Transmission Range Sensor

WARNING: This page is about a different car, the 2003 Dodge Dakota. However, it is still accessible from the selected car via links, so may be relevant.

The Transmission Range (TR) sensor has 3 primary functions; provide a Park/Neutral start signal to the engine controller and the starter relay, turn the back-up lamps on when the transmission is in Reverse and ignition is on, and provide a transmission range signal to the instrument cluster.

42RE & 46RE Transmissions - The TR sensor is mounted in the transmission housing near the valve body, just above the pan rail. It's in the same position as the Park/Neutral Switch on other transmissions. The TR sensor contacts a cammed surface on the manual valve lever. The cammed surface translates the rotational motion of the manual lever into the linear motion of the sensor. The cammed surface on the manual lever is comprised of two parts controlling the TR sensor signal. The insulator portion contacts the switch poppet when the manual lever is not in Park or Neutral. The manual lever itself contacts the poppet when the lever is in Park or Neutral, providing a ground for the signal from the starter relay and the JTEC engine controller. As the switch moves through its linear motion, contacts slide across a circuit board which changes the resistance between the range sensing pins of the switch. A power supply on the instrument cluster provides a regulated voltage signal to the switch. The return signal is decoded by the cluster, which then controls the PRNDL display to correspond with the correct transmission range. A bus message of transmission range is also sent by the cluster. In Reverse range a second contact set closes the circuit providing power to the reverse lamps.

545RFE Transmissions - The TR sensor is mounted in the transmission valve body and it is part of the solenoid module. The TR sensor has five switch contact pins that determine shift lever position, supply ground to the Starter Relay in Park and Neutral only and supplies +12 V to the backup lamps in Reverse only. The TR sensor also has an integrated temperature sensor (thermistor) that communicates transmission temperature to the TCM and powertrain control module.