BBaker025

iTrader: (1)

I was driving down the street probably about 25, and i was shifting manuelly from drive 2 to neutral, trying to save gas. I over shifted on my way to neutral, and it went in reverse. I PANICED all the lights on the dash came on and the car just shut down. I dont know if the car has a special elecronic controller to help prevent your tranny from fu**in up. My car seems to drive fine, i looked at the engine and all and it all checks out OK!

Newman

iTrader: (3)

i did that a few weeks ago when i was driving my old maxima. i was going about 40 or 50 and i shifted it into R by accident. it was only for a split second but it scared the **** out of me. car seems to be fine.

NotNew!!NewSN!!

isnt it super bad to go from neutral to drive anyways? i thought that is rilly hard on an auto.

Newman

iTrader: (3)

oh whoops. i read his post wrong. i thought he said he was manually shifting from D2 to D and went into reverse.

BBaker025

iTrader: (1)

its bad for the tranny to go from D to N? Im just trying to save all the gas that I can, I was turning about 20m ahead, then going down a hill to my house, so i figured i could cruise in neutral all the way to my house.

RapidMax

iTrader: (2)

I believe he was referring to a neutral drop. I don't believe going from N to D or D to N is bad for the tranny as long as you don't press the gas.

Newman

iTrader: (3)

going from N to D while the car is moving isnt much different than doing a neutral drop. the engine is still revving due to your momentum. although, depending on what RPMs you are at, it shouldnt cause a problem.

JAIMECBR900

If you are really that hard up for $ or gas, maybe you shouldn't be driving. Is there a reason why if you must do this, eventhough the couple of drops of gas it will save if any, that you do this with your finger on the shifter button? The shifter will move up w/o your fingers on the button and thereby would never go past N. Nissan designed it that way for a reason...

DA-MAX

iTrader: (10)

I gotta agree with that!!!!

Vyrus

iTrader: (4)

I knew this was coming... it doesn't go to R without the button pressed. Next time (if there is a next time), just push the ****, don't push the button.
-Cyrus

Jaws

I did this to my dad's Volvo when I was 16 and it scared the $hit out of me. There was no damage and the car ran fine up until the time he sold it 6 years later. To shift between D and N there is no need to push the button on the gear shift. Also, on modern vehicles the injectors just basically shut down when in gear and you remove your foot from the gas as in coast down a long hill. You will save a mL gas by shifting into N.

ReichMax97

Yeah sometimes, I'll put my car in neutral on the road (not when in motion though). If I'm sitting at a stop light and don't feel like having my foot on the brake, ill put it into Neutral and then when the light turns green, i just pull the **** down in to drive and I wait for it to idle for a second then go. Is this alright? I don't wanna screw up my tranny. I don't see how putting it in neutral would hurt anything as long as you don't press the gas or anything dramatic. Maybe I'm wrong though.

Maximan190

iTrader: (8)

whenever i park i always set the e-brake first then put it in Park; because notice how when you put it in park after you let of the brake the car will tug forward or backward a little (depending on the slope of the surface youre parked on) Or when im stopped for a brief time ill go into neutral and set the e-brake...id rather put stress on the ebrake than on the tranny

dmbmaxima2k2

iTrader: (1)

i don't know if there is a fial safe, but my friends mazda 323 didn't cus he blew his tranny right up.

and you should NEVER go from D to N in an auto, it's horrible for the tranny, and you won't save any gas.

DA-MAX

iTrader: (10)

you think that "extra" rolling is bad in a Max...my dad's Regal rolls about .5-1 foot after put in park, I keep telling him put the E-brake on, but he always forgets!!

FrankY2K2

Shifting from Drive to Neutral shouldn't do any harm as long as you're not gassing it at the time. Neutral dropping, when you're gassing it on neutral and drop it to D for whatever reason (peelout I guess) is BAD. Friends skrewed up his tranny like that.
But for a fail safe, I dont suggest you press the button on the **** when going to neutral, so you dont go into Reverse. I know the swivel shift locks it so you cant push it into R from N if your foot isnt on the brake at the time.
At least you didn't go further into Park...horrible griding sounds, my friend did this to my car. He aint touchin mah wheels for a WHILE!

I dunno why your car shut down when you went into R tho...kinda scary, hope it still wasen't rolling at the time.

-Frank

Newman

iTrader: (3)

i do the same thing almost. both in my new car and in my old car. except i go ahead and put it into park but i keep my foot on the foot brake, then pull the e-brake, then take my foot off the foot brake. if you pull the e-brake after the car has already rolled forward it is useless. now the weight of the car is on the tranny instead of on the e-brake.

in my old explorer i didnt do this (it had a foot emergency brake) and the car would lurch forward so much everytime i parked the car. i didnt know any better then but thinking back on it makes me realize how much strain the car.

97GLE

Does someone hear actually know that shifting into neutral is bad? Maybe a mechanic or something?

I don't mean to question others, but it seems like most people only have opinions and don't know for sure.

I shift into neutral at stop lights all the time, especially in traffic when the lights are cycling every ten minutes. I assumed letting the torque converter rest and the engine spin free would be good for things. When the cross street lights turn I put it in D and wait.

