02 SL1 auto shifting question

I have question that my Saurn dealer was unable to answer (amazing huh
?). It's an 02 SL1 automatic. We have D, 2, 1. Now i understand that D
allows shifting into higher gears, whereas 1 & 2 limit the gear shifts
to lower gears, going up or down hills, higher revs lessing the strain
on the engine. I have a few very steep short hills I sometimes go to.
Always at the bottom I stop the car and shift from D to 1 to go up. I
am wondering, do I have to stop ? can I just shift the car while in D
to 1 or 2? The reason is that sometimes there's an SUV or more
powerful vehicle behind me and I don't like having to stop on this
narrow road just to change gears.

Thanks in Advance

 

Depending on the transmission and other variables I could tell you yes
or no. In L1 or L2 some transmissions will apply bands which are slow to
release which can drag and wear when you try manually shifting. Taats
are an odd design however. Why dont you let your car do your shifting
for you? Need more revs? Give it more throttle and if need be it will
downshift. They dont call it an automatic for nothing. You should stick
it in OverDrive, thats the O around a D, and leave it there.

Here's a little insight from the GM manual on the 02 TAAT transmissions:

----------------
Uphill Feature

While traveling up certain grade hills, the transaxle will not
upshift to a higher gear if that gear cannot maintain speed on the
grade. Even if a driver completely lifts off the throttle, the transaxle
will not upshift thus preventing unnecessary shifting. After reaching
the top of the hill, the normal gear shift schedule will resume
operation.

Downhill Feature

If traveling down steep grades, the PCM may automatically select a
lower gear. This system assists engine braking, reduces transaxle
shifting, and reduces braking required while going down a hill.

Traction Control

Under certain slip conditions, the PCM may perform an upshift to
help reduce slip.

 

I don't have overdrive. The reason I want to keep it in low gear is to
reduce strain on the engine while climbing, I see it similar to riding
uphill on a bike; in low gear it is easier, but put it in a higher gear
it becomes significantly harder and one has to be concerned with the
extra force causing things to snap and break, chain, peadal axel,
bootom bracket etc. all of which could have catastrophic consequences-
further, shifting under load can cause breakages as well. I do notice
that while in D the transmission will shift gears.

 

Yes, you do have Overdrive, there is no "O" around the D , the overdrive is
completely automatic. If you are not pulling a trailer, there is no need to
manually shift your auto tranny into a lower gear and you could well be
damaging your tranny doing that. It is feasable if you are going up or down
a steep mountain road, but not on a hill, not at all necessarry. Want more
power? get a short air ram intake.

marx404