Range Mode Sensor?

Hello all, back again for my latest issue.

99 Honda Passport EX

I had some mechanical work done on my car with the alternator. Were trying to put a HO alt, turns out the company shipped the wrong casing for it, so still got stock in heh. ANYWHO.

Last night on the way home from that, driving down the highway I hit one of the overpass humps and the car started to rev high like it got shifted into to a lower gear. I slowed down and let the car try and shift back up into the higher gear and it wouldn't happen. Pulled over tried to start the car and couldn't get it to shift pass'd once it got into the 2nd shift. At this point the dash indicator and shifting was smooth.

I stop at a gas station, and leave the car off for 5 minutes, when I get back in and start the dash indicators are funky for shifting, IE; Drive goes to L... R doesn't light up, Parking goes to P as it should, L and 2 work, but 3 doesn't light up, when I go to 3 it lights up in L.

AND its Hard Shifting into gear now, AKA Limp Mode.

Is this my range mode sensor gone bad? I looked at it, and it seems like the outer casing of it (the brass part) in this picture is almost removable.

http://i520.photobucket.com/albums/w327/Klownicle/CIMG0190.jpg

Kinda sounds like it. Although mine didn't jump shifts due to the cruddy mode sensor like you describe. The disconnect between the gear indicator lights on the dash, and the shifter position is a good indication of a dirty/gummy mode sensor. Might as well open er up & clean it anyway & see what happens.

The brass-looking plate is simply a guard, & it pops right off & back on without difficulty. You CAN open it up right on the tranny & clean it up there without pulling it off completely. I did. It's quicker &, I think, easier that way. You have to cut one or two zip ties to open it, in additio to removing the cover screws. Although pulling it off completely & bench-cleaning it is a lot easier on your back.

You want to open it up & clean out the old grease/gunk from the contacts & traces with CRC electrical contact cleaner or equivalent. It has a very funky, oddly-shaped orange gasket that seals the cover, so be careful with it that you don't break it sos you can reuse. Then re-grease (lightly) the traces with just a dab of dielectric grease. Then reassemble. Takes about 1-2 hrs, depending upon your mech skill.

That might or might not fix your issues (which might or might not be due to the mode sensor). If not, you will have to replace it completely. I finally did. They are readily available at major auto parts stores such as Advance. You don't have to go back to Isuzu to get one.

I think im going to just replace it, ive had the hard shift issue (without the dash problem) before cleaning it didn't work. I just dealt with it (turned off the car and waited) and it stopped occurring. I think its overdue. We shall see, later today.

Maybe when I hit that hump/overpass area on the highway, becuase my car got "jostled" around at the speed I was going, maybe its internals got moved in a manor that affects the tranny o_0. It wasn't like a pothole, just the hole car shaked like I just dropped onto a lower part of the road lol.

Might save time in the end. Seems like it cost $60 or $70 when I replaced mine with one from Advance Auto Parts. My recollection is a bit fuzzy on that, however.

One other thing to be careful of. This thing is position-calibrated on install. There is a small hole in it on the side into which you must insert a small rod (I think I used a 3/16" drill which fit the hole perfectly). When that will go all the way in, the sensor is in the neutral position, and the gear shifter must also be in the N position when you lock the linkage back down. Then you simply remove the rod, and everything is calibrated. If you don't do that, you might get really funky results (1st gear puts it in reverse, maybe?) or it won't work at all.

EDIT: My mistake, the drill bit I used to hold the sensor in neutral was 3/32", not 3/16".

Might save time in the end. Seems like it cost $60 or $70 when I replaced mine with one from Advance Auto Parts. My recollection is a bit fuzzy on that, however.

One other thing to be careful of. This thing is position-calibrated on install. There is a small hole in it on the side into which you must insert a small rod (I think I used a 3/16" drill which fit the hole perfectly). When that will go all the way in, the sensor is in the neutral position, and the gear shifter must also be in the N position when you lock the linkage back down. Then you simply remove the rod, and everything is calibrated. If you don't do that, you might get really funky results (1st gear puts it in reverse, maybe?) or it won't work at all.

EDIT: My mistake, the drill bit I used to hold the sensor in neutral was 3/32", not 3/16".

I tried not to ride my mechanic's rear about it lol but if it doesn't work first time around ill mention that. Thanks for the tip.

Right now it seems all my gears work as they should in limp mode (reverse functions fine, park, nutural etc). I don't know if I still can't get it in 3rd gear. I know when I put it in L 2 3 it lights up in L and other gear indicators dont lit up properly, only ones that do a L 2 and P. I don't even give it a chance to shift into 3rd with this hard shifting, it feels like someone is hitting my truck when it does it lol.

Thanks again for the insight.

Fixed, 104$ later for a range mode sensor, and its solved. Thanks for the help :).

Where did you end up buying one? $104 is pretty good....I need one too but $180 is the best i can find

Thanks

Ryan