FrankBattle

okay, what is the "neutral" gear for??

Nismo

iTrader: (18)

Think about it, how else are you going to be able to roll the car?

desertmaxima

iTrader: (5)

or ya could be like me I was out racing and lined up but had to back up a little and fer got I still was in reverse so when the flagger let his hands down well ya know hehe lets just say I know R does not mean race

Lime

I need Bill's signature bashing head on keyboard gif again....

dmbmaxima2k2

iTrader: (1)

ya pretty much, going in and out of gear and neutral in an auto when ykou are moving is BAD BAD.

gtr_rider

iTrader: (50)

My friend did this while I was in the car but he went further into Park. HE has a 01 G20, and he saw someone he knew but he had already passed them so he jammed the brakes, and while the momentum of the car was still in motion but we were almost stopped he jammed it to Park and the worst sound you could hear. GRRRRRRNNNTT I just sat in shock, be he without notice just got out and talked.

RussMaxManiac

Yep, its not good. Guys, if you never notice, when you let off the gas to coast, the idle goes down to low rpms as it would in N anyways. When you have no gas applied the tranny isn't working except at idle.

bill99gxe

iTrader: (1)

Lime

thank you, Bill.
I try to baby my transmission most of the time...they're not meant to take extreme amounts of abuse. I have a big ol' B&M tranny cooler to help it out, but the VB mod is probably the only other way to get a longer life out of your transmission at this time (although it's expensive, and I have a warrantee so ... currently not an option).

JAIMECBR900

As stated before, what you are describing is not going to hurt/help the tranny any at all. Sitting still and putting in N then engaging into D (at any speed idle and below) is not going to do a single thing to your tranny. As for neutral drops, well if you're dumb enough to do it, your dumb enough to pay the consequences.

BTW, I was a mechanic for 7 yrs. Even if I had not been, this is very common sense stuff we're discussing here.

Maximus97SE

Clue... DO NOT PUSH IN THE BUTTON WHEN GOING FROM D-N, OK?

Vyrus

iTrader: (4)

Clue... DO NOT GO FROM D to N WHILE MOVING AT ALL, OK?
-Cyrus

97GLE

Thanks, I just wanted to make sure.
I just do it because my car vibrates less and I don't have to stand on the brakes (I live in Texas, and most of the intersections are perfectly flat)

dmbmaxima2k2

iTrader: (1)

we have a winner

Vyrus

iTrader: (4)

gtr_rider

iTrader: (50)

Someone needs a tune-up if they vibrate to the point that they have to put it in Neutral to stop it.

97GLE

No I don't need a tune up.

When I drive in rush hour traffic, and I know I'm gonna be sitting for a while at a light, I puch the shifter forward into neutral. I don't do this very often, only when I know I'm gonna be sitting for a while.

I just did my 60K mile tune-up, and it didn't make a change in the slight vibration when its in D while stopped. My car idles in D smoother than any car I've been in, except possibly my girlfriends parents 2002 TL.

ChillWill2000

So are you guys saying that someone w/ an auto should NEVER put their car in neutral while they are already in motion so they can rev their engine to instagate a race or to be funny or to let someone hear your exhaust??????

I dont know about this one. This is the FIRST Ive ever heard that you should never put your car into neutral while the vehicle is moving.

All your doing is disingaging the tranny when you put it in neutral and engaging it when you put it in drive(right?). If you let the rpms drop after you shift into N then the torque converter will take care of the rpms once the car is put back into drive.

ps. Im no mechanic so I reserve the right to be wrong

TN-Max

no i believe ur right...going from D to N while moving wont harm anything AS LONG AS ur rpms r dropped all the way down and ur not giving it any gas...then u can safely go back from N to D after u let the rpms fall back down again (incase like stated in previous post u rev ur engine to instigate a race)

Wills98MaxSE

small story...

I've done this before repeatedly on an '89 535i Auto. just for kicks (peelouts and to make noise ) & becuz pops took poor care of the car , unfortunately the trans gave out & only works in reverse, told him it happened while I was driving, so now that car is sitting in my driveway waiting to be fixed while I enjoy driving my '98 Maxima SE (my brother gave it to me & drives a hell of a lot better than my dad's poorly maintained 535i) but would NEVER do a thing like that to my SE

Lime

JAIMECBR900

The problem with your scenario is that if you are putting the tranny into N while moving (at any considerable speed above idling) you are making the torque converter take a big jolt much like manually downshifting and making the tranny slow you down. The torque converter is spinning and has to catch up to the rpms. This is the reason why, if you do this, the car acts as if you just downshifted and engaged a lower gear. Also note, the car doesn't do this at all when you just let your foot of the gas and acts like it's "freewheeling" until you give it enough gas to re-engage the gear.

Folks, bottom line is that you can shift your tranny all you want as long as you are not above the rpms for that gear. In other words, it's fine to sit at a light and engage N and sit there until the light turns and then (at idle) shift it back into D w/o any problems. Problems and damage occurs when you do the same but the rpms are higher than idle because then you are treating your tranny like a 5 speed which it's not.