well i just picked a 01 4x4 4.0 super cab stepside ranger up 194k. nice truck outher then the infamous o/d light problems. It won't shift into O/D lights flashing and abs lights on. sometimes bangs hard when it shifts 1st to 2nd. which i have been reading because trans is in a limp mode. most the time truck shifts fine outher then no O/D. I have been reading that it is more then likely my vss?? but my speedo works fine and the cruise works fine also. can my vss be bad and still have a speedo and cruise working? THe truck came with a good used trans but don't wanna change it if its just a easy fix like a vss or someething easy.

I NO NO take it to a tranny shop and have the codes read, i don't have plates and insurancce on it yet so i can't get it to a shop yet.

any ideas on a quick fix or is the o/d shot in the trans and should i just swap it out?

any help would be great as i would really like to start driving this truck soon!!

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01 ranger 4x4 super cab 4.0 auto. "Lookig to trade for same truck but a 5sp"
92 dodge dakota 2wd reg cab 5.2 auto.

I know one guy had a similar problem. He got the codes read at a transmission shop it was a code 0741 Torque Converter Clutch Cicuit Performance or Stuck Off

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i think the torqe is locking in. at speeds around 45 50 if u push the o/d switch it jumps up a couple hundred rpm's like the torqeconverter is kicking out. the fluid looks like trans fluid, its not black or burnt smelling. I guess i am gunna have to find a tranny shop to get the codes read. hope its something simple like a speed sensor or abs sensor or something.

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01 ranger 4x4 super cab 4.0 auto. "Lookig to trade for same truck but a 5sp"
92 dodge dakota 2wd reg cab 5.2 auto.

well i thought i fixed my problem but nope. well i fixed one of my problems. my drivers front abs wire was yanked outta at the connection plug. the 2 wires on the i guess u could say the wire harness side were ripped right outta the plug. so i plugged them back in and my abs started working and the abs light went out. i thought i had it fixed went down the road no O/D still dammmit!!! back to square one i guess. does this mean my vss in my rear end is good then??

also i would guess i had a 50 50 chance on putting those wires back in the plug in the right spot. i would think that the abs would work only with the wires in the right spot correct??

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01 ranger 4x4 super cab 4.0 auto. "Lookig to trade for same truck but a 5sp"
92 dodge dakota 2wd reg cab 5.2 auto.

Yes, your trans is in limp mode, hence the hard shifts. This happens anytime the O/D Off light starts flashing. It's the transmission putting full fluid pressure through as an anti-slip measure, even if the trans doesn't slip. Do not drive it like this, it is not good on the trans.

The only way to diagnose the trans is to put it on an advanced code reader and have the code read. Automatic transmissions are complex systems, and it gives off a code for that reason. From what i've read, when the VSS goes bad, your speedometer suffers. If your speedometer isn't acting strange, it's probably not the VSS. This could be caused by quite a few things, from lack of TC lockup, to Solenoid malfunction, etc. The only way to really know is to have the code read so you can figure out in what area of the trans and which parts to suspect. Unfortunately, Ford Ranger automatics have always been prone to numerous problems in higher mileage, many of which can deem your transmission useless if you neglect to correct them.

What kind of symptoms have you noticed other than lack of Overdrive? Is the light always on, even after you shut the truck off and restart it?

i just bought the truck thursday night. this is how i bought the truck. no o/d.. o/d light flashes, bangs hard while it shifts the first couple gears.

Also i switched the 2 abs wires around and the abs still works? kinda strange isn't it? but still no o/d.

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01 ranger 4x4 super cab 4.0 auto. "Lookig to trade for same truck but a 5sp"
92 dodge dakota 2wd reg cab 5.2 auto.

You're gonna have to have the codes read, because i'm only gonna be able to ask questions and provide you only with general insight into the problem.

Are you feeling any torque converter lockup? Is the light always on, even after you restart the truck the next day?

the light comes on like a mile down the road. light will go out after u shut truck off. BUT even when light is off there is no O/D it will run like 3k at 70mph. The TC feels like it is locking up, if u push the o/d button "before light goes on" it will jump up a couple hundred rpm's. after the light goes on there is no lock up TC.

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01 ranger 4x4 super cab 4.0 auto. "Lookig to trade for same truck but a 5sp"
92 dodge dakota 2wd reg cab 5.2 auto.

Okay, so that tells us the problem is constant, and pretty much picked up by the computer immediately. IIRC, O/D kicks in at about 45 MPH, so if you're traveling at 25 down the road and the light comes on, you have something else going on along with your lack of O/D. Could be related, or could be two different problems. Does the trans go into all the gears fine at first movement as in no hesitation into reverse, no hard shifts when the light is off?

i am not sure if i drove 25 or so if the light would come on or not. i guess i shold try it. but the trans shifts great until the light comes on, then it shifts hard the first 2 gears. but the all still work besides o/d

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01 ranger 4x4 super cab 4.0 auto. "Lookig to trade for same truck but a 5sp"
92 dodge dakota 2wd reg cab 5.2 auto.

Okay, if it's shifting fine when the light isn't on, then it sounds like a soft part/electrical problem. The computer is sensing something during a certain condition. We need to find out that condition for now. If you can, drive the truck and monitor what happens before the light goes off. Pay attention for slippage, hard shifts, abnormal RPMs etc.

the truck shifts great no slippage, no hard shifts "until light comes on" no goofy ideling or rpm changes. BUT i have noticed when your going 65 70 if u let off the gas pedal it goes all the way to a idel like the tc isn't locked in. when u push the gas pedal it goes back into 4rth gear or drive whatever gear it is called. so i am guessing when the light comes on it kicks the lutc out also.

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01 ranger 4x4 super cab 4.0 auto. "Lookig to trade for same truck but a 5sp"
92 dodge dakota 2wd reg cab 5.2 auto.

So at upward speeds of 65/70 the RPMs significantly drop down when you let off the gas?

yes BUT its not like a slipping gear feeling its more like a Nutral feeling, yet truck does not bang hard when it shifts back into gear thoe. I am just wondering if maybe what ever ripped that abs sensor wiring it also might have ripped a wire off the tranny?? i havn't crawwled under the truck yet to unvestigate it to much yet.

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01 ranger 4x4 super cab 4.0 auto. "Lookig to trade for same truck but a 5sp"
92 dodge dakota 2wd reg cab 5.2 auto.

I don't think you should be noticing a major drop in RPMs, it should be rather gradual.

As far as the ABS problem, if the truck was run offroad, then the ABS wire is an easy target to be ripped off. However, the wiring to the trans is in the center of the side of the trans, and it's pretty stiff and covered in flex loom, so it's very unlikely the problem is in there. It is possible that there could be a connection problem to something inside of the trans, but it's impossible to know until we have the codes, which would reveal that the problem is in the circuitry as in the computer not receiving a signal from a certain part.