H3 shift override?

[06 H3]

Squeaky has had a rough year so far...Been dealing with diff issues all year long and now this.

I have been prepping my dana 44, tacking brackets, assembling stuff, etc. so in an attempt to devote my time to that I dropped off squeaky at the dealership for an oil change and brakes. This dealership has always been cool with me but I am a bit frustrated this time.

I go to New York to visit family. I get back and drove her briefly but then to the dealership all was fine. I drop it off Monday morning and Tuesday mid day they call me to tell me its done. I go to pick it up and all is fine. I then stop at home depot all is fine then to the gas station. After I fill up I go back in to start it up and I have no light indicating its in P R N D 3 2 1. So with the truck running I cant get it out of park. Turn it off and try, nothing. Fiddling with it for 45min I finally get it out of park. Now the light indicator works on every other so it would work on R D and 2. Not on P,N,3 and 1. WTF! I drive it straight back to the dealer I drive it to the back with the trans guy and the brake pedal module thing is working fine. They mentioned it might be a shift thing on the outside. Basically it tells the computer what gear its in. I told them I can fix it so they gave me one of those pieces for free, it was a used one off an old trans but they said it was working. My concern is that someone ****ed with that piece. My theory is this...The guy who washed squeaky said hey man I tried my best to clean it but it was pretty bad. I laughed and said thanks anything is better then what it was. I had mud and dirt caked on the undercarriage and seeing I got it back with the undercarriage really clean I wonder if he hit that external transmission piece with a high powered pressure washer and ****ed it up. That theory went out the window when I was driving home and suddenly my CEL light comes on and my scan gauge told me its a shift solenoid. Are these two things a coincidence that they happened right after a dealer visit but were perfectly fine before I brought it in. I changed a shift solenoid after my first moab trip but has been **** free since. I havent recently overheated my trans since I have my trans cooler in. I cant tell if its a coincidence or not. I brought it back and they said they would look at it tomorrow (as in today.) When I dropped it off the parking indiactor started working normally and showing the light in all the gear options so that fixed itself? If its a coincidence I will gladly pay them to fix it or take it back home and fix it myself but if its a **** up on them I dont want to spend a dime.

So what do you guys think?

Also how do you get the son of a bitch out of park when its stuck? Most cars have that override thing where you put your key in it and it will disregard any computer problems telling it not to change gears.

I am ready for a manual swap....

 

[Best4x4]

The gear selector on our H3 is electronic. Some Jeep Cherokee's used the same thing. It's a sealed unit, but water can and will get in them. If it gets wet the transmission is clueless as what to to. Pretty sure the high pressure wash is at fault here. I'd replace it, clear the fault and see what it does. The solenoid fault was most likely caused by that.

 

[cgalpha08]

I was having a whole bunch of transmission issues where i couldnt shift and the traction control was down for a few days. Turns out it was more or less due to corrosion on the scangauge connecter piece that was causing issues with the OBDII port. So it could be that simple, but more than likely its the sensor thing you mentioned earlier.

 

[06 H3]

thats crazy CG!

I called them they claim its the PCM. Part #19209820 WTF. I dont buy it

 

[Best4x4]

PCM damaged from the shorted out gear selector is more like it!!!

 

[06 H3]

So I tried to save time but in the end this is more hassle and more time...should of done it myself. PCM is fried. I had a P0976. Bad solenoid but they tested the solenoid and had 22.5 and 22.8 ohms on each solenoid (22-23 is normal) traced it back to the PCM and its not getting it. Makes zero sense to me. I have a perfectly working vehicle going in for an oil change and brakes then it takes them 2 days to do which amazes me seeing it was only an oil change and brakes and they avoided my phone calls. I think something happened and no one will own up to it. Too boot they said it will be $420 for a new PCM, called up Zach and got a MUCH cheaper price on the PCM. I asked them to match it and they said they cant with a million excuses.

So now I sit here and wait till monday. Zach will ship out the PCM tomorrow and monday they will reprogram it. I still am pist off. I will never recommend anyone to this dealership again and will not go back. I wouldnt be mad if it just happened but seeing the rarity of a PCM failure, the rarity of it happening within hours of leaving the dealer, adding the avoided phone calls and all the other crap I have a hard time believing it was just a coincidence.

 

[06 H3]

I will ask for the PCM back seeing Zach needs it for the core charge but I am tempted to ship it to PCM4less and see if its really damaged....

