1994 HDJ81 - Kicking out of first in "L"

[miatafreak]

I've had my transmission in and out of my Cruiser a few times and am trying to figure out if it's misbehaving or not. With the transmission selector in "L" it will hold first gear fine but it will kick up to second around 3300 rpm on flat ground or traveling uphill. When going downhill it will kick up around 2500 rpm. Is this normal? I've seen some other threads claiming this is normal while some people disagree. When I disconnect the shift solenoid connector (blue tape in the image below) it holds completely and won't kick up. I've adjusted my kickdown cable which might be too aggressive but could that be the source of this?

Other things I've noticed with the transmission that may or may not be nominal:

1. Only the "P" and "R", and "OD OFF" lights on the dash illuminate solid. The N/D/2/L lights don't light up permanently but will flicker when the selector is shifted. I could see the "D" bulb being burnt out but the rest seems weird. Also don't think it would flicker if the bulb is out?
2. The truck won't start in neutral. I don't have a FSM for the HDJ81 but the FZJ80 FSM says the truck should start in Park or Neutral. I've fiddled with the neutral switch a bit per the FSM and it hasn't changed anything. Not sure if this is an actual problem or if the HDJ81s don't start in Neutral.

 

[voodu3]

What does the connector on the other end of the NSS look like? Flickering sounds like a corroded or loose connection. This could also be why it doesn’t start in N.
Do you get a flashing o/d light when it shifts out of L?
It has been a while since I worked on my transmission but if it works manually shifting it’s usually a solenoid problem.

 

[miatafreak]

None of them looked corroded but I cleaned the connectors on the trans side yesterday with contact cleaner for good measure. I'm pretty sure the harness has a connector near the starter in the engine bay so I can investigate that as well. It's not a random flicker, just a split second illumination right when the trans is shifted and then they stay off consistently. o/d light never flashes.

 

[voodu3]

On the engine bay side is what I was referring to. There should be two connectors one for the NSS and one that goes to the shift solenoids. Mine were a mess and someone had butt spliced them together and this caused all kinds of weird issues until I repaired it.

 

[MonsterCruiser]

I've had my transmission in and out of my Cruiser a few times and am trying to figure out if it's misbehaving or not. With the transmission selector in "L" it will hold first gear fine but it will kick up to second around 3300 rpm on flat ground or traveling uphill. When going downhill it will kick up around 2500 rpm. Is this normal?

My 1994 HDJ81 does the same thing. Really annoying when trying to slowly head downhill and don't want to ride the brakes.

Dang auto transmissions!

 

[nickolai]

Not normal. Have you run through the diagnostics here?:

https://risingsun4x4club.org/uploads/Snowrun/1994%20fzj80/1994%20Repair%20manual/Drivetrain/Troubleshooting.pdf

 

[miatafreak]

Just ran through the diagonistic and it looks like I have code 62, “Severed no 1 solenoid or short circuit - severed wire harness or short circuit”.

I’ll do that resistance check first but seems like the wiring harness would be a more likely culprit than anything else.