Only first gear, everything else is "neutral"

Tiny
ALEXW_159
  • MEMBER
  • 2001 CHRYSLER TOWN AND COUNTRY
  • 3.8L
  • 6 CYL
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 166,600 MILES
Hey 2CarPros Community.

Yesterday my van suddenly broke.
We drove ninety miles on the highway, and when we got off at the first intersection it appeared:

Only the first gear works, when it tries to shift to second gear the transition gets stuck in "neutral". It is actually not quite neutral, I guess the transition get stuck between the gears or just could not get into the second gear. You can hear the gear wheels "ringing" a bit at that point.

And when that happened, nothing works any more. It stays in that "intermediate state" and also will not got back in first gear after stopping the car. So, I have to go back to park (park still works), turn off the engine, turn it back on, and then it will go into first gear again when I dial drive, "3" or low.
And the same happens again when I start driving again.

Reverse gear also does not work. Even after start up.


TCM Error Codes:

PO740 TCC Control Circuit Error.
PO734 Gear Ratio Error in Fourth.
P1738 High Temp Operation Activated.
P1790 Fault Immediately After A Shift.
PO0732 Gear Ratio Error In Second.




My suggestion after a short research:

If the transition oil filter is clogged, there will be no oil pressure any more to allow shifting, right?
So, we did a first short test with a OBD scanner. The shifting (electrical output) from the computer works (so the gear indicated on the scanner).

Is my suggestion a reasonable possibility what might be wrong and causing the problem?
Or do I have a completely wrong understanding of how the transition works?

We bought the van in February and drove about 4,000 miles since then. We have not change transition oil and filter in that period.
We also had issues with the TCM and limp mode one month ago, and used the car for about four weeks in limp mode for just our five miles way to work. So, it was used with a significant increase of RPM's recently. And I thought that would fit into the "story" since higher RPM's causing a higher flow through the oil pump as well, and I do not know when the last transition oil change was made.


Thank you for your help in advance!
Otherwise, it will be the end of this van for us, because it is stuck two hours away from home in Green Bay right now.
Monday, August 13th, 2018 AT 8:12 AM

3 Replies

Tiny
ASEMASTER6371
  • MECHANIC
  • 52,797 POSTS
Good morning.

It looks like you have an internal issue with the transmission this is not a fluid related issue such as a filter being clogged. With the noise and the lack of anything but low gear tells me you have either planetary failure or drum failure.

Either way, it will have to be removed and inspected for the failure.

Roy

P1790 - FAULT IMMEDIATELY AFTER SHIFT

When Monitored and Set Condition:
P1790 - FAULT IMMEDIATELY AFTER SHIFT

When Monitored: After a speed ratio error is stored.

Set Condition: This code is set if the associated speed ratio code is stored within 1.3 seconds after a shift.

Possible Causes:
CONDITION P1790 PRESENT

732

P0732 - GEAR RATIO ERROR IN 2ND

When Monitored and Set Condition:
P0732 - GEAR RATIO ERROR IN 2ND

When Monitored: The Transmission Gear Ratio is monitored continuously while the Transmission is in Gear.

Set Condition: If the ratio of the input RPM to the output RPM does not match the current Gear Ratio.

Possible Causes:
RELATED DTC'S PRESENT
RELATED PRESSURE SWITCH DTC'S PRESENT
INTERMITTENT GEAR RATIO ERRORS
TRANSMISSION - INTERNAL
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Monday, August 13th, 2018 AT 9:02 AM
Tiny
ALEXW_159
  • MEMBER
  • 10 POSTS
Hey Roy,

Thank you for replying.

I know it sounds wired with the oil, but I cannot explain what there should be broken internally so that I lost all the other gears at once. Then all the other clutch packs have been broken at once?

For me the noise indicates a probably dried out transmission housing.
And the fact that it gets stuck in the shifting process (and also that it will not go back into first gear) that there is a problem in the shifting process itself than in the mechanics.

And missing oil pressure would cause an unsuccessful shifting process and probably also less oil in the transmission housing, right? Otherwise, the transmission should be able to shift back into first gear I guess.

Or is there a mistake in my understanding of the oil flow in the system?

Thank you!
Alex
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
+1
Monday, August 13th, 2018 AT 10:55 AM
Tiny
ASEMASTER6371
  • MECHANIC
  • 52,797 POSTS
No, all the clutch packs did not fail, there is a mechanical issue connecting the clutch packs together. That is the noise you hear, the grinding.

You can still have oil flow but without the internals turning, there will be no movement.

Roy
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
+1
Monday, August 13th, 2018 AT 12:34 PM

Please login or register to post a reply.

Sponsored links