Transmission not shifting

85toycrawler · Nov 30, 2016

Looking for some help with getting my truck back up and running. I have searched for the last couple of days and haven't had any luck.

A little back story on the truck. 2002 2500 v10 auto 4x4. I bought it a couple months ago and it shifted pretty good. Shifts kinda hard and at low throttle you have to let off the gas to get it to shift. (My thoughts were a possible shift kit). We put it on the lift and adjusted the bands, and that didn't help. But the truck still got down the road fine.

So when I got the truck the steering column was trashed. The ignition switch/lock and tumble were missing. The PO had crudely wired in a toggle switch and starter button.

I purchased a used column that was complete from the junk yard and used it to replace the ignition switch, turn signal switch, and steering wheel. I re-wired everything under the column that had been cut. Making sure all the wires were color coordinated.

Truck fired right up and the ABS light came on immediately, and the speedometer quit working. Now the truck will not shift out of 1st gear. I checked for codes and get nothing. I replaced the rear speed sensor on the rear axle and the truck still doesn't shift.

Any idea on what I could be missing?

codered · Nov 30, 2016

85toycrawler said:
Looking for some help with getting my truck back up and running. I have searched for the last couple of days and haven't had any luck.

A little back story on the truck. 2002 2500 v10 auto 4x4. I bought it a couple months ago and it shifted pretty good. Shifts kinda hard and at low throttle you have to let off the gas to get it to shift. (My thoughts were a possible shift kit). We put it on the lift and adjusted the bands, and that didn't help. But the truck still got down the road fine.

So when I got the truck the steering column was trashed. The ignition switch/lock and tumble were missing. The PO had crudely wired in a toggle switch and starter button.

I purchased a used column that was complete from the junk yard and used it to replace the ignition switch, turn signal switch, and steering wheel. I re-wired everything under the column that had been cut. Making sure all the wires were color coordinated.

Truck fired right up and the ABS light came on immediately, and the speedometer quit working. Now the truck will not shift out of 1st gear. I checked for codes and get nothing. I replaced the rear speed sensor on the rear axle and the truck still doesn't shift.

Any idea on what I could be missing?

I think it's shift solenoids but change your fluid and filter you shouldn't have anything missing

dapepper9 · Nov 30, 2016

Have you verified Neutral is neutral, Reverse is reverse, etc? Wonder if you have a linkage issue. Also, have you gone in and verified you have everything hooked up correctly? What year coloumn

85toycrawler · Nov 30, 2016

dapepper9 said:
Have you verified Neutral is neutral, Reverse is reverse, etc? Wonder if you have a linkage issue. Also, have you gone in and verified you have everything hooked up correctly? What year coloumn

Yes, I have verified that. I will double check the receipt for the year of the column, but from what I remember it was out of an 02. And as far as having everything hooked up correctly..... Everything is color to color. None of the wires are similar in color, so I'm assuming that's all good. I'll go take a picture of the wiring and post it up. Maybe I did wire something wrong.

85toycrawler · Nov 30, 2016

codered said:
I think it's shift solenoids but change your fluid and filter you shouldn't have anything missing

As far as the shift solenoids go, the truck has been sitting for about a week and a half. Ran fine when I parked it, then I changed everything on the column. You think the solenoids could have just took a crap? I feel it has to be a wiring issue. I guess this is what I get for trying to have nice things. lol.

yoda · Nov 30, 2016

Make sure your throttle pressure lever above the shift lever on trans is not stuck at wide open throttle. have an assistant slowly push accelerator pedal (engine off) while you crawl under the truck and watch, it should move from fully forward position to back position as someone pushes the throttle

85toycrawler · Nov 30, 2016

Thanks yoda. I will do that as soon as my wife gets home from work.

85toycrawler · Nov 30, 2016

Here is a pic of the spliced wires. Don't mind the stupid green shift knob. lol

Marksman · Dec 1, 2016

My v10 truck is the same way in terms of how it shifts. Seems it likes to shift at 3k RPM most of the time unless you let off the throttle. My truck has been sitting since the engine took a crap in early 2013, but when I was changing the engine I found that the trans was a re-manufactured unit from Mopar and it was dated November of 2012. Shift kit was my first guess too, but that shouldn't cause us to have to let off the gas. I think it's line pressure related.

The trans in mine can't have many miles on it, so it shouldn't be a fluid issue. I think it might be slowly improving though, seems like it is shifting at lower RPM's more often now that i've driven it some. Maybe its just a sticky valve body.

If you do get it out of first, drive it a bunch and see if the condition improves.

yoda · Dec 1, 2016

Marksman said:
My v10 truck is the same way in terms of how it shifts. Seems it likes to shift at 3k RPM most of the time unless you let off the throttle. My truck has been sitting since the engine took a crap in early 2013, but when I was changing the engine I found that the trans was a re-manufactured unit from Mopar and it was dated November of 2012. Shift kit was my first guess too, but that shouldn't cause us to have to let off the gas. I think it's line pressure related.

The trans in mine can't have many miles on it, so it shouldn't be a fluid issue. I think it might be slowly improving though, seems like it is shifting at lower RPM's more often now that i've driven it some. Maybe its just a sticky valve body.

If you do get it out of first, drive it a bunch and see if the condition improves.

If its late upshifting 1-2 and 3 its probably throttle pressure adjustment i described previous. At closed throttle the lever on the trans above the shift lever should be all the way forward, there should be a spring to help it go forward, as you step on the gas pedal it should move rearward. You adjust it up at the throttle body if it needs adjustment. Very common for the spring to be missing or the lever sticky at the valve body, usually you can free it up with rust penetrant and working it back and forth by hand.
That said, if its only slow to shift into 3rd (1-2 is ok) its usually the front clutch seals inside the trans.

Scott Sramek · Feb 8, 2018

I just had the same issue with my V10 I had to hold 2500rpm once it built pressure it shifted. Turned out to be the control selinoid and broken band.

Transmission not shifting

85toycrawler

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codered

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dapepper9

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85toycrawler

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85toycrawler

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yoda

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85toycrawler

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85toycrawler

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Marksman

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yoda

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Scott Sramek

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