LX450 2nd gear issues continue. Please Help!!!

[Trail Mule]

My 97 LX450 decided to start skipping 2nd gear at a stop light. The motor would rev to 4 rpms and it would then shift into 3rd gear when I took my foot of the accelerator. The check engine is on and the Mechanic said it was a code for a shift solenoid.

So when I pulled the pan it looked normal and it didn't smell burnt. By normal I mean that it was pink leaning towards purple. No metal or aluminum shavings in it. Filter looked clean also.

I started driving it again and nothing changed. I Can manually shift it into 2nd gear and it will drive, but it doesn't really move the vehicle faster. When I shift from 2nd to Drive it revs high and then it engages. But when I am driving and I manually downshift, it has the compression braking that it used to have before the issues began.

Also, when I press the "2nd" button that is right next to the "PWR" button, it doesn't engage. you press it down and it pops back up. This was not a problem before.

I have heard about electrical problems with the wiring leading to the solenoids. Do you all have any pictures of these wires and what to look for?

 

[cjmoon]

Did you did you replace the shift solenoid? If the pan was off it’s one more bolt. Not extremely common but they do go out. I’d also check the 2 connectors drive side top of bell housing pain to get to but after having everything apart I had mine come undone about 10k after it was apart. Either I did t get them snapped good or it got pinched just enough to let loose. Remove clean dielectric and put back together may help after the shift solenoid is changed

 

[baldilocks]

You need to physically disconnect the transmission from the wire harness and then go out for a manual shift test drive. If all is well the problem is purely electrical. Mechanical problem with these transmissions are rarely reported.

 

[Trail Mule]

You need to physically disconnect the transmission from the wire harness and then go out for a manual shift test drive. If all is well the problem is purely electrical. Mechanical problem with these transmissions are rarely reported.

I know this is a dumb question. But, where do you disconnect the Harness from?

 

[Trail Mule]

Did you did you replace the shift solenoid? If the pan was off it’s one more bolt. Not extremely common but they do go out. I’d also check the 2 connectors drive side top of bell housing pain to get to but after having everything apart I had mine come undone about 10k after it was apart. Either I did t get them snapped good or it got pinched just enough to let loose. Remove clean dielectric and put back together may help after the shift solenoid is changed

I did replace the Solenoids. I'll check those connectors.

 

[baldilocks]

I know this is a dumb question. But, where do you disconnect the Harness from?

No such thing as a dumb question. Now, here is my dumb answer. I don’t know for sure on the A343 trans you have. I have an older 80 with the A442f trans. Mine is on the driver side of the trans. I would be willing to bet yours is too. This would be the connection to the solenoids.

 

[JCruse]

My 97 LX450 decided to start skipping 2nd gear at a stop light. The motor would rev to 4 rpms and it would then shift into 3rd gear when I took my foot of the accelerator. The check engine is on and the Mechanic said it was a code for a shift solenoid.

So when I pulled the pan it looked normal and it didn't smell burnt. By normal I mean that it was pink leaning towards purple. No metal or aluminum shavings in it. Filter looked clean also.

I started driving it again and nothing changed. I Can manually shift it into 2nd gear and it will drive, but it doesn't really move the vehicle faster. When I shift from 2nd to Drive it revs high and then it engages. But when I am driving and I manually downshift, it has the compression braking that it used to have before the issues began.

Also, when I press the "2nd" button that is right next to the "PWR" button, it doesn't engage. you press it down and it pops back up. This was not a problem before.

I have heard about electrical problems with the wiring leading to the solenoids. Do you all have any pictures of these wires and what to look for?

In my case I was told it could be both but in the end it turned out to be the neutral safety lockout unit that was making it get stuck in gears, usually 2nd, and then being fine for a few hours. They said the solenoid was more $pendy, but the safety thing was just an easy bolt on job.

 

[SUMMIT CRUISERS]

I may sound like a broken record sometimes when it comes to transmission shifting issues but I would confirm that all gears work when manually shifted. If they do, then unplug the NSS barrel connector located below and back of the PHH and check for broken wires and/or corrosion. This is the most common issue I've discovered with transmission shifting issues.

 

[jeeprjames]

There's some pictures that might help in this thread:[URL="https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/stuck-nss-connector-help.1050628/"]Stuck NSS connector...HELP![/URL]

 

[Trail Mule]

I'll look into that switch tomorrow. Thanks!

Any other suggestions?