 

[chaos254]

That sucks man. Random **** like this is why I try to avoid having othrr people work on my vehicles. Just last week my wife said look xxx cadillac has 50 off service. Lets just do the trans service there (fluid change and filter). Next day she breaks down on the highway and check engine light is on. They fixed it for free but it was a huge hassle. Never again lol

Hopefully it is actually the PCM and not just a guess. Keep us updated

 

[Best4x4]

Yeah damage like that to a PCM is rare, but even more so since it was fine before they touched it!!! I had a PCM go out on one of my Jeep's dealership said it was the actual transmission, they tore into it under warranty, and made a huge mess!!! Picked it up, and I didn't even make it to the street..... Told em it was PCM related, they acted like I was nuts.... 2 weeks later they had replaced it... Come to find out when they flashed my perfect PCM for a TSB they did it wrong and it was unable to properly communicate with the transmission. After they gutted my transmission for nothing it was never the same, flexplate went out 5k later, it leaked, torque converter bolts were loose, and they damaged my linkage.....

I still think the lower gear selector shorted the PCM.

 

[06 H3]

I think you might be right. It makes sense. My undercarriage was covered in dirt and mud I get it back the undercarriage is spotless and the dude said to me I tried to clean it as best as I can. With a 2000psi pressure washer he dislodged something with the transmission neutral safety switch (external of the trans) then it shorted out the PCM.

 

[Best4x4]

Yep exactly 06 H3. That unit is designed to be sealed from normal water exposure from driving and even a few river crossings, but a power washer = no way! It's probably got a contact for each position PRND321, and if water gets in there it shorts the unit out and the TCM/PCM can't properly tell the transmission what to do hence all the codes for solenoids n such. A short would certainly travel back up along the system and if the TCM/PCM is next in line BOOM....

When I went to Diebold ATM/Alarm training they showed an interesting video on shorts and static electricity damage to PCB's. To the naked eye everything looks fine, under a microscope it looks like a bomb went off frying that part of the PCB. Pretty sure thats what happened to your H3.

 

[06 H3]

makes perfect sense to me. It has to be the pressure washer because people have had their H3s up to the door handles with no issues...

 

[06 H3]

So the saga continues. I got the PCM from Zach..Thanks again! I bring it to the dealer yesterday. I told him I need it done that day and I get "yea yea no problem." Cool, I leave then I get a phone call around 12. Hey just letting you know the connector is bad and you need a new one. Its 42 bucks for a new one and 100 to install. It takes me a while to lose my cool but at that point I lost it I was polite but gave him 2 options I leave or he fixes it with no extra charge. I told him order the part but if I am paying 100 bucks for a MOTHER ****IN CONNECTOR install then I will be down to that shop in the next 10 min and either tow it or drive it outta there. I told him its ridiculous because this PCM problem was from their own wrong doing and I am stuck with the bill. So he said dont worry about it and it will be done at no charge just pay for the 42 dollar connector.

This makes me wonder if the PCM was ever bad or if it was the connector the whole time and they assumed it was the PCM or if they broke the connector getting it off and having me get charged for it.

Either way they finished it today but I didnt make it to the shop in time to pick it up. I am going early tomorrow to get it. What are the chances they can **** with the PCM and how the vehicle runs? I am concerned that they messed with things because I refuse to pay more money for more crap they ****ed up. I hope and pray its all good after tomorrow if not I will call Zach and take the next step. I know hes an honest guy and maybe his guys can look at it.

I have referred a ton of people to this place because they used to be honest and great. I know Kyle and his dad have brought them a ton of business and I have referred a dozen others. This is the crap I get in return. From now on NO ONE will touch squeaky unless its me or the dealership Zach works at (if they can work on squeaky.) I have been left to trust no dealership that can work on squeaky in my area. Now I might as well refer people to my damn driveway. I can do a better job then these clowns.

 

[Panzer07]

I'll make sure I'll go down to your driveway, when I need repairs or experience on sh!t I don't know, I'll bring the Ales Along Too lol. Anyways hope your squeaky get fix and she is back on road an squeaking !


Sent From Someone Else's iPhone 'Cause I'm Too Broke To Own One.

 

[Best4x4]

That's "WAY" to many issues to just happen out of the blue!! If the harness is now jacked up, the damage was done by them!! A harness unless damaged from heat or corrosion a harness has no moving parts and they don't just break unless messed with. You are so getting taken for a ride!! I doubt the old pcm was even damaged! Really sucks dude!!!!!

 

[06 H3]

Corrosion is non existent on a vehicle that has been in a dry so cal desert for 9 years of its life...your right though things don't line up

 

[Best4x4]

Yep something is really sour here!! Paying for their ignorance = so not right! Should be 150% FREE

 

[chaos254]

Did you get the service manager involved?

 

[06 H3]

nope, Im going other there soon to pick it up. Im off work today so I plan to take it on a decent test drive. One wrong thing im going back demanding my money back.

 

[Best4x4]

Let us know how it goes!