Just wondering if this is normal, Automatic Transmission Options

[RavenAegis45]

Ok so i recently flushed out my transmission oil and changed the filter and what not, there doesn't seem to be any problems with my car shifting normally however I do notice that whenever i put the shifter into setting 2 that it holds gears all the way to red-line before shifting, before i did the flush it would shift gears roughly around 52-53 hundred RPM's just wondering but is this normal?

[Special_Edy]

Usually L or 1 will keep the transmission in first gear. 2 will keep the transmission in the 1st to 2nd gear range. Drive will automatically shift between 1st 2nd 3rd and overdrive, it will also coast the car if the throttle isnt being applied.
1 or L and 2 will usually not allow the transmission to freewheel, meaning that once the car is traveling at any speed the engine will remain locked with the wheels in the selected gear. In other words the car will not coast like it does in Drive, instead the engine will slow the vehicle back down to an idle similar to how a standard transmission would perform.
The only reason you should need to use the lower gears on your shifter is to engine brake the vehicle, such as when you are driving down a very steep hill, or to keep the rpms high to heat the engine faster on a cold day. By putting it in any gear other than Drive you are increasing engine wear and lowering your fuel economy. Beyond that, dont redline it and it will be fine.


To clarify, if the shifter is in 2 the transmission shouldnt be able to shift into 3rd or 4th gear. If it is shifting out of 2nd at a redline, I would suspect it is a safety design intended to keep you from over-revving the engine.

This post has been edited by Special_Edy: Jun 27, 2012 - 2:38 PM

[RavenAegis45]

Usually L or 1 will keep the transmission in first gear. 2 will keep the transmission in the 1st to 2nd gear range. Drive will automatically shift between 1st 2nd 3rd and overdrive, it will also coast the car if the throttle isnt being applied.
1 or L and 2 will usually not allow the transmission to freewheel, meaning that once the car is traveling at any speed the engine will remain locked with the wheels in the selected gear. In other words the car will not coast like it does in Drive, instead the engine will slow the vehicle back down to an idle similar to how a standard transmission would perform.
The only reason you should need to use the lower gears on your shifter is to engine brake the vehicle, such as when you are driving down a very steep hill, or to keep the rpms high to heat the engine faster on a cold day. By putting it in any gear other than Drive you are increasing engine wear and lowering your fuel economy. Beyond that, dont redline it and it will be fine.


To clarify, if the shifter is in 2 the transmission shouldnt be able to shift into 3rd or 4th gear. If it is shifting out of 2nd at a redline, I would suspect it is a safety design intended to keep you from over-revving the engine.

Thanks that's some useful information, i hardly ever put it into 2 as I said I just happened to notice how it runs when i did use it, but as far as what selection I use I mainly stay in D and every gear there seems to shift perfectly fine from 1st to O/D and everything you said about coasting in D happens when I let off the gas, the only real difference I noticed was when i use 2. But it doesn't make any noises or such so im probably just over thinking things as the Oil i replaced was fairly old and something someone told me about how I may not want to flush it if its too old could ruin the transmission. but thanks for the advice

Do you have a button on your transmission shifter with O/D or PWR? Overdrive activates the overdrive gear for cruising. PWR alters the shift points, to provide greater (if pressed) acceleration while sacrificing fuel economy.

Mine doesnt have a pwr button but it does have a O/D on and off switch, usually if i wanna stay in a lower gear longer i put it into 2 and shift to D when its revved high enough, but i try not to push my car too much, its old as it stands with close to 250K miles