Chrysler Repair: Chrysler New Yorker wont shift properly in 1st. and 2nd. gear when cold, chrysler new yorker, controller module

Question
Hello. I have a 1994 Chrysler New Yorker (3.5 V-6) which I have owned since new. 3 years ago, at about 150,000 KM I noticed that the transmission would not go into gear after the car was started on a cold night. After the car warms up a little it wll go into gear. Then when I come up to a stop sign, the car is "between" 1st and 2nd gears. Waiting for about 1- seconds it will then normally "thunk" into 2nd. gear. After driving for 2-3 minutes I can stop, put the car in park (or neutral) and turn off the car for less than a minute. Then turn the car back on. From that point on it will generally work fine.

There is no slippage of the transmission after the car is warmed up a little, and the problem does not occur during the summer months at all. As the transmission works perfectly when warm has not detoriated at all in the 3 yesrs since I first encountered this problem I am thinking that the problem is not with the the transmission itself but perhaps a controller that is malfunctioning?

Thanks in advance for your reply.

Regards,


P. Neville


Answer
Hi Peter,
There is possibly a problem with the controller module, but there are a number of other less costly possibilities:
The fluid might be too low in the trans (check the dip stick)
The engine idle speed might be too low (because of a problem with the engine idle control motor)
The trans oil filter could be clogged
The trans internal pump may not be putting out the pressure required causing too low internal pressures to produce the engagement and shifts (measure with a gauge)
The valve body could have leaks (that is the part in the rectangular box, and it can be serviced without removing the trans).
So you might run thru that as a check list, but be sure if anyone works on it that they know Chrysler trans's and that they only use Chrysler brand trans fluid.
The steps after the oil filter will requires some shop analytic time. At that point it would be useful to have a dealer or a trans shop that is equipped with a diagnostic box for Chrysler trans controller interfacing to query the trans controller for fault codes that it may have stored in its memory. Ask for the code numbers, what they mean, what they propose to do, and how much it will cost. Write back and we can compare that to the shop manual analysis of the code.
Some owners find that by simply dropping the pans and changing the filter that problem as you described is corrected. They also can look for debris in the pans which is not a good sign if present, because it suggests worn internal parts requiring a rebuild ($2K).
So take this process slowly and deliberately to avoid an unnecessary repair. Avoid franchise type nationwide shops who thrive on installing rebuilds.
Roland