1995 caravan trans troubles

it has the 3.3 motor , not sure of trans size, but it wont come out of second gear , someone told me to drive about 40mph and put the van in neutral then shut the van off , when i did that it went right into high gear, what does this mean and what should i fix? thanks e1

It is in what they call "Limp Home Mode." All this means is the TCM found something wrong. If your trans fluid is clean you may be able to fix it. There are a few things that are possibilities. The input and output speed sensors, (when the output sensor is bad the speedo doesn't work) the PRNDL switch or there is a problem with the solenoid pack. There could just be a dirty connection on one or more of the sensors. The harness plug on the solenoid pack can get wet if it is loose. If you do not find anything here, try changine the fluid and filter. If this doesn't do it, you can rebuild the solenoid pack for about $17. It is very easy. You can buy the kit here:
http://www.transmissionpartsusa.com/SearchResults.asp

If none of these fix the problem there is probably something wrong internally. But when this happens you will find pieces of metal in the pan.