Automatic stuck in first gear

arick793 · Post by **arick793** » Tue Dec 01, 2009 4:25 pm

I have a 2003 neon with an automatic transmission, and it won't shift out of first gear. Everything else works fine, reverse, neutral, park etc, it just won't shift out of first gear! I can take it all the way up to the redline and it won't even try to shift. It did this all of a sudden, with no warning. I just went out one morning and it wouldn't shift into second. This is the electronic 4 speed automatic by the way. The car only has 70,000 miles on it. I did a search a while back and I reset the computer by disconnecting the battery for a few minutes, but that didn't do anything. Is this a common problem? Is the transmission shot, or is there a simple fix? Does the trans have its own computer? The check engine light is on too by the way. Thanks for any help!

darthroush · Post by **darthroush** » Tue Dec 01, 2009 5:14 pm

Get the codes.

Panhead · Post by **Panhead** » Tue Dec 01, 2009 5:44 pm

could be your solenoid pack.

Adionik · Post by **Adionik** » Tue Dec 01, 2009 6:10 pm

could be a lot of things. Mine is doing the same thing. I am getting a new TCM...i will let you know if that fixes it

excon · Post by **excon** » Tue Dec 01, 2009 10:42 pm

do the key dance:

1. put key in
2. turn key to "run" (once click forward)
3. turn key to "off" (...when you cut the car off)
4. repeat steps 2+3
5. turn key to "run"
6. write down P_ _ _ _ codes.

the "run-off-run-off-run" key dance has to be done in less that ~5 seconds.

arick793 · Post by **arick793** » Wed Dec 02, 2009 9:05 am

I didn't know that worked on an 03. Thanks for the tip!

Post by **occasional demons** » Wed Dec 02, 2009 9:43 am

I think it works on all model year neons. But don't quote me on that. Some '97 - '99 DCX vehicles can only be checked via a code scanner.

Bastids!

Edit: viewtopic.php?t=43

Adionik · Post by **Adionik** » Wed Dec 02, 2009 12:07 pm

Threw a "new" TCM in last night, fixed it! I was throwing P0700.

slow-mo · Post by **slow-mo** » Wed Dec 02, 2009 6:21 pm

Adionik wrote:Threw a "new" TCM in last night, fixed it! I was throwing P0700.

Sweet, I'll get mine soon. I hope it fixes it.

Just curious, would yours go in and out of limp mode? And would your CEL go on and off on its own? Seriously my car would drive fine on the way to work and drive fine on the way home. If I stopped at home and got back out, the CEL would come on and into limp mode it went. I'd turn it off, wait a while, turn it on and it shifted ok. After a while the CEL would go off on its own. Steadily got worse though, so I haven't driven it this last week.

Don't mean to hijack

Adionik · Post by **Adionik** » Wed Dec 02, 2009 7:59 pm

I noticed the shifting started getting ridiculously hard between gears, and it wasn't going into reverse or any gear for that matter. When I would put it in drive, it would just rev or not catch.

Bought a new tranny, shifted into the gears fine but wouldn't go past 1st. Put a new TCM and it's back. So odd that a PCM would go bad...you rarely hear about these sort of things. It's almost always mechanical.

excon · Post by **excon** » Wed Dec 02, 2009 10:38 pm

I can do the code dance on the two acclaims in the driveway ('92 + '94)

Post by **occasional demons** » Wed Dec 02, 2009 10:42 pm

Those are OBD I, they all work up to '96. OBD II began in '97. It took three model years to get them all on board. Could just be the Jeep SBEC's tho.