TRANSMISSION HELP PLEASE ?

thomasrobert23

New member
a few months back my dodge 2500 trans went, so found a used one with 80k, had my mechanic put it on. It still isn't shifting but throwing no error codes related to it, my mechanic says upon researching it that the transmission computer ( maybe TCM ) needs to be reset by a computer that he dows not have, he towed it to a dodge dealer 40 min away only to have them say " oh 2006 is too old we don't have that computer program" he is now trying to find another dealer that does, but we live in middle of upstate NY and are over an hour from Syracuse ( closest city that might have a dealer ), as of now its been 3 months of no sprinter and no delivery work, my 2 questions are"

1. is it normal that putting in a working used trans would not shift without being reprogrammed?

2. is there any consumer level tool under say 200$ I could get to be able to perform this reset myself or give to my mechanic to do?

I am going bankrupt trying to get this thing back on the road...( I still owe 6k to the bank on it otherwise I would have cut my losses and tried to get another one when this all happened )

the history-
the van has 170k, threw code for bad solenoid A, went into limp mode, fluid was black and smelled burnt, and mechanic upon opening trans found chucks of metal, so we assumed cheapest path was to install used one.....

HELP PLEASE!

thanks


Thomas
 

lindenengineering

Well-known member
a few months back my dodge 2500 trans went, so found a used one with 80k, had my mechanic put it on. It still isn't shifting but throwing no error codes related to it, my mechanic says upon researching it that the transmission computer ( maybe TCM ) needs to be reset by a computer that he dows not have, he towed it to a dodge dealer 40 min away only to have them say " oh 2006 is too old we don't have that computer program" he is now trying to find another dealer that does, but we live in middle of upstate NY and are over an hour from Syracuse ( closest city that might have a dealer ), as of now its been 3 months of no sprinter and no delivery work, my 2 questions are"

1. is it normal that putting in a working used trans would not shift without being reprogrammed?

2. is there any consumer level tool under say 200$ I could get to be able to perform this reset myself or give to my mechanic to do?

I am going bankrupt trying to get this thing back on the road...( I still owe 6k to the bank on it otherwise I would have cut my losses and tried to get another one when this all happened )

the history-
the van has 170k, threw code for bad solenoid A, went into limp mode, fluid was black and smelled burnt, and mechanic upon opening trans found chucks of metal, so we assumed cheapest path was to install used one.....

HELP PLEASE!

thanks


Thomas
Thomas what ARE YOU DOING???
First if the donor transmission was in good shape it will shift in all gears except that the shift quality "might" be a bit rough on the lower gears on up/down shift without an adaption.
Clearly if it won't shift then there's problem.
Your mechanic needs to base line the transmission and discover why it won't shift.
Basic professional mechanic's work really that's what we are trained to do.

There is NO cheapo tool available to adapt it for DIY'rs.

I acertain that the dealer probably took one look at the rig and gave it the sign of Dracula!
You got a diplomatic rejection.
I on the other hand would have given you the right as a customer in my shop, to ask for a full diagnosis at a cost plus incurring shop rate charges. Starting with the base line activity (as previous mentioned) then interrogating the transmission under a road test condition monitoring the live data with a factory style scan tool..

Using take out units can be a crap shoot! If I offer one, it always comes with a 90 day limited written warranty. That should be your guide line.
All the best , & not good news.
Dennis
 

thomasrobert23

New member
Thanks I know this is an ongoing nightmare and am out of options. Could it be something else triggering limp home mode ? Not allowing it to shift, like previous fault code that needs to be reset ? It’s tough not being a mechanic and try to figure out what is going on. The used trans was supposedly driven and shiftedfine before being pulled, had fresh pink fluid and shifted through gears perfectly. There is a warrantee I believe , I just don’t know what to do and at this point don’t have the money to keep throwing at it without being able to do deliveries So in non mechanic terms, you are saying if the trans is good it should have started shifting after installing no special resetting needed? Purely mechanical , sorry trying to understand
 

220629

Well-known member
... So in non mechanic terms, you are saying if the trans is good it should have started shifting after installing no special resetting needed? Purely mechanical ,
A good transmission being controlled by your original TCM should shift through gears without any adaptation procedure. The shift points may not be ideal and smooth, but it will run up and down through the gears.

