TEST 1: Over-Drive Shift Solenoid Resistance Test
OK, this is what you signed up for, testing the Over-Drive shift solenoid inside the transmission solenoid pack to see if its good or bad.
Before you start, you'll need to disconnect the solenoid pack's 8 wire connector since you'll be testing the solenoid pack's pin #4 and pin #6 with your multimeter's red and black test leads (in Ohms mode).
Pin #4 is the one that feeds power (10 to 12 Volts) to the Over-Drive shift solenoid and Pin #6 is the one that feeds the activation signal to it.
NOTE: Don't perform the Over-Drive shift solenoid test with a hot engine/transmission or you run the riks of getting burned. Be careful, use common sense and think SAFETY.
OK, this is what you'll need to do:
- Disconnect the solenoid packs electrical connector.
- This is an on-car test, so you don't have to remove the solenoid pack to test it.
- If you have already removed the transmission solenoid pack, well thats OK since the instructions in this test tutorial still apply.
- Set your multimeter to Ohms mode.
- With the red Lead, probe the metal male terminal labeled with the number 4 in the photo above.
- With the black multimeter test lead, probe the metal male terminal labeled with the number 6.
- Your multimeter should register between 0.5 to 9 Ohms.
Let's find out what your test result means:
CASE 1: The multimeter registered the indicated Ohms. This is the correct and expected resistance test result and let's you know that the Over-Drive shift solenoid (within the solenoid pack) is OK.
Since a trouble code P0760 is lighting up the check engine light and your transmission is not shifting out of 2nd gear, the next steps are:
- Check the continuity of circuit #6 between the Transmission Control Module and the solenoid pack's connector.
- Check the physical condition of the solenoid pack's connector and the round metal terminals inside of it for damage.
The above steps are beyond the scope of this article, but at least now you know what direction your troubleshooting needs to take.
CASE 2: The multimeter DID NOT register the indicated Ohms. Double check that you're testing the correct metal male terminals on the solenoid pack and retest.
If you still don't see the indicated resistance in Ohms, then the Over-Drive shift solenoid is bad. You'll need to replace the solenoid pack Assembly to resolve the problem.
Over-Drive Shift Solenoid Test Conclusion
I think that getting down and close to the solenoid pack to test the pins is probably the hardest part of the entire test, but once you get to the pins, the test itself is pretty easy.
Over the years I've replaced quite a few of these Chrysler solenoid packs (working full-time as diagnostic tech in an automotive repair shop), so in this section I want to share a couple of personal suggestions that I think will help you:
- Whenever any of the shift solenoids, inside the solenoid pack, go bad, the transmission will go into LIMP IN mode. This means the transaxle will stay and run in 2nd gear only.
- A bad Over-Drive (OD) shift solenoid will not cause your transmission to slip.
- If your vehicle's transaxle is slipping, then replacing the solenoid pack will not help since slippage is a direct result of internal transaxle damage (burned clutch discs, broken/worn internal hard parts, etc).
- Can a bad solenoid pack cause the transaxle to go bad?, the answer is YES if you don't take care of the problem as soon as possible and/or continue driving it for extended amounts of time/distance in LIMP IN mode.
Well, in conclusion: I hope this test tutorial helped you. If it did, drop me a line using the contact form below. Sharing your diagnostic and repair experience will definitely help other readers facing the same issue/dilemma.
Chrysler Transmission Solenoid Pack Tutorials
The following tutorials relate to this transmission solenoid pack tutorial:
- Testing Diagnostic Trouble Code P0750 (Low Reverse Shift Solenoid Malfunction).
- How To Test Diagnostic Trouble Code P0755 (2-4 Shift Solenoid Malfunction).
- How To Test Diagnostic Trouble Code P0765 (Shift Solenoid D Malfunction).
If this info saved the day, buy me a beer!
