I am thinking about purchasing a 2001 montero sport that has transmission problems. Owner claims he only has first and second gears no reverse or 3rd gear and above. truck only has 90,000 miles and looks to be in very nice condition. I was hoping to get some insight to what the problem might be. Any help would be greatly appreciated. thanks

 

If your transmission fluid is full and not extremely dirty, this is typically indicative of a failing (or failed) transmission. It is possible that the inability to select reverse is electrical and serviceable without disassembling the transmission. Your mechanic should be able to scan for codes and determine if this is the case. Alternatively, it may be worth dropping the transmission pan, replacing the filter, and replacing the fluid in the pan. Do not flush the system or otherwise remove the fluid trapped in the torque converter. This fluid contains clutch material and frequently transmissions rely on suspended friction material in the fluid to continue operation. Replacing the fluid in the pan will restore the detergent qualities of the ATF and has an outside chance of waking up your reverse gear.

 

manual or auto? if it's auto, you're looking at a new/replacement gearbox (i wouldn't bother paying to fix one), if it's manual you're looking at a 80% gearbox rebuild. possible to DIY if you have you a lot of time and patience.

 

No reverse and no OD. Netural light blinks as well. HELP ME PLEASE. Single Dad only have one car to get kids to school and pick up groceries.

 

Flashing "N" light means transmission controller recorded a malfunction and stored an error code. Unfortunately, transmission error codes can only be read using a professional level scan tools. I would love to be corrected on this, but I was not able to find a bypass procedure for reading these error codes (like, for example, the transfer case codes by using a grounding pin). You have to take the truck to a qualified mechanic to run diagnostics on the transmission.
There are two possibilities in your case: 1. transmission went into a Fail-Safe backup operating mode, or 2. something serious happened inside preventing the proper shifting. You can attempt to temporarily restore transmission functionality by unplugging the battery. Leave it off for few minutes. The PCM will "loose" the error code and reboot. If your transmission was in Fail-Safe mode, it will restore full operation once again (will give you reverse and all forward gears) at least until PCM flags the same malfunction, or error in operation. At the very least, you will be able to get out of your driveway and drive to a mechanic for proper diagnostics.
If, on the other hand, something "blew up" in the transmission, you will still have no reverse and no 3-rd gear even after disconnecting the battery. You'll now it is a mechanical issue and you will have to get a tow to the mechanic.