1999 chrysler 300m 3.5L

travel about a 1hr and came into hometown to stoplight. I went to take off when the car jerk going from 1st to 2nd gear. i went to advance autoparts and ran into a mechanic who said my transmission filter needs replaced. it cost 35 dollars for filter and 5qts. of tran. fluid the mechanic said he could change everything for 80 dollars and the problem will go away. I opened up the hood so the mechanic could check the transmission fluid when he discovered a hose tube going from the engine to the cruise control and down the transmission was snapped into two. The mechanic said the tube going down was to the transmission and worked as a vacuum which could be causing the jerking of the car. The mechanic got a tube to reconnect the two tubes that snapped apart and said that should fix the problem. i left and drove 2 blocks and the check engine light came on still have the same problem with the car jerking from 1st gear to 2nd gear and the when i brake going from 2nd gear to 1st gear. I went back to Advance Autoparts to get a ODBII reading and had 7 codes. 1st code:input/turbine speed sensor a circuit malfunction 2nd code: Gear 1 ratio incorrect 3rd code: Gear 2 ratio incorrect 4th code: Input/turbine speed sensor a circuit malfunction 5th code: trans control sys malfunction 6th code: trans control sys malfunction 7th code: trands control sys malfunction. i took the car to the dealer and they wanted 90 dollars for diagnostic. my first question is what is going on with my car? My second question is what should i do get a diagnostic at dealer or pay the mechanic to change the filter and add fluid?

Was your fluid low?

Hi,
I'm a Chrysler transmission engineer and have developed the diagnostics and been involved in root causing thousand of transmissions. First of all, there is no vacuum lines that connect to your transmission. Secondly, it is always best to verify oil level since if cooler lines leak, they can gradually leak oil down and then you'll have delayed engagement and slipping when coming to a stop when the vehicle is cold and then it will progress to hotter conditions as more oil is lost. However with the codes you described, you problem is most likely a defective turbine (input) speed sensor. If a speed sensor fails or goes intermittent, then it is not uncommon to set speed ratio faults in any of the four gears in addition to the turbine speed sensor fault. Shifting is very erratic when the speed sensor goes bad. Good news it that it is very easy to replace. There are two sensors on the transmission,..a turbine (or input) and an output speed sensor. They are located on the driver's side of the transmission. The turbine speed sensor is closest to the engine and the output is near the rear of the transmission. If my memory is correct, the 42LE transmission uses either a 10mm or 12mm bolt to hold the sensor on the case. They are midway up the transmission and are mounted parallel to the ground. Remove the bolt and connector (disengage the locking tab) and slid out the sensor. Murrays or Autozone may carry them,..but at a dealer they should be less than $50. Hope that helps. Let me know if this fixes your problem. Dan..

the sensor uses a 1 1/16 socket or 1 1/8, just check the resistance of the speed sensor, when they go bad it's usually an open circuit

If you replace one sensor you may want to replace both sensors. They are inexpensive and just do them both when you are under there. Lots of folks replace them both as pm.

I would crawl under the car and look at the speed sensors first before you buy a big socket to unscrew them. I can't remember whether the 42LE transmission (used in the Intrepid, Concord, Vision and 300M) had a big hex on the sensor. The one with a big hex is definitely used on the 41TE (minivan, Sebring, Stratus, newer Neon, etc). At some point we changed it over to a new design which had a smaller bolt hold the sensor onto the case like the 545RFE and 42RLE (Chrysler's heavy duty RWD and Light duty RWD transmission). It would definitely be a good idea to change them both since we had a supplier problem with this part in 1999 and had high failure rates. Overall, they are very reliable other than around 1999 or before 1993.

I would crawl under the car and look at the speed sensors first before you buy a big socket to unscrew them. I can't remember whether the 42LE transmission (used in the Intrepid, Concord, Vision and 300M) had a big hex on the sensor. The one with a big hex is definitely used on the 41TE (minivan, Sebring, Stratus, newer Neon, etc). At some point we changed it over to a new design which had a smaller bolt hold the sensor onto the case like the 545RFE and 42RLE (Chrysler's heavy duty RWD and Light duty RWD transmission). It would definitely be a good idea to change them both since we had a supplier problem with this part in 1999 and had high failure rates. Overall, they are very reliable other than around 1999 or before 1993.

The deal, truly.