Quick Question...no shift and no dash lights

[ccole]

Hey all-
I have a question regarding a friends 1995 6.5 diesel. He said it has been running fine, but today he got in it and he had no dash lights and the transmission (automatic) will not shift out of 1st gear. Any ideas?

Thanks in advance!!!

[JohnC]

It may seem like first gear, but I'll bet it's actually second. If he can get over 20 mph it's second.

A common cause of this is a failed ignition switch. Check the voltage on the tran fuse. if it is less than the system voltage, that's the problem. QAll he has to so is figure out why...

[diesel65]

Sounds like your friends truck needs a new ignition switch, try working the switch on and off to see if the dash lights come back on.

If the trans gets no power from the ignition switch, it will default to second gear.

The ignition switch failure is not a common problem but a known problem.