Thread: trans issue.....no 1st or overdrive

i have a 99 grand prix gt with 158k on it i just picked up for free.
i am very nechanical and could swap one if need be, but just wondering if this is a known problem.
the car will take off in 2nd and shift to 3rd but will not shift into OD or shify back down into 1st, any tips on what to look for or do?

also for worse case scenario, being a 99 gt, what other year/model trans will bolt in, fit and work with the ECU?

thanks in advance

Not shifting into OD is common. The splines on the 4th clutch hub get stripped out and you loose OD. You can still drive it like this, but the RPMs will be higher.

Not sure on starting out/loosing 1st gear, never had to deal with that issue.

If you decide to get a rebuild, contact Trannyman (Dave) at Triple Edge Performance. You shouldn't have to worry about a trans issue again.

As far as swaps, anything from 98-03 should swap, and possibly some newer ones. Try a quick search on here and see what comes up as I'm pretty sure its been discussed.

well i think i may have gotten a lil lucky. when i posted this i hadnt even picked the car up yet. so after getting as new battery and starter for it and firing it up, i took it for a lil test spin, blew a brake line though.
well i noticed the speedometer was not working and a check engine light was on, so i figured it may be the speed sensor that was bad causing the trans issue. so i called the PO and talked to him, he told me when he bumped the guard rail with it, the speedometer stopped working and the trans had funny shifts and when he replaced the fender he noticed a cut wire from the wheel speed sensor but didnt repair it. so i may be in luck with a easy fix.

so with a cut speed sensor wire, whay would be the ill effect caused?

i did get to drive it and it is definetly not taking off in 1st and not shifting to overdrive. even when i manually put it in first it is still taking off in 2nd gear.

yeah i read that and originally thought it could be that bad solenoid under the side cover. but i think it may be a speed sensor issue now. it makes sense that he smashed the fender into a guard rail and instantly the speedo stops working along with the trans shifting at the same exact time. going to pull the fender and look for said cut wire, repair, reset codes and see what happens.

it is on the pass side of the car, he said he noticed cut wires on that side when he replaced the fender but did nothing to the wires. so if the vss wires are cut, would the no speedo, CEL and no 1st gear or OD symptom be a likely cause?

cool, in a bit ill have the fender off and seeing whats what and report back after.

okay after replacing every single steel brake lines on it, i finally got it up to autozone for a CEL scan. got 3 codes back.

p0753 1-2 shift solenoid
p0758 2-3 shift solenoid
p1860 tcc/pwm solenoid

i did check the resistence on the pass side VSS sub section, it was good, traced it back to the harness with no visible damage.
i really want to check into the wiring more first before just swapping in new solenoids.
he said all was fine, he wiped out the fender/bumper/headlight on a guard rail instantly the speedo stopped working and the trans wasnt shifting properly, replaced the cosmetics, butt connected a few wires going to the headlights and turn signals and drove it in the current condition for a bit.
the trans fluid is very clean and pink. the trans feels solid just isnt shifting correctly.

does anyone have a link or tell me what to check for with my volt/amp/ohm meter and what i should see when i check the pins. electrical isnt my best subject, but im good and following directions and diagrams.

You are right. In a reply email from dave at triple edge performance mentioned that both shift solenoids and the tcc pwm solenoid all get their 12v ignition feed through that TCC fuse under the hood. Mine was blown. So I replaced, checked both sides of the fuse and got 12v. I drove a bit and rechecked and fuse was good. I cleared the ecu. By a scanner and as soon as I put it in reverse the cel lit back up. I rescanned immediately. And just the 1860 tcc. Pwm code popped back up. So I am believing that solenoid is bad and tripping the other 2 I am going to check some wiring with the meter tomorrow and if all is well ill be replacing every solenoid in the side cover. Any thoughts advice or suggestions?

so for checking the voltage on the solenoids, do i do it with the key on or engine started?
as a lil update, this morning it actually took off in 1st gear, in 1st manually. still no overdrive, so i believe the tcc pwm solenoid is the root cause, either way im planning on replacing all of them once i get around to lowering the trans, i know thats gonna be fun lol. i miss wrenching on my chrysler 2.2/2.5 turbos, very easy to get around the engine bay, i can swap one of those trannys in about 2 hrs or so.