I know that its normal for the computer to hold 3rd gear for a while until the transmission warms up. However when I left for work this morning it was ~20 degrees, I let it warm up for a while because I was going directly to the interstate. This morning the car would not shift into overdrive for a while on the interstate, even after the temp guage rose to normal. After a while it shifted and all was fine. My question is, is that normal?

Thanks,
Chris

 

Yup, the first time i noticed this was leaving somewhere and it was about 20 and i jumped right on the interstate and the rpm's were at about 3500-4000 @ highway speeds even after the temp gauge moved. And a minute or two later it shifted and all was good.

 

Thanks,

I've never gotten right on the interstate when the car was that cold before. I usually try to avoid doing that, however I was very late to work, so it was all new to me. Thats excatly what mine did. However it seemed like longer than a minute ot two, but I think that it probably was only a short time. Thanks for the help.

Chris

 

You might wanna check your tranny fluid level anyway . I also live in a cold climate and get on the highway almost immedialty and I've never experienced that.

The fluid must be checked while the engine is running and preferably hot (for the best reading). Also if you fluid is old consider changing it.


Personally I've been experiencing something similar, While at highway speeds the engine would rev about 200rpm above normal (but in 4th gear). Then eventually (about 5 min) it would drop down to the normal crusing rpm. I havent found anything in the service manuel dealing with tranny temperature and its operation, but I'll continue to look.

 

I agree with 93SE. Under normal operating conditions, the auto will shift into 4th right after 25mph, assuming you're not giving it that much gas. When the car is cold, it won't go into 4th until after 35mph, even if you're going 30....with no throttle, it will stay in 3rd.

Only once has it ever held 3rd above 35mph and that was this one time the temp was hovering near zero degrees, and the car wasn't driven for 8 hours(meaning that damn oil was zero too!)

 

what the hell??? is that true?? my car does that every time from a cold start up. (not really *cold* start up, cold meaning: not driven in a long time(4or5 hours).. so i just let it warm for about 10 min.
-is there a tranny temp sensor or somthing?
- its hard to explain whats happends but if you understand what i just typed plzzz give me your thoughts.


.. this has been happing to me for 4 months,
any help at all would be great

 

There is a mechanical lockup in 4th gear that engages, providing a little lower cruising RPMs. Mine takes a while to engage as well in cold weather, but it's normal. Sorry I don't have more specifics, but try searching for info using our tranny code. I think that's how I ran across this info.

 

Its called the torque lock-up convertor. Above a certain speed (I believe its around 45mph) the convertor is supposed to lock up. As soon as you let off the gas it will un-lock. Also when crusing and then giving more gas the convertor will un-lock allowing you to accelerate, then it will lock up again. This is the design that takes the slip out of the fluid drive that all (newer) automatic transmissions use.

Chris: yes there is a tranny temp sensor, but its apart of the solenoid pack in the tranny. It is something that can be replaced without removing the tranny and its also pretty cheap (around $120). Care needs to be taken when doing this job, b/c there are o-ring seals for all the shift solenoids and they all get inserted in one shot. I've removed mine when doing the trans-go shift kit, and I picked up new o-rings when reinstalling the solenoid pack. I plan to in the future replace the solenoid pack just as a maintanance procedure for the tranny.