CHIGGARMAX

Last night, i was driving down a steep hill on neutral instead on drive. When i reached the bottom, instead of shifting back to drive, i put it into reverse. then all my lights(check engine light, oil, brake, etc) went on. i tried to shift to drive....nothing. i had no steering and my brake pedal was pressed. i put it in park and turn off the engine then started the car and everything seems alright...
today i'm have a harding time moving from park to reverse.

did i damage my transmission, etc?

thanks,
chiggarmax

njmaxseltd

iTrader: (19)

Your probably gave the clutch packs a good shock. Why would you put your car in neutral going down a hill in the first place? More ware-n-tare on the brakes. You do get some engine brake in autos as well as keeping your RPMs up slightly giving you more engine vacuum to assist the power brake booster.

Auto or 5 speed, leave it in gear.

mzmtg

iTrader: (11)

Yeah, for Autos I agree. But for manual, I would stick with one of the basic elements they taught us at Road Atlanta Driving School:

"The engine is for making the car go, the brakes are for making it stop."

MacGyver265

I agree... brake pads are cheaper to replace than transmissions.

CHIGGARMAX

i usually would not shift to neutral but on a light traffic, i usually would do it.

i'm still concerned about my transmission.

did i damage my transmission?
should i let someone look at it?
the transmission oil looks pink....

njmaxseltd:
you metioned parking pin...did i damage that when i accidentally shift to reverse?

thanks,
chiggarmax
stupid automagic driver

njmaxseltd

iTrader: (19)

I though you said Park.. I edited my post after I read it again....

Eric L.

You activated the transmission failsafe which electronically prevents shifts which would damage the transmission. Probably no major harm done to the transmission, but why would you want to shift into neutral down a hill anyways? If you are coasting without stepping on the gas, the fuel cost is minimal.

And yeah, its true what everyone else says. Brakes are a whole lot cheaper than transmissions.

pocketrocket

iTrader: (1)

If you are talking about descending a steep driveway, brakes should do just fine.

Brakes are designed to withstand intense heat but they don't dissipate heat quickly, so riding on the brakes while going downhill for long periods can cause problems. If it's a long, downhill drive, I would recommend a combination of engine braking and light braking to prevent overharing and possible brake loss / failure. Don't want that to happen, do you?

MacGyver265

With Maxima's 4 wheel disks, I don't think that should be too much of a problem. I don't think I've ever heard of anyone's brakes failing because of extended downhill use anyway. Brakes are still cheaper than transmissions to replace, even if you have to replace the rotors.

CHIGGARMAX

Eric L.,

Could your please elaborate on transmission failsafe?
I would like to be educated it........


I know what i did was very stupid!!

thanks,
chiggarmax

I30tMikeD

iTrader: (8)

I have no idea why some auto drivers put the car in nuetral at stop lights or when coming to a stop. It is the dumbest thing in the world. Is it because you want to feel like you have a manuel???? It baffles me.

And don't tell me it's because you don't like keeping your foot on the brake. That is just as ridiculous.

Eric L.

Here's why. When the transmission is in drive, the torque converter spins and builds up heat. When the transmission is in neutral, the torque converter is decoupled from the crankshaft and does not spin, so the transmission fluid does not heat up. Since the fluid is always flowing through the cooler under the radiator whenever the car is on, putting the car into neutral will cool the transmission.

Now whether cooling the fluid in neutral at a red light is worth the cost of the wear and tear associated with shifting from N to D, I do not know...

Eric L.

The failsafe is a mechanism built into the transmission control unit to prevent the driver from destroying the transmission due to abuse. I think the worst abuse is shifting from D to R while the car is in motion, so my best guess is that the TCU is programmed to shift into neutral and shut off the engine to prevent damage to the transmission.

If you read your owners manual, it says that excessive wheel spin can also put the transmission into the failsafe mode, in which the transmission will lock into 3rd gear to protect the unit.

In either case, turning off the car, waiting a minute or so, and then restarting it will clear the error code from the TCU and it will be normal again.

And oh yeah, next time, brakes over transmission, please! =)

MacGyver265

Actually, the TC is always coupled, you just disengage the transmission in N. The difference is there is just far less load, and thereby less heat. I agree with the rest of it all though. As for wear from shifting from N to D, I doubt it is significant. Its all controlled by pressure anyway and you'd put more wear on the trans by flooring the car through the gears or even 1/2 throttle.

I30tMikeD

iTrader: (8)

Maybe.....

I think they are just trying to look/feel cool. Like letting their car roll backward a little while in neutal at a stop light, to look like they have a standard tranny.

Joeycurl

Let the auto trans do it's job. Just leave it in gear.

happyricefob

iTrader: (7)

i do tat sometimes when i'm bored... partly like u said... i'm really lazy to put my foot on the brake petal, i even lift up my e-brake! so call me stoopid if u want