2000 Rodeo Transmission stuck in Limp mode.

[trooperbc]

Originally Posted by bbohica

...a rebuild was done. They put it back together and now it won't shift... they said it's electrical and not their problem.. and that they did their job, which was to rebuild the tranny...

yeah, i love that crap. their job, the one you paid for, was to correctly diagnose the problem and then to correctly fix the problem, which they haven't done, it would seem. time to ratchet up the noise....


//bc

[bbohica]

I thought I'd post a follow up on this, since I hate reading threads that have no conclusion...

After I picked up the Rodeo from the transmission shop, I did my homework on the electrical system. I ohmed out every ground and power connection, and every input and output of the transmission. Everything seemed OK. The only few signals I didn't check were switching signals which wouldn't give me a valuable reading on an ohm meter. I checked all the fuses as well and replace one blown fuse. I don't recall which fuse it was, but it was on the fuse box under the drivers seat, 30A, and on the 'left' column. I only had a spare 20A, but it seemed to be doing it's job and didn't blow right away.

After checking all the electrical, I decided it was time to take it back to the tranny shop. Not only was it not shifting but it was leaking tranny oil terribly so they had to fix that anyway.

While it was initially just stuck in 1st gear after picking it up, it seemed to start shifting properly after about 15 minutes of driving. And by properly, I mean like a tranny stuck in limp mode should shift. This doesn't seem relevant to my problem but I thought I'd add it in here briefly in case someone else runs into it.

The tranny shop this time says that they are getting proper CEL codes that might lead to a conclusion. Before we weren't getting any. The only thing I changed was the blown fuse. I don't recall the CEL number, but it was for a bad vehicle speed sensor.

I did some research on the CEL and found that either a failure of the VSS, or the transmission speed sensor, which is on top of the tranny, will give this same CEL code. Because my speedo was still working properly I suspected the TSS. I told the trany shop that the TSS would cause the same thing, and asked if they had checked it, to which they replied "yes, of course". So, I pick up the car again and figure either a new TSS or VSS will fix the car, and since the TSS was cheaper, and I was leaning that way anyway, I bought the part.

So I tear out my console, and remove my 4WD shifter boot to get to the tranny and what do I find??? The darned tranny shop did NOT connect the TSS. Not only did they not connect it, they broke the latch off of the connector. I plug it in, clear the codes, and take it for a spin... All is good!

Now.. obviously I can take it back to the shop and get nasty with them but honestly, I'd just rather move on with my life and be happy... so I just used a zip tie to secure the connector, and buttoned it all back up.

So.. in short, I probably did need a new transmission, but the tranny shop introduced a different problem that had the exact same symptom.

There is a small possibility that the TSS latch was already broken, and that the TSS had vibrated loose, and that was the issue all along. It's doubtful though since we never had a CEL for that. And the tranny shop had to remove the tranny to rebuild it. I'm also curious to know if I fixed the reporting of CEL's by replacing that fuse, or if I had some sort of loose connection or wiring harness issue that I 'fixed' by all of my pulling and probing.

I'm glad to have it back on the road though after six months of sitting. A million thanks goes out to Jerry L who answered hundreds of questions and helped me debug the issue via email along the way and for providing me parts at a great price.

[FL 3.2L]

Wow. Thanks a lot for posting that update. I lost the torque converter lock up by tugging on the tranny harness to fix an O2 wiring problem several months back. The auto tranny doesn't like electrical problems, does it? Glad you got it resolved and hope the rebuild lasts a LONG time!

[dragon4785]

My 2002 Isuzu Rodeo with the 3.2L V6 downshifted from 4th to 2nd on the highway at about 65 miles an hour to pass and not it is stuck in what I think is "limp mode". The transmission will shift from Park to Reverse and then into Neutral fine and engage the gears. When I shift into Drive the vehicle will not shift higher than 2nd. Also, the dash indicator will only show Park and 2nd. Nothing in between. I have changed the transmission fluid and filter. There was not any large particles in the fluid although it was pretty dark, and had a burnt odor to it. I have checked all of the connections to the sensors to make sure they are plugged in correctly. I also have checked the battery and alternator. The battery sustains about 12.7 volts and the alternator puts out a steady 14.2 volts. Please someone who has any ideas please help. This is my only vehicle so I have to keep driving it to work.

[amigo-2k]

sounds like you need to clean or need a new range sensor :


http://www.walkerdowney.com/ryanendres//isuzu/#faq59

[dragon4785]

So one of the connections inside of the range sensor was broken. Now I am working on finding a new one and hopefully it will fix the problem.

[amigo-2k]

That should probably fix it ... I know when mine finally went the dash indicator lights were messed up and it was slamming in and out of gears ... I just drove it directly to my dealer about 3 miles away and had them swap out the part ...

[dragon4785]

a new range sensor/neutral safety switch fixed all of the transmission problems I was having. It even fixed the shift points so I am not reving out quite so much. Thank you for all of your help.

[dragon4785]

So I was driving to get dinner tonight and my Isuzu dropped into limp mode again. Guess it is back to the drawing board again. Hopefully my Brand New Range Sensor is still in one piece. I think I am going to start tracing wires to see if any are grounding out.

[dragon4785]

So after tracing every wire I can until it goes between the back of the engine and firewall with not finding any broken wires, tearing apart my entire dash and reconnecting any plugs I found, and even replacing all of the fuses the Rodeo is still in Limp Mode. I have looked inside of the new Range Selector and nothing is broken. I have disconnected all of the sensors on the transmission and reconnected them after cleaning the connections with electrical cleaner. I still do not have any drive gear higher than 2nd, and park on the dash. With manually shifting I can get it into P, R, N, and 2nd.

I am completely out of ideas short of junking the truck. There is not a shop around here that will even look at it for less than $1000 that I can drive to. The nearest shop that will even look at is with a decent reputation is 1 1/2 hours away at 75 MPH. Does anyone have any ideas. I have been looking for the TCM and starting to think that I do not have one. There is nothing under the dash, under the center console, or anywhere near the Transmission underneath the Rodeo.

[amigo-2k]

Try posting this on planetisuzoo.com

a lot more active site ...

[luislda]

My Isuzu Rodeo 2000 3.2L V6, have a automatic transmission. The problem is when I put in D, the indicator in the dash put reverse and the car goes reverse. The other problem is i can't put in parking. Whats wrong with my car, someone helps me... How can I fix this?