I just bought a 2000 ES with 4spd AT for cheap. The engine runs great and the car is in pretty good condition. The only problem is the transmisson. I will shift in to reverse without any issue but when I put it in drive there is a whining noise then it seems to catch a gear and dies. If it give a little gas when shifting into drive i can sometimes keep it from dying. It's almost like it starts in second gear.

If i keep the car from dying and get it up to speed it will shift into 3rd and then overdrive with a little slip between gears. I did a scan and I do have a 0700 code but I have scanned the codes from the tcm. Does that sound like a tranny rebuild?

Thanks for any help!

 

Could it be the shift control solenoid. You could pick one up at a salvage yard and try it out. I just got one for $30. Do you hear any clicking when you shift it into gear from Park? Kind of sounds like running your finger accross the teeth of a hair comb.

 

Thanks for the reply, i will check that out.

The only odd sound it makes when going from park to drive is mechanical whirling sound then it catches the gear and i'm pretty sure it is skipping 1st gear.

 

What happens when you manually shift it into 1st from Nuetral?

 

consider looking into downloading a repair manual from
www.repairmanuals.com

dodge
http://www.repairmanualdownloads.com/dirbrowse-7.htm

 

When I shift into 1st from neutral it does the same thing. It gives the wirling sound and dies if I don't give it enough gas. If I get the car going and then try to downshift manually it wirls like it wants to shift gears then goes back into second.

 

If there is any whining sound when you put it in gear the tranny may be shot. I would try adding some sort of cleaner like seafoam, trying to drive it for a few miles and then dropping the pan and changing the fluid and filter. Have you checked the fluid? What does it look like, smell like? If this doesn't help then by guess is that the tranny is most likely bad. How many miles on the car?