Hi,

my 1997 neon sticks in 2nd gear and will not go into 3rd. someone said that it could be the govenor. any suggestions?

 

A bit more information would be helpful. What is the condition of the fluid? What mileage? Does it do this all the time and did it start doing this suddenly or over time?

Check the shift linkage under the console and on the transaxle. A worn or out of adjustment linkage may not move the shift leaver to the proper position.

There is also a throttle pressure cable or kick down cable that should be checked or adjusted.

Have a look at this link.
http://autorepair.about.com/library/faqs/bl047i.htm

 

the transmission fluid is good. The car has 179000km. When I manually shift from park into reverse it does kick a little. and the car only sticks in 2nd after it has been running for more than an hour.
sorry i didn't give more info....I am new to this site

 

When is the last time the fluid and filter were changed? The shop manual recommends every 30,000 miles, along with the kick down and reverse band adjustments. Dirty or clogged filters can cause a lot of shifting issues.

 

the fluid was changed last summer, about 1000kms ago. Thanks so much for your info

 

I hate to say this, but sometimes a fluid change does nothing for a Dodge tranny that is potentially going bad.

The sticking in second gear issue is a "safe mode" or "limp mode" for auto trannys so that you can get home/to a repair shop and not be stuck on the side of the road.

My 1991 Dodge Caravan and 1996 Dodge Grand Caravan did this at 66000 miles and both times, the tranny was shot and had to be replaced.

Good luck.