[medic265]

Hello Everyone,

Just found and joined the forum and this is my first post...... So hello from Kentucky!!

I've got a 2002 PT Cruiser with about 120k miles on it. This car is giving me fits.

I'm just not sure where to start. I've literally searched for hours on the interenet over the last 3 days and can't find anything that really matches my issues.

First of all while driving down the road if you are giving the car anything but mild throttle it seems like the rev limiter is kicking in at about 3800 rpms. The car will jerk until you let off and then change gears. Occasionally it would not change gears above 2nd (about 40mph) My first guess is that for whatever reason the rev limiter is engaged all the time.

So after a little reading, I think that it may be the transmission range sensor. So I order one and put it in last night. Unfortunately that did not fix the problem.

A couple more issues are that the reverse lights are not coming on at all. The care will also start in any gear.

When I bought the transmission range sensor I also got what was called a neutral safety/reverse lights switch. I haven't put that in yet. It looks like I'm gonna have to dismantle the dang car to get to it....

So what am I missing? My first thought was the TRS would fix all the problems put it didn't. I'm a little lost at this point.

Any advice?
Greg

 

[offroaderdodge]

check engine light on?
if so,you need to read the codes.
if you cycle the key on-off on-off-on
the codes should appear in the dash display odometer.
if you get p0700,that is a generic transmission code,someone with a code reader capable of reading transmission will have to scan it for you.

the possibilities are endless,i just went through a goofy trans problem myself.turned out to be the trans controller.mine was an 01 pt.
i only threw 100 dollars worth of parts at it til i decided to get a factory service manual.

https://www.techauthority.com/en-US/Pages/Home.aspx

that will get you a reasonably priced factory manual,updated and diagnostic manual. i highly reccomend it.

 

[djsamuel]

Sure sounds like the switch you have ready to go in. The rev limiter normally kicks in when in neutral, and your backup lights aren't coming on. You may want to check wiring to see if it is a connector issue (or the wiring itself) if it looks like the switch is tough to change. Look for the easy fix first.

 

[medic265]

Thanks for the replies....

It hasn't thrown any codes............UNTIL today...p1899 which I looked up to be "Park/neutral switch stuck in park/gear"

After I made my first post I went back out to the shop to pull it out. It would not move in any forward gear or reverse. I was very frustrated so I left it in the shop overnight. I went back out yesterday and was gonna push it back out into the drive to make room for another project. I started it up and put it in reverse. It hesitated just a little and then went into gear. I backed it out and put it in drive and sure enough it went into drive. I played with it back and forth a little in the driveway and then drove it down the road. It's shifting dreat but still on the rev limiter at 3800. I drove it several miles. It still hesitates to go into reverse quite a bit.

I haven't put the reverse switch in yet. It looks like I'm gonna have to dismantle half the dang car to get it in. But at least it's moving again.

Still not sure what to think about the code though.

Greg

 

[ImperialCrown]

Someone may have jumpered the P/N switch to get it to crank over and left it that way.
Regardless of the electronics, you should always have reverse and 2nd gear (for a forward range) and they should engage as soon as selected. The delay bothers me as it could be something hydraulic or mechanical failing internally.
A scan tool that can read live data may explain why the rev limiter is happening at too low an RPM.
I believe that a violet wire off the TRS powers the reverse lights. Look for any wiring modifications.