2001 Chrysler 300 Chrysler 300M

WILLIAMSBURG10

MEMBER
2001 CHRYSLER 300
6 CYL
4WD
AUTOMATIC
136,600 MILES

Hello,

I'm hoping you can assist me with some solutions. Last Sunday my engine light when on and when I started driving the car it only would go to 30-40 mph when I would try to accelerate speed it was hard/rough sound. I put oil in it and the car was fine. The problem has since continued. I tried going above 40 and the car started sounding hard and eventually the the car started to warn that it was getting hot. So I stopped in a gas station and the battery was low I couldn't start back up and needed a jump to get back on the road. Once I got the jump the car was fine. Needless to say the engine light came back on. Later that day I went to auto zone they told me the codes that came were P0605/P0700. They gave me the print out and explained I would need to go to a shop to diagnose further. I didn't have 100.00 to go spend to diagnose the problem right off that bat. So I started searching online and found out how to check my own P codes. My car states :P0700/P1684. I had auto zone check the battery it was bad. Also my battery went dead this Saturday. I replaced it. The car sounds better but I can still hear that hard noise if I go over 40 mph. I know may have to take it to the shop. I'm wondering if you can tell me if there are things that I can try doing a bit cheaper without taking it to the shop and getting run over? I'm very worried the probably could be very costly. Also is there any way of driving the car by resetting the codes so I can at least go more than 35-40 mph?

3 Replies

CARADIODOC

MECHANIC
33,916 POSTS

Hi williamsburg10. Welcome to the forum. It sounds like your transmission is stuck in "limp-in" mode where it stays in second gear. Have you noticed it isn't shifting? That will over-rev the engine if you try to drive it that way. The purpose of limp-in is to allow you to drive it to a shop without needing a tow truck. You will also notice that it has a hard time accelerating away from a stop because it isn't starting out in first gear.

The code 700 just means there is some other code memorized in the transmission computer. That is what probably defaulted it to limp-in. The computer will reset each time you turn the ignition switch off and restart the engine. In general, if it starts out in second gear right away, it is a sensor or some other electronic problem. If it starts out in first gear, then bangs back into second gear later, typically after an upshift, it is related to slippage in one of the clutch packs in the transmission. Driving in second gear for a long time will lead to engine damage if you continue to try to go much more than 20 - 25 mph.

Caradiodoc