QuestionQUESTION: my 05 town and country van this morining would not go in reverse. that i was driving forward and i came to a very slow crawl .could this be a sensor as to i never had trouble before.or is it more likely the transmission.
ANSWER: Hi Melissa,
Begin by checking the level of fluid in the transmission via it own dipstick. If the level shows low, then get some ATF +4 trans fluid and add via the distick hole usind a small funnel. Don't over fill it, just up to the proper line.
If that is not the source of this then the best approach would be to try a fault code readout using the ignition key:"on-off-on-off-on and leave on" doing that in 5 seconds or less elapsed time. Then watch the odometer window to see if the mileage changes to show any 4-digit numbers which are fault codes. There is a likelihood, though, that only faults related to the engine (not the transmission) will be seen. But at least we will know by elimination that it is not the engine that way. So if you can limp over to an Autozone parts store (where a plug-in readout via a socket under the dash next to the steering column will be done for free) or to an independent garage (which will charge less than $40) you will for sure get any codes related to the transmission proper. Get the numbers/names/repair extimate for the codes.
Let me know what those numbers are and we can go from there. There are two sensors on the transmission proper and one of those may be faulty, and the codes will reveal whether that is the case. Let me know the codes before you commit to an expensive repair and we can compare the recommendation to that described in the fault code manual.
Roland
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: it says donE
AnswerHi Melissa,
DonE means there are no codes, not that the van is "done for".
In that case, since the problem still exists, I would recommend that you have the plug-in reader done at an Autozone store or an independent shop so that the trans. codes if any would be revealed. Get the numbers and the repair proposals and give me a follow-up question so we can compare notes. Was the fluid level up to the proper mark on the dipstick?
Roland
PS:Thanks for the kind remarks. You are entitled to do it again if you feel inclined to do so also click 'yes' where you so the question about the nomination.
