Automatic Transmission Does not Respond

Greetings All!

I was driving my 2003 Sprinter down the interstate and I believe that something may have hit the underside of the car. The engine was still running but the car seemed to be in neutral and I had to pull over. When I pulled over there was green fluid everywhere which I believe was coolant.

The serpentine belt had a small tear in it and the battery would not take a charge. Upon further examination, the hose between the transmission and the radiator had a tear in it.

I replaced the belt, alternator and hose between the transmission and radiator. The car seems to be running fine now but nothing happens when you shift the car so it does not go anywhere. There is no noise or "bump" or anything. The engine and transmission were working perfectly prior to this.

I tried switching the relay for the automatic transmission with a relay that I knew was working but still the shifter does nothing.

Any ideas?

I believe there's a mechanical linkage on the driver's side of the transmission. Does that move when the shifter is shifted?

Maybe get someone to shift it while someone else is underneath looking at it, with the engine off.

Thank you for responding!

With the engine turned off, we could not get out of park, but the linkage did move.

on the passenger side of the trans there is a electrical socket with a number of wires that control the trans- maybe the socket or wires were damaged also?

Did you check and refill the transmission fluid? It sounds like you lost (split) a hose to/from the transmission cooler. That line is under fairly high pressure. By the time you pulled over it may have blown out enough tranny fluid to empty the sump and not leak appreciably once you were stopped. Were I you, before I did anything else I'd check the transmission fluid level.

The transmission line may have sprayed oil on the serpentine belt. I think it would be worthwhile to check the idler pulley(s) and other components of the serpentine belt system to make certain all are snug and running true.

I have no real explanation for the coolant loss except that the slipping belt may have stopped the water pump and caused the engine temperature to go high? The transmission hose leak may have been the start of your problems? All this is said having never seen the vehicle. Good luck. vic

If the shifter cable is still hooked up & works. You should be able to see it move at the trans. And even if the trans lost all electrical power you should still have 2nd & reverse. No 2nd & reverse then you are out of trans fluid. Something caused it all to leak out. You are going to have to find the leak and fix it. Then refill the trans. Lets hope that you did not damage the trans. Many other people have reported that when they ran the trans out of fluid it was junk. PS I may know a guy that has a used one. Hope this helps, Wayne

Thank you for all your posts. After I added a few quarts of transmission fluid it is working fine. It must have dumped the transmission fluid on the interstate.

witek888 said:

Thank you for all your posts. After I added a few quarts of transmission fluid it is working fine. It must have dumped the transmission fluid on the interstate.

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Hey you are not done yet. That trans is more that just a few quarts low! Also you should change the filter & fluid. Use correct trans fluid, also fill it to the correct level using the right stick to measure it. Failure to do so will trash your trans!!! Wayne

This guy is in your neck of the woods and sells everything you will need.

http://store.europarts-sd.com/

Wayne

Yes the fluid costs alot. But just think about what the cost is to replace your transmission!

Maintenance needed =
Replace Transmission Oil
MOPAR Part #
05127382AA
Part Needed = ATF, 7 liter
• Service fill w/ filter = 10.6 pints
• Complete overhaul including
torque converter = 16.3 pints

Thank you. I will do the transmission service as you suggest.

I am just glad I caught you in time. Also make sure that you check your lower coolant hose for damage. It was most likely that your frayed belt took out your trans hose. It may have also caused damage to the coolant hose and that maybe why you seen the green fluid. Also don't throw away your old alt. I bet it is still good after you dry & clean it. Keep it for a spare if you still have it. Wayne

witek888,
I'm glad to hear you're up and running. Unfortunately time will tell whether the loss of transmission fluid did any real damage.

"The serpentine belt had a small tear in it...."

Out of curiosity.

A kinda typical Sprinter failure mode which causes lower hose damage is that the serpentine belt shreds and as it whips around it can damage other components like the transmission hoses. Did your serpentine belt shred to the point of whipping around and damaging hoses and wiring? It sounded to me more like it was still intact. It is possible the transmission hose failed first and sprayed fluid on the belt and components. At that time the belt would quickly lose traction and could slip to the point of not driving the water pump and alternator causing loss of charging and overheating. Again, this comment is made without ever seeing your vehicle.

For future reference to anyone finding this thread. Any good quality transmission fluid will work to get you back up and running if you catastrophically lose your fluid. Afterward you will need to drain and refill both the transmission sump (pan) and torque converter (TC) with approved fluid at your earliest convenience. (Edit - Shoot, even cheap stuff will work. Anything is better than having transmission components running dry.) Any special qualities that MB approved fluid may have do not matter for the short term to get you home. If you don't have a transmission dip stick I believe you can assume that an empty transmission sump needs 3 - 4 quarts so that amount should be safe to add without proper level information. My opinion and worth everything you'll pay for it. vic