bigs

OK. A little background first.

I have a '93 GTS AT. Whenever I decide to do a little fun 0-60 type acceleration run, I come to a stop, put the gear selector down into "2" which, of course, puts the tranny into first gear, and tromp the accelerator.

The car launches very satisfactorily, roars away, and when rpm's reach redline, the tranny automatically shifts into second gear without me having to do anything with the gear selector. (Then, I do have to manually shift from second into third.)

Today, on my way back to the office after lunch, I stopped at a red light. The road ahead was clear, straight, and empty, so I thought to myself, "Heyyyyy. This looks like an opportunity to have a little fun!"

At that very moment, a police cruiser coasts up next to me in the left turn lane.

Well, I keep the gear selector in "2," the light turns green, and Mr. Policeman turns left. I'm now slowly easing down the road, still in first gear, at about 10-15 mph. Sooooo...

When he's out of sight, then I mash the accelerator.

HOLY SH*T!!! Suddenly the car launches like it's never done before! Large chunks of asphalt are being torn up and flung behind me! (Well, not exactly, but you catch my drift.) And I'm not paying attention to the tach, cuz it's gonna shift from first to second by itself, right? I'm just enjoying the ride in open-mouthed wonderment.

And then, in the blink of an eye, before I know whuz happenin' the rpm's are suddenly past redline and I'm hittin' the rev limiter. Never happened before!

So, what's up with the apparent difference (BIG difference!) in acceleration from a rolling start versus a standing start? And why does my tranny make the 1-2 shift automatically from a standing start, but not from a rolling start?

Jim bailey - 928 International

The trans had shifted into second gear ...(light throttle) but when you floored it it dropped back down into first with much noise and fury

Big Dave

Yes, you've found the sweet spot for the kickdown switch!

ROG100

IIRC shift into 2 and then back to 3.
Hit the accelerator and she will stay in 1st until you shift from 3 back to 2. The car then holds 2 until you move to 3.
Something like that anyway.

heinrich

Bigs is hooked ....

bigs

Drool. Slobber. Sweat. Palpitate. Oh, hi guys!

I really think there is something to this "sweet spot" thing. Even as I gently rolled away from the light, it really felt like it was still in first gear the whole time - I mean it had that torquey, jerky feel if I even let off the accelerator a tiny bit. And when I tromped it, there was no apparent down-shift that I could sense at all.

But I'm still a little puzzled as to why it didn't do the 1-2 upshift automatically like it has every other time from a stop.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I'll change my pants.

ROG100

Bigs,
Are you sure you did not select 2 then put it back into 3. If you do that it will either hit the limiter or you change up.
Roger

CMW

No imagine your GTS with an extra 120+ horses...

bigs

Nope. I stopped at the light, dropped the selector into "2," rolled away slowly until Mr. Minion of the Law was gone, then floored it. Didn't touch the shifter.

Then used vocabulary that had been lying around idle for years!

ROG100

Hi Bigs,
Doing the 3 to 2 and back to 3 is the only way I can control 1st gear to the limiter without the Auto taking over.
Have fun.
Roger

928Quest

Bigs,
My 91 behaved the same way. When I first got it it would always automatically shift from 1-2. With the gear selector in 2 it would shift at a higher rpm then when the gear slector was in D, but always before fuel cutoff.

One trick I learned was the following, when approaching a red light, switch the kickdown switch on, pull the shifter down to 2 and then just before I stop, stab the throttle quickly. This would put the car into first and it would stay there as I waited at the light. If I went full throttle at the green the transmission would shift normally. Then one day about a year ago, I delayed going full throttle right away. And Yes, the RPM's went all the way to fuel cutoff, requiring a selector change from 2 to 3. Sometimes it behaved this way and other times not.

As time went on the 1-2 shift RPM became higher in agressive driving. For the last half of 2004 I always needed a manual shift (2-3) to prevent hitting fuel cutoff as first topped out.

Yes, the transmission was slowly changing in its behavior.

A couple of months ago first completly stopped working on a drive home from work, the next morning it was back. whether first worked or not was then intermittent for the next few weeks. All of the other gears were OK, kickdowns from 4-2,4-3,3-2 all worked normally but X-1 was completely intermittent. After a few weeks of this first is now completely gone.

Its not the kickdown cable, or the solenoid as all of the other gears respond normally, and besides when first did work it worked normally.

Apparantly Bill Ball had the same problem with his and the thought is that the 1-2-1 valve body valve is sticking. Bill fixed his with some transmission cleaner, I am going to try the same. If that does not work then the valve body needs to be pulled.

In the mean time I has Dan at ExoticMotor do tranmission service. The fluid was worn looking. New fluid seemed to help for a short time.

The point is, I guess, that in the 2.5 years that I have owned my car the transmission SLOWLY changed how it worked. Winter 2004 it kicked ***, now its broken.

Mads

My '89 always changes into 2 around 4800 rpm.. is there any way i can get it to go to redline ?

Mads

Nicole

I think you might have been in 2nd gear when you hit redline. Even in 2nd it reaches redline quickly - then the rev limiter sets an aprupt end to the fun. Ask me how I know...

Glad you're having fun!!!

Green Goblin

Way to go Steve!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
See ya Saturday?????

Andy

IcemanG17

1st gear kickdown (if the few situations that allow it to happen) is sweet....it sucks when you are going just barely fast enough to not make the 1st gear kickdown & are stuck flooring it in 2nd gear at about 22mph & 2500rpm or so!
Brian