible that year and make them so? If it was the speed sensor, wouldn't I get a P0720 or something similar?

[paintballdude05]

They are probably not interchangeable but you can replace them. Interchangeable as in you can swap the input sensor for an output sensor.

[peva]

The two 2nd gen speed sensors are not interchangeable (in fact, same sesnsors as 1st gen).

The speed sensors wouldn't cause that, but a binding or out-of-adjustment shifter cable would definitely - or possibly the tranny range sensor is defective (more likely a cable binding or adjustment problem).

Does the shifter move easily, or does it feel stiff/binding? If so, cable needs to be replaced. If not stiff, then try adjusting the cable (simple procedure in the FSM - requires removing shifter bezel).

[nelgin]

I was checking on the Autozone website and you're right. I spotted the input sensor, but like you said, it's not likely to be that. There's no difficulty moving the shifter, it seems to move just fine. I don't notice any difference from how it was working before.

[nelgin]

So, I took the car to another transmission shop for a second opinion. They couldn't get a read out on the computer. He just handed me the keys and said good luck.

At this stage we're down to an electrical fault where by the trans. computer is not communicating and the car isn't shifting gear. So I bite the bullet and change out the computer or do I start to change out wires? I understand there's 3 different sets of wires to the transmission. Where would I even start?

[peva]

It does sound like an electrical problem. Sorry - I was in a hurry when I made my earlier post - had not read everything you previously had posted.

Unless you can read schematics and have good troubleshooting skills, I fear you're just going to be ripped off by one shop after another.

Steph may be right that the TCM is bad - but that is a guess too. Might be worth demating the TCM connector, clean the connector terminals with good contact cleaner, let it dry, pack the connector with electrical-grade silicone grease, and remate the connector.

Oh - and if I was a betting man, I'd be betting you $1000 that when they changed the fluid, they didn't put ATF+4 in it. Better get the fluid flushed and genuine ATF+4 put back in before more problems develop.

In this particular case, you might be better off taking it to a good local Chrysler dealer. It may cost a bit, but it will be better than wasting money in multiple shops who apparently have no clue.

Also - for the record, when a tranny goes into limp mode, it stays in 2nd gear - just like the theme song of "Friends".

[nelgin]

Peva,

Thanks for the insightful post. The shop that said it was the computer want to charge $535. They said that the part was over $400 and the rest was labor. I called the dealer with my VIN and the part they gave me was R4896430AG. They wanted $297 (maybe he misread it or something). So I dunno who is lying to me this time. They did say that if that didn't fix the problem then there would be no charge so I'm thinking of just biting the bullet.

That said, as far as cleaning the existing control module, I'd give it a go, I just have no idea where it is, and how to get to it. If anyone has a step by step then I'd be willing to try it.

The fluid that was used was ATF+4. I still have the bottles. Would you like to pay that $1000 by check or cash?

[cdmccul]

Careful - coming from PEVA, he might pay it in resistors and left over electronics projects...

[paintballdude05]

300$ is a lot better than I would have thought they would charge for a BCM. Still, you can get one from a yard for under $100 I'm sure. If not, a member on here can probably get you one.