It sounds like your range selector switch is going bad, This is on the side of the tranny behind the linkage. It tells the PCM what gear the shifter is in and if it isn't reading properly, it will not shift right. It may be telling the PCM that you are in 2nd and it will not actuate the 3rd gear solenoid in the valvebody.

 

thanks lxman1, i will change that switch just in case. Also when i go from my 33's to my 35' do I need to change the gear in the vss? or is using the hypertech to change my speedometer reading doing the dame thing?

 

Could this be my problem? My 00 EXP 4.6 W/AUTO IS HAVING SIMILAR PROBLEMS. WHILE IN OD IT WAS FINE ALL OF A SUDDEN IT STARTED ACTING AS IF IT WAS IN NEUTRAL. RPM REV HIGH TRANS NO SHIFT UNTIL OD WAS TURNED OFF.TRUCK HAS 130,000-140,000. UNKNOWN IF TRANS HAS BEEN SERVICED BEFORE I BOUGHT IT IN MARCH 07. KING DAVID

 

We went ahead and cleared the codes in our truck and it hasn't acted up since. Made a 400 mile trip at 75+ and not a problem. So it may just be a computer glitch.

 

You cannot change the gear on the VSS for a 2001 4r70W. It is just a magnetic pickup sensor. You need to go to the dealer to have the tire size programmed into the computer. Or get one of those programmers and do it yourself. This will not fix your neutral problem. Does reverse work? If it does not, it is probably the sun gear/shell. Mine broke there. $1800 for a new ford trany from the dealer.

 

I have a 2002 , I assume this is the same as the '01. Another guy gave me the advice on these boards to change the gear in the vss. Who is right? I have a hypertech, and have the ability to change the tire size, but is this just for the speedometer or does it effect others like shifting for the trans?

I had the hypertech on, with the correct tire size in the computer and it still happens. So what does the trans get as info......????? and from where?

 

The 01 and 02 are probably the same. I know the 03's are different. Anyway, we have a magnetic pickup that cannot be changed unless it is faulty. There is a gear but it is internally in the tranny. These are not swappable. If you get bigger tires/change gears, you need to have the dealer program the new specs in or you can do it yourself with a programmer. There is nothing you can change mechanically. If your speedo is wrong, so are your shift points.