QuestionHi Roland, Hoping all is well for you.
You helped me back on 2/28/13 with questions I had about my 93 New Yorkers transmissions problems and I would like to call upon your expertise once again.
In Feb I wrote you because i had taken my car in for an oil change, new water pump and a new cat converter and when i got the car back, it was suddenly in "limp Mode" and i have never had any tranny problems up until then. I was curious if something had gotten knocked loose to create this limp mode problem.
I did as you suggested and took the car to a tranny shop and had them do a scan to find out what the codes were.
I was told i had a code #39 Incorrect Gear Ratio and a code #16 Internal transmission controller, plus some other engine codes P060 Internal Controller Failure, P0340 No can signal, P0204 Injector.. You provided me with a wealth of information at that time.
Now for the new questions:
If something is broken on the car causing it to pop up with a code, then why wouldn't that code continue to pop up until it were fixed ?
Monday, I took my car into a different shop and asked them to run a scan on it, and this new shop came up with completely different codes than the first shop did.. The new shop came up with codes 14 & 15, telling me it was related to the computer part of the car - they said it was an "etax relay".
I asked them about the codes the other shop came up with and they told me they didn't get those same codes, but there was no promise that if i had the etax relay replaced, that the other codes I had gotten from the 1st shop would still not show up sometime down the road, but this etax relay would get my car out of limp mode.
that conversation took place over the phone...
I was so confused about getting different codes, I went to the Chrysler dealer in hopes of getting some clarification..
I told them about the code 14 & 15 the new shop had given me and showed him the paper the 1st shop wrote their codes on.. As soon as the Chrysler service adviser saw the list from the 1st shop, he said something is definitely wrong and what followed was a pure
sales pitch, not straight information like i needed.
Hope I haven't bored you to death yet, I'm almost done and this is the "good" part.
I picked my car up after hours and when i was driving it home, it felt different, almost like it was shifting normally, but I just blew it off to wishful thinking.
Today I went back to the new shop because i couldn't find where they had left my key and the car was in fact shifting normally the whole drive there, I wasn't imagining it !!
The mechanic i spoke with on the phone wasn't there,but his brother was and the brother said he also looked at my car on Monday. I asked them what they did, did they reconnect something or jiggle something or what because the darn car is shifting like it should be.
He told me they did nothing other than hook up their scanner and pull the codes. He started telling me that the "Transmission Controller" could be the problem, (his brother told me it was the etax relay and thats what codes 14 & 15 are about.
He explained to me the transmission controller has to do with the cars computer and what happening is the controller is sending out bad information or the transmission itself is sending out bad information and there was no way to know for sure.. He suggested replacing the transmission controller 1st and hope that its not the actual transmission itself that is sending the codes.
So, what is the point to this long note?
I don't understand why the car fixed itself.
I don't understand why the scan codes are different between shops.
I don't know the difference between an etax relay and a transmission controller, are they one in the same.
Why is my car suddenly ok???
Thank you Roland for helping me thru all this.
I will be anxiously awaiting to hear from you,
Regards,
Cindy
AnswerHi Cindy,
As I postulated in February, there might have been a plug that was not seated properly in its socket and now it may have either been pushed in properly at one of the shops or it may have corrected itself. Also, perhaps doing the fault code readouts may have restored some function that was 'out' after that original servicing that you told me about. At the moment I would just be thankful that it no longer won't shift out of 2nd gear (that was the limp mode I believe I described to you).
On the scan codes, one issue is that I see no listing in my manual for a 39 code speed ratio error (that ratio code is actually 9 different possible codes from 50-58). The 16 code is about the transmission controller, and the 14 and 15 are about the etax relay (either being open all the time or closed all the time).
The relay is a common device which just acts as a switch (controlled in its function electrically). The transmission or etax relay I described to you in February in my last answer so you could do what I suggested then and switch that relay with another less important relay in the box if/when limp mode occurs again. If switching it solves the problem then buy a replacement relay which should cost on the order of $20-40. It simply pulls of a socket that it is plugged into.
The transmission control module I also described and that is much more expensive so I would not replace that absent a very 'solid' code 16 and a very 'solid' limp mode coming back.
I can't answer exactly why the trans is working now, but there is no point in doing anything at a shop or buying expensive parts until/unless it acts up again and you have a code readout at that time. I don't know which shop to trust as regards the 'reader'.
So for now...'if it isn't broke don't break it'.
Please do a rating of this answer and if you are satisfied also offer me a nomination for 'volunteer of the month'.
Thanks,
Roland
