Is it possible to over-rev the engine with a missplaced downshift or will the throttle sense that you're doing something stupid and not let you?



Disclaimer: please don't go find out.

 

You can rev to a preset rev limiter. It's not supposed to break at that limiter, but I wouldn't sit there and rev it there for no good reason.

 

you definitely can... didn't someone from canada blow his engine after doing this?

 

It's called "mechanical over-rev" when you down **** too low for the speed you are going. All the fuel cut in the world can't help that, the engine is physically connected to the tire speed when you do that. I've seen some guys blow engines going from 5th to 2nd by accident, revved to like 10k without even being near the throttle.

Piston rod, this is engine block, engine block, meet piston rod...

Damage from mechanical over rev is usally nasty

 

Woops, I missed the part about downshifting somewhere. Yes, like said, you can over rev if you downshift. That would be very very bad.

 

I realized the answer minutes after I posted the question...

 

The '02/'03 Max will lock it's wheels if you drop to a gear that is too low ... the rev limiter kicks in and all you hear is screeching of the tires. It will not go past 7000 rpms .. personal experience, i don't care what anyone else tells me. (2k3 6-spd)

 

Under the right circumstances you could over rev. Your wheels are looking up based on the compression of the engine. If you downshifted to a low enough gear, you could over rev.

Now this brings up an interesting issue. I remember in my previous manual cars that on the occasion I tried to downshift 'too far' that the shifter just wouldn't go in. No matter how hard I pushed the clutch, if the trans speed was too fast, relative to the engine, it was like there was a lock, like the slot for the lower gear just wasn't there. So, now I wonder if there is in fact something that 'locks' out the gears that are too low for the given speed? Any input?

But to answer the orginal question, IF you could shift to a gear that was too low, then the car WOULD over rev. Especially if you've got enough traction to not skid the wheels. Also, the 02/03 rev limiter is around 6500, so if you got 7000, you over revved and lived to tell about it.