i have a 99 montero sport limited 4wd with a 3.5. yesterday morning the transmission wasnt shifting right. it was taking the rpm all the way to 4000 before shifting. then, on the highway i lost overdrive. i was able to get it going right after stopping and restarting the car a couple times. on the way home the same thing was happening. while drving in town the car jerked in and out of gear and actually made the tires lock up for a second. also the nuetral light was blinking as soon as i put in into drive. it stops blinking if i turn the car off and on a couple times though. I have never had any problems with the trans until now. i bought the car used about 3 years ago. any help with this issue would be greatly appreciated. Thanks...
Kraig

 

buy a manual trans next time. Never happens on a manual.

 

sure, but tht doesnt help me now. jacka$$

 

fine. Buy a manual gearbox now and do the conversion.

 

Is there a check engine light? Chances are one or two of the shift solenoids is going bad or power is compromised.

You may be looking at a pull down and replacement job. A task not for the unlearned.
Use a test light for power to the selonoids to rule out electrical source to it.

 

yes there is a check engine light. i have a plug misfireing due to oil burning.
how to you test the solenoids?

 

Use the test lamp and probe the power wire to solenoid with the ignition on. If there is power then it's the solenoid not opening. It needs to be replaced. But first, make sure to check if it's a negative ground solenoid.

What's the condition of your tranny fluid?

 

The fluid looks ok on the dipstick. It doesnt look or smell burnt. It has been awhile since its been changed. What do you mean by, "NEGITIVE GROUND SOLENOID"

 

If I were to get the engine ligjt tested, Would there be a trouble code for the transmission

 

Most solenoids are ground pulse by the ECM, normal positive powered unit.
It's also possible for a solenoid to stuck open or close, due to excess contaminant in the fluid. Place the lamp or ohms meter on ground and check the other on power wire.

Yes, a tranny issue can throw a CEL.