Chrysler Repair: 1993 Lebaron LE Tranny, scattergun approach, shift linkage

Question
I read others but not quite my problem. My tranny will not find Reverse. I can start it and then move the shift lever between Drive, Neutral, Reverse until it finally grabs Reverse. After which I can use Drive normally. Regardless of if it is warm or cold, D works fine at highway speeds, stop-and-go, etc. No problem at all unless I stop and try R again. It seems to find R faster after the engine is warm, but still tries to find it. I also notice a noise (wurring sound) when shifting from D to R while the brakes are depressed. The noise is not there when the brakes are off. However, it still takes a bit to find R. There is no problem at all in D. No "limp in" as you call it. I will take your advice and not use AAMCO as they sold me a rebuilt tranny on my old car and it lasted 1 year, the same as the warranty.

Answer
Hi Mike,
You didn't mention whether you have the 2.5L or the 3.0L engine, which have different transmissions (all hydraulic or electronic/hydraulic controls, respectively). The former doesn't have a limp-in "feature" or a self-diagnostic capability, but from my experience is less problemmatic than the electronic transaxle. In either case there are a number of simple reasons related to hydraulic factors (fluid level, filter clogged, fluid aerated, hydraulic valve pack clogged port, or even shift linkage) that can be remediated without removal and consequent large costs, or mechanical issues (such as a simple band adjustment in the 2.5L) or major issues which provoke a rebuild. I would pursue the simple possibilites to their limits before exceeding to a rebuild. So let me know which powertrain you have and I'll list the possibilities. If you have the 3.0L you might also order a controller memory readout because not all fault codes provoke a limp-in, but knowing the specific fault code would possibly focus remediation rather tan using a scattergun approach.
So follow up with that information and we'll go from there.
Roland