850 - Shift Solenoid B Malfunction

[Robert Lutwak]

Hi.

Today my 1996 850 came up with a fault code P0755 (Shift Solenoid B
Malfunction). As an added bonus, the "up arrow" started flashing on the
dash and I believe the car was stuck in third gear for a while.

After a couple of starts and stops the car feels normal again, the up-arrow
stopped flashing, I cleared the code and it hasn't come back (yet).

What am I in for here? Is solenoid B something I can replace myself? Will
flushing the system help? Is this another manifestation of the PNP switch
contact wearout?

Thanks

 

[Mike F]

Hi.

Today my 1996 850 came up with a fault code P0755 (Shift Solenoid B
Malfunction). As an added bonus, the "up arrow" started flashing on the
dash and I believe the car was stuck in third gear for a while.

After a couple of starts and stops the car feels normal again, the up-arrow
stopped flashing, I cleared the code and it hasn't come back (yet).

What am I in for here? Is solenoid B something I can replace myself? Will
flushing the system help? Is this another manifestation of the PNP switch
contact wearout?

Thanks

There are several solenoids in the transmission that control shifting.
The transmission computer constantly monitors the electrical circuit
between the solenoid and itself. If the resistance goes out of range,
then the warning light comes on and the transmission goes into "limp
home" mode. Once the problem is fixed then everything starts working
normally again. So you either have a problem with the wiring (bad
connection maybe), or the solenoid is starting to go bad. The solenoids
are actually inside the transmission, so replacement is fairly involved.

--
Mike F.
Thornhill (near Toronto), Ont.

NOTE: new address!!
Replace tt with t (twice!) and remove parentheses to email me directly.
(But I check the newsgroup more often than this email address.)