You mentioned the TCM still having some leftover data related to the failure. Old DTC's will remain until cleared. It is possible to affect the replacement transmission (remaining LHM), but I would expect it to still shift through the gears. That said, there is an LHM mode which stops all shifting. If not done already, it would be worthwhile to clear the TCM module DTC memory using a Sprinter specific scan tool.

You also mentioned black fluid and metal bits. Was the transmission cooling system fully flushed/cleaned before installation of the replacement? If no, it is possible for contamination to affect the replacement tranny.

:2cents: vic
 

220629

Well-known member
Can the TCM module be reset using a consumer lever tool or the expensive dealer one only ?
iCarsoft MBII or Autel MD802 or MD808 will access the TCM to clear DTC's/historical LHM. Typically $150 - $250, sometimes less. A correct Snap-on tool can also access.

Check the Scanners section of the forum located near the top of the Sprinter Talk Section.

:cheers: vic
 
Last edited:

veganxxx

Active member
I this process was the harness ever pulled off the trans computer and checked for trans fluid contamination? That can cause computer havoc.
 

thomasrobert23

New member
Spoke to mechanic, asked him to describe exactly what he means by “ not shifting “ he said it goes in reverse and 2nd and park, which maybe is a good sign as that’s LHM right ? I ordered a scanner to try and reset the TCM , and or dig deeper into sensors. I’ll post next week with an update. My non mechanic brain would say if it can drive reverse and 2nd the the trans might be fine, but something is triggering into LHM. But I could be wrong ? Thanks for all help god knows I need it !
 

thomasrobert23

New member
just an update, that model scanner was the wrong one for sprinter vans, I ended up getting the "LAUNCH CRP 129" which does have sprinter models, Ill post a transmission update at some point, unfortunately my van is buried in 20" of snow with a dead battery at the moment, but still holding out hope that resetting the TCM may help
 

kansascitysprinters

t1n everything
I've never heard of that scanner. Careful as some can say they do sprinters, but in reality they'll only do a few of the systems, and not the full spectrum which is really what you want.

this is what I ordered, $264 it's not the cheapest, but it's a solid investment. if you buy it, make sure to buy it straight from amazon and not a amazon reseller, sometimes the sell junk. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0714GBRZK/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

the other one people seem to like
https://www.amazon.com/iCarsoft-Mercedes-Sprinter-Professional-Diagnostic/dp/B015DNAMT2

This will still not reset adaptive parameters on a tranny. Adaptive parameters can be reset by a lot of higher end tools, had someone do it for me with a snap on code reader before I got my DAS system, now I do it myself.

The LHM guess is a good one, see if you can codes on it.

Best of luck, keep us updated.
 
Last edited:

thomasrobert23

New member
Ok I am finally thrilled to be able to post a positive update, I got the Launch CRP129 scanner, and YES it does Sprinters, and YES I was able to reset TCM module and a few other stubborn codes ABS, SRS ) and finally YES my used transmission works perfectl! it’s as I suspected , it was still stuck in limp home mode because the computer still thought the bad trans and error codes were still there. I have driven over 100 miles since resetting and no error codes, and shifts perfectly. I am kind of still in shock as I feared the worst for months and began to think it would never drive again So hopefully this will help someone in similar situation , 1100$ trans from eBay with 80k, sprinter has 177k so I am thrilled !!! I’ll post some scanner Picts but am so glad I got this for 175$, priceless to have this in the van for the next issue that arises, thank everyone for their input! I rely heavily on this forum!
 

Attachments

Last edited:
Thomas what ARE YOU DOING???
First if the donor transmission was in good shape it will shift in all gears except that the shift quality "might" be a bit rough on the lower gears on up/down shift without an adaption.
Clearly if it won't shift then there's problem.
Your mechanic needs to base line the transmission and discover why it won't shift.
Basic professional mechanic's work really that's what we are trained to do.

There is NO cheapo tool available to adapt it for DIY'rs.

I acertain that the dealer probably took one look at the rig and gave it the sign of Dracula!
You got a diplomatic rejection.
I on the other hand would have given you the right as a customer in my shop, to ask for a full diagnosis at a cost plus incurring shop rate charges. Starting with the base line activity (as previous mentioned) then interrogating the transmission under a road test condition monitoring the live data with a factory style scan tool..

Using take out units can be a crap shoot! If I offer one, it always comes with a 90 day limited written warranty. That should be your guide line.
All the best , & not good news.
Dennis
Well that saved me a bunch of time typing...:thumbup:
 

Top Bottom