Overdrive light stays on

Tiny
MROCHA
  • MEMBER
  • 2000 FORD FOCUS
  • 2.0L
  • 4 CYL
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 160,000 MILES
Car will drive fine first through third. Wont engage overdrive, have tried to turn off by pressing overdrive button, no success.
Thursday, July 11th, 2019 AT 12:41 PM

7 Replies

Tiny
KASEKENNY
  • MECHANIC
  • 18,907 POSTS
Hi Mr. Ocha,

I just want to confirm the light is staying on consistently and not flashing. If it is flashing then you need to pull codes and repair as soon as possible because it could cause damage.

If it is steady then it could just be a shifter issue. I would still suggest pulling codes and seeing if you have a circuit issue. It could be the button itself being shorted, wiring, or even a PCM issue however, I would suspect a button issue. A lot of times these just get contaminated with dirt, grime, drinks spilled on them and other stuff.

Hopefully you have a code and that will get us to a resolution quickly. Let me know what you find and we can go from there. Thanks
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Thursday, July 11th, 2019 AT 6:40 PM
Tiny
MROCHA
  • MEMBER
  • 6 POSTS
Hello. Thank you for replying. Just confirming you are correct the light is staying on steady. I checked the fluids and they are okay, I lifted the shifter and. The overdrive button is connected to the wiring. Is it possible to test with a voltmeter? Thank you
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Thursday, July 11th, 2019 AT 7:08 PM
Tiny
KASEKENNY
  • MECHANIC
  • 18,907 POSTS
I would see if you can get the codes out of the PCM. I suspect you have a circuit code but that will be more definitive. If you don't have a code reader most parts stores will pull them for free for you.

I think you have a button that is shorted. This is a normally open switch which means the PCM is not getting a voltage signal but when the switch is closed it get a signal on this circuit and turns off OD.

If you can't get codes the best way to test this is to measure continuity on Pins 5 and 6 of the switch in both switch positions. If you have continuity in both positions then this is your issue. You should have an open in one position and continuity in the other.
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Thursday, July 11th, 2019 AT 7:33 PM
Tiny
MROCHA
  • MEMBER
  • 6 POSTS
Hello, thank you for the information. I connected a obd2 reader a basic model, and got no cel codes. I will update once I get around to checking the switch thank you
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Friday, July 12th, 2019 AT 7:30 AM
Tiny
KASEKENNY
  • MECHANIC
  • 18,907 POSTS
Okay. Then I suspect it is the switch itself not a circuit issue. If the switch is shorted then the PCM just thinks the button is pressed so it turns off OD.

I will wait to hear back. Thanks.
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Friday, July 12th, 2019 AT 8:07 AM
Tiny
MROCHA
  • MEMBER
  • 6 POSTS
Hello. MR KENNY I tested the switch it was working fine. I did notice a lot of grime down there so I cleaned it with sensor cleaner. Happy to say overdrive is working again.
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Saturday, July 13th, 2019 AT 1:03 PM
Tiny
KASEKENNY
  • MECHANIC
  • 18,907 POSTS
That is great! Glad to hear that is all it took. Thanks for the update, this information will surely help others that have this issue. Thanks for using 2CarPros.
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Saturday, July 13th, 2019 AT 6:49 PM

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