So, I got this 2014 Dodge Ram ProMaster 3500 a while back. Big beast, you know? Thought it’d be great for hauling stuff, maybe even a camper conversion down the line. Everyone talks about the space, which is true, it’s huge inside. But let me tell you about keeping this thing on the road.
Not long after I got it, maybe six months in, the dreaded check engine light popped on. Okay, happens. Plugged in my cheapo code reader. Got a couple of codes, something about the transmission sensors, maybe the solenoid pack. Looked it up online, seemed common enough. Thought, alright, I can handle this. I’ve wrenched on cars before.
Digging In
First off, getting to anything under the hood of this van is a job in itself. It’s all crammed in there. Italian design meets American branding, what a combo. Anyway, I started tracing wires, checking connections like the forums said. Pulled the battery, cleaned the terminals, checked the grounds I could find. Some folks said it could just be a bad ground strap somewhere near the transmission. Spent a whole Saturday contorted under the thing, scraping knuckles, cleaning connections. Put it all back together. Light stayed off… for a day. Then bam, back on, and the shifting felt kinda jerky sometimes, especially when it was cold.
Back to the code reader. Same codes. Okay, maybe it really is the solenoid pack. Watched some videos, looked doable. You gotta drop the transmission pan, swap the part, put it back together, refill the fluid. Messy job, but straightforward, right?
The Parts Hunt
This is where it got fun. Tried ordering the solenoid pack. Mopar wanted an arm and a leg for it, seriously. Found an aftermarket one online for way less. Looked identical. Ordered it. Waited a week. Part shows up. Looks okay. Spent another weekend doing the swap. Drained the fluid, dropped the pan – that stuff stinks, by the way. Fought with the old pack, finally got it out. Put the new one in, buttoned everything up, filled it with the expensive Mopar-spec fluid because you don’t wanna cheap out there.
Started it up. No check engine light! Felt like a genius. Took it for a drive. Seemed okay at first, maybe a little smoother. Then, after about 20 miles, the light comes back on. And now the shifting feels even weirder, like it doesn’t know what gear it wants to be in sometimes. Pulled over, scanned it again. Now I got the old codes PLUS a new one related to sensor range/performance. Fantastic.
- Checked fluid level again (it was fine).
- Double-checked the wiring connector to the transmission (looked okay).
- Scoured more forums – turns out some aftermarket solenoids are just junk for these vans.
So now what? Do I bite the bullet and buy the crazy expensive Mopar part? Do I try another aftermarket brand? Or is the problem something else entirely, and I just wasted two weekends and a bunch of money on transmission fluid and a useless part? It really makes you wonder. I needed this van running right for a planned trip, couldn’t really afford downtime or shelling out thousands at a dealership who’d probably just throw parts at it too.
I ended up finding a used Mopar solenoid pack from a wrecker online. Took a gamble. Swapped that one in. Another messy weekend. This time, the light stayed off. Mostly. It still throws a code occasionally if I drive it hard on a really hot day, but the shifting is back to normal. I just clear the code and keep going. It’s not perfect, but it works. You learn to live with the quirks, I guess.
It’s a love-hate thing with this ProMaster. Great space, drives okay for its size, decent on fuel. But man, when things go wrong, it can be a real pain to diagnose and fix. Parts aren’t always cheap or easy to get, and there’s always some weird Fiat electrical thing lurking. It definitely keeps you busy, I’ll give it that.
