Lost overdrive a couple of months ago after hitting a big pothole. I've been driving around at 50 mph/2200 rpm's since.

I simply don't have the money to replace the transmission and that's all anyone around here seems to want to do. Rebuild or replace. Several of the places I've talked to I walked out of when it seemed I knew more about this tranny than they did.

My question is shouldn't there be a way to check the solenoid operation externally? That way I could quickly eliminate any other wiring, charging, batteries, etc. issues. Couldn't I bypass the truck's wiring and supply voltage and ground at highway speed and see if it energizes? If it didn't I would know to go internally, if it did I could look upstream for problems.

Or does anyone know a good and honest tranny tech in the Tampa/St Pete area?

By the way I was having crazy shifting problems last year and thanks to help from this forum I replaced the TPS and all was well again until I hit the pothole. That was the first thing I checked this time and the problem does not seem to be there.

 

Hook up a lockup switch to check it if you need the wiring for it let me know and I will post one.

 

I'd love to have the wiring for it. I was going to hook up a mystery switch for it but being an early '96 I assume it would need to be re-flashed. That's why I was curious if I could bypass the PCM and test it directly.

 

Sorry it took so long to post these instructions but my srcanner was on the fritz.

 

What year pickup do you have. On my 97 they way I tested the OD solenoid was to ground it out. On mine it's IIRC B21 on the PCM. It's a brown wire.

 

My truck is a '96. Would it have to be reflashed, or is that just for the TC?

I thought I had read somewhere that it was actuated by supplying ground, but I didn't want to make a bad situation worse by poking wires when I don't know what's what.

I'm going to try this tomorrow if I can get to it. First I have to fix three flats on the trailer and one on the truck from someone dumping nails on the interstate.