Plymouth voyager tcm

QuestionEdit

i have a high mileage ply.{100,000mi) voyager i have been very diligent with my tx service every 20,000 to 30,000 miles (never over 30,000) here is my question ,,it is very sluggish shifting from 1st to 2nd gear unless i trick the tx by letting up on the gas at 25 mph which then allows it ot shift normally ,, the other shifts from 2nd to drive is normal ,,

        also i am told that because i have no back up lites (fuses and bulbs are ok ) that tells me the TCM should be replaced   will this correct my problem?   thanks for your time 

              jim caruso   newnan ga.

AnswerEdit

Hi Jim, I would not jump to the conclusion that you need a new tcm. Rather I would get a fault code readout from the tcm memory to see whether it has detected a malfunction which directly points to the cause of the sluggish shifting. You didn't mention the year model but if it is newer than '96 then it would be OBD-II version and that has a single socket for a code reader under the dash. A nationwide autoparts store (such as Autozone# will often do a free code readout and tell you any 4-digit numbers that read out. Let me know the results and we can go from there. There is even a code or two that would suggest the tcm be replaced, but absent such a code I would not consider replacing it. On the back-up lights, the circuit has a number of possible places where the failure can occur, not just at the tcm. So let me know the model year and I can tell you the circuit and the ways to locate where the problem is occurring. It is not cost effective to just spend money on parts without doing some troubleshooting first. And there is shop time involved if you change out the tcm to 'program' it. Please 'rate' my answer #see below#. Thanks, Roland