I recently changed the oil pan which was quite a job. Dropped the tranny and pulled the engine. Once it was put back together, the tranny shifted into 3rd once and now won't shift into 3rd anymore. 1st to 2nd, reverse all good. What's up with that? please advise.

 

Make sure all you electrical connections are good, then take it to a trans shop.

Auto trans are NOT for laymen to toy with

 

did you zip tie a baggie on the solenoid pack connector when you removed the trans? maybe you got the connector dirty? if she was all working fine before you dropped the trans,then keep looking around.it's got to be something simple.

 

I'll check the connector. Could there be anything other than the selinoid pack/plug that could keep it from going from 2nd to 3rd? transfer case sensor? Vacuum line? We did change out the MLP (neutral switch) but that seems to be working. Will only start in park and neutral. That's all that matters-right?

 

When you try to get up to third does your speedometer get a little wonky? I had a similar problem. Check your speed sensor on the rear differential, if it is off by a fraction of a hair it will not register correctly and your tranny will be stuck in limp mode which is just 1st and 2nd gear. And by fraction I mean fraction, mine went bad last winter. I was in a hurry so I just switched it out as quickly as I could, but still had a problem with the tranny. There was a little bit of rust on the differential that pushed it out of place, after wire brushing it off it worked great..

 

Yes, but then it wouldn't have reverse, either.

That has no influence on shifting, so no, that can't cause this.

There are no vacuum lines to the transmission, so this isn't it either.

It does a lot more than that. But if it shifts 1-2 then there is nothing wrong here, either.

My SWAG* is that a wire to the shift solenoids was damaged in the R&R process. Does the OD OFF light work when you press the button? Is the light flashing? If so, there are codes stored that will lead you to the problem.



*SWAG - Silly Wild A Guess

 

Can you please tell me where that is and how to adjust it?

 

Mark,
The OD light works but is not blinking and when I turn it on and off I don't feel a difference. Any electrical way to check the plug without having to drop the tranny? It's a really tight fit up there...

 

So how would you adjust this or do anything to it?

 

don't drop your trans! the connector is right there behind the heat shield brother.its not that tight.



it's funny the od light isn't flashing.perhaps because you haven't driven it long enough for the control unit to tell ya,you've got an issue.you'd think it would pick right up on that one though.

 

don't mess with the VSS.why suspect something that didn't get altered during your trans removal? stay focused on the fact that everything was fine prior to dropping the trans and you'll discover your issue.
you had a working speedo on your test drive right? if so,never mind this.im not saying the vss couldn't have failed at the exact same time of a trans removal and install......but just how likely is that?

 

Thanks for all the great help guys. I guess the only two things that could cause this problem is the selinoid or VSS. I'll check the one I messed with first and report back what I find.
btw- could putting a dialectic gel in the connectors create a problem?

 

He is right, what you describe could be a possibility, but that's why I asked what your speedo was doing. If it was a wonky then it could be an issue. Mine's gone out twice, but we have A LOT of road salt up here. If your speedometer is getting jiggy, then you have to replace it. It's pretty cheap though.

 

OK, you totally lost me here. How could it be the VSS? It shifts 1-2, then the VSS decides not to play any longer? That's impossible. You're going off on a tangent.

And who told you it was a solenoid? I find it unlikely that a shift solenoid decides to fail when you pull the trans. It could possibly be a solenoid, but it isn't one of the more likely causes. You need to check the wiring to the solenoids. It is easy to damage the wiring when you R&R the transmission.

Putting WAY too much dielectric gel in might cause a problem. I've never put so much in that it caused a problem, but maybe it could keep the pins from making contact if there was a lot more than there should be.

No, that's not accurate. Everyone talks about limp mode, but it isn't one mode. When there is a problem the PCM will not command a gear that it has determined to have a problem. A bad reading from the VSS will NOT automatically make it operate in only first and second.