limp home mode...

[roon_VR]

hello people,

Just a quick question. If i thrash my car or take off quickly from the lights, the tranny kicks into limp home mode where it shifts quite uncomfortably and tends to not kick into 4th gear. However, i don't get any error codes logged when limp home mode kicks in. Reading from other threads, this is fixed simply by replacing the solenoid, but what i wanted to know is, could limp home mode be a sign of wear and tear on the tranny? Also, there is a 1-2 second delay when i shift the gears from park to drive or reverse. Is this another sign of wear and tear? I plan on doing some towing soon so i just wanted to know if a shift kit would be recommended. I don't want to install a shift kit if these issues are a sign of wear and tear.

Thanks,

[hako]

I'm no expert so take my words with a pinch of salt but, if your car is going into Limp Home Mode then you have a problem. LHM can be activated by a number of different faults and the solenoids are only one of them.
I'd think twice about installing a shift kit if I wanted to do serious towing as its recognised that a shift kit can bring on transmission failure earlier than normal....probably because with the kit you will drive "differently". Towing is about "nice and easy" so the idea is to reduce any stresses on the transmission to a minimum so that the trans can cope with the extra loads.
Maybe your problem is simply that the transmission is low on fluid....if not then do a service on it....check the colour of the fluid - if red then OK...if brown then check bank balance. Good Luck.

[sircruisealotVS]

just thought id mention, whilst in limp home mode the trans wouldnt be shifting at all (you mention it shifts uncomfortable during limp home mode) so that might not be whats actually happening.
the only gear available in limp home mode is 3rd, which makes taking off from standing starts and inclines at low speed exceptionally annoying.
also, a small delay between shifting from gear to neutral or reverse is normal.

[Thomas1]

hello people,

Just a quick question. If i thrash my car or take off quickly from the lights, the tranny kicks into limp home mode where it shifts quite uncomfortably and tends to not kick into 4th gear. However, i don't get any error codes logged when limp home mode kicks in. Reading from other threads, this is fixed simply by replacing the solenoid, but what i wanted to know is, could limp home mode be a sign of wear and tear on the tranny? Also, there is a 1-2 second delay when i shift the gears from park to drive or reverse. Is this another sign of wear and tear? I plan on doing some towing soon so i just wanted to know if a shift kit would be recommended. I don't want to install a shift kit if these issues are a sign of wear and tear.

Thanks,

I've got a rebuilt/toughened auto in my car, and it will go into Limp Home mode if I do naughty things :P. All I have to do is turn the car off and start it back up and it's all good again.

So LHM isn't a sign of wear and tear. It's just the computer trying to stop you from doing any damage to the engine/transmission.

[roon_VR]

I've got a rebuilt/toughened auto in my car, and it will go into Limp Home mode if I do naughty things :P. All I have to do is turn the car off and start it back up and it's all good again.

So LHM isn't a sign of wear and tear. It's just the computer trying to stop you from doing any damage to the engine/transmission.

well that's what i do as well. I turn off the engine, have a cigarette and then turn the car back on and it's back to normal so I'm assuming it is limp home mode.

[HoldenManDan]

hey man, im no pro with autos but i'm getting there... from what i've gathered, if its a longer than normal delay between P R and D then that means it's time for a rebuild, thats what you'll probably wanna do before you go towing things.

And LHM is engaged because a problem has been detected, not to stop you from thrashing it. So if it does engage, its because a problem has developed, not because the PCM wants you to stop hooning lol.

Hope this helps

[roon_VR]

hey man, im no pro with autos but i'm getting there... from what i've gathered, if its a longer than normal delay between P R and D then that means it's time for a rebuild, thats what you'll probably wanna do before you go towing things.

And LHM is engaged because a problem has been detected, not to stop you from thrashing it. So if it does engage, its because a problem has developed, not because the PCM wants you to stop hooning lol.

Hope this helps

its not a huge delay, its only between 1-2 second delay in between P,R and D. It still shifts smoothly when the engine is cold so i think there's still some life in it.

[hako]

its not a huge delay, its only between 1-2 second delay in between P,R and D. It still shifts smoothly when the engine is cold so i think there's still some life in it.

Trouble is they fail at the worst times. Mine failed when I was 1400km from home and 200km from the nearest auto place. May pay to carry a rabbits foot.

[DannyboyDS]

1-2 seconds is meant to be normal.

having to shut down and wait a few minutes indicates your trans is overheating.

[KeepItStock]

what the **** is limp home mode???? i have never heard of this!!!! could poeple please tell me more about what this is and what it does i would like to know...
thanks

[roon_VR]

what the **** is limp home mode???? i have never heard of this!!!! could poeple please tell me more about what this is and what it does i would like to know...
thanks

Limp home mode@Everything2.com