Hi everybody

I'm new to the forum. I recently (week ago) bought a Camaro 91 RS 5.0L TBI LO3 with automatic transmission.

Never had an automatic car before (I'm from Spain, in Europe 99.99% cars are stick shift).

You may find this question stupid, but for me it is not obvious. Maybe somebody can help me.

The manual says:
* the "Automatic Overdrive" (symbol '(D)' inside circle) is the setting for normal driving in most street and highway situations.
* 'D' position (drive) is like "overdrive" but you never go into Overdrive. According to the manual, there are several times you might choose 'D' (drive) instead of '(D)' (overdrive): driving on hilly roads/towing a trailer/going down a steep hill.

BUT the previous owner told me basically to always start driving on 'D' (drive) and ONLY switch to '(D') (overdrive) when I'm driving fast above 50mph. He mentioned that if I don't do that the transmission will likely get damaged as this generation Camaro's that overdrive thing wasn't working very well (?)

SO to me, both explanations seem to contradict.. what is it according to your (long) experience, you knowledgeable "camaro-gods" ?

Just in case it was relevant, car has 118k miles and previous owner told me txon. was replaced @82k.

Thanking all of you in advance and very happy & excited to be around...

Quique

PN: also, what kind of fuel does this engine enjoy better, just regular or...?

PN2: Like Duran Duran song..."is there anything (relevant about this car) I should know?"

 

You're perfectly fine just leaving it in overdrive. Putting it in drive simply prevents the transmission from shifting into overdrive (4th gear), and locking up the torque converter. It depends on which rear end gears you have, but the car should shift into overdrive around 40 to 45MPH under normal driving conditions. You'll get better gas mileage once it shifts into 4th and locks the torque converter.

As the manual says, the only time you'll really need to select drive instead of overdrive, is if you're towing something, climbing a really steep hill, etc.

Using overdrive can actually extend the life of your transmission, by keeping the fluid temperature down. When the torque converter locks (it only does so in 4th gear), it's no longer using fluid to transfer energy from the engine to the transmission, and the trans will run cooler.

As far as fuel, the L03 isn't a high compression engine, you should be fine running 87 or 89 octane.

 

cheers Ward

that makes a whole lot of sense


btw, nice ride!

Quique

 

The ECM/transmission will also lock up the torque converter in 2nd and 3rd.

I usually use D and OD as the previous owner of your car mentioned. Around town I leave it in drive. Once over 45 MPH for a period of time then I'll put the transmission into OD.

And definitely OD on the highway.

RBob.

 

Yes 87 octane should be good for that engine. As for the tarnny. you have a 91 so the problems the PO mentioned are not a problem on your car. the early pre 87 versions of this tranny had problems but they did updates and changes in 87, 88, and 91 that I know of maybe more.

 

thanks RBob, that's actually what the previous owner quoted... but I still don't understand why you would do that.. especially if it would not be beneficial for the transmission, as Ward was saying above (?)

ALSO guys, off-topic, can you please let me know your personal thoughts about the following question? (I posted it on auto-detailing-appearance, but just would like to know anybody's thoughts about it)

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/auto...ml#post4315976

 

How can it not be good for the transmission? If you are driving at 35 - 38 MPH (56 - 61 KPH) in OD the TCC won't lock up. So that will generate excess heat in the transmission and consume additional fuel.

By using D at those speeds the TCC will lockup reducing heat build up and using less fuel.

Note that I also posted: "The ECM/transmission will also lock up the torque converter in 2nd and 3rd." Which is the opposite of what Ward posted that he based his statements on.

RBob.

 

I was not aware the torque converter locked in 2nd and 3rd. I can't say I've ever noticed it in 2nd or 3rd, but you can definitely feel it locking on OD, almost feels like a 5th gear.

 

ive heard, the same of what you PO said. you shift through the clutches and it fails faster. just what i heard. im always in regular d, you get more feedback power. try it. while driving around 25 miles per hours switch to regular D. youll have more power.

 

awesome info here and awesome that you driver american over there


use Drive aka "D" for any driving under 60 MPH and Overdrive aka "OD"

 

KITT I'm actually based in California but I came from Europe
I'm actually a Knight Rider fan... cool avatar

another dumb question.. being stopped on a traffic light with the 'D' engaged and stepping on the brake would actually damage the transmission overtime?
It seems everybody around here does that. Nobody shifts to 'N' on the traffic lights.. and if you do it, sometimes when the light goes green, it takes sometime for the car to engage 'D' again and it feels like a shake when it does which does not seem the right thing to do..!?

I'm asking that as I compare that to driving a stick shift and waiting on the light with the 1st gear engaged and stepping on the clutch pedal until the light goes green, which would eventually damage your clutch...

cheers!

 

thanks for props dude

nope it would not damage your transmission and you dont need to shift into neutral. that is one of the good things about automatics. is that they dont need to down shift in heavy traffic and you set it and forget.

In Boston stop and go traffic is very bad up here. over time that stop and go will eventially destroy a standard transmission alot faster. but an automatic will last a lot longer.

may the Knight Rider be with you

 

automatic cars, the engine spins a torque converter (clutch for autos) and the fluid inside the converter eventually spins the transmissions converter part. think of it like a windmill. your auto trans being the windmill and the wind being the engine. the wind has to blow air hard enough to turn the windmill. while the engine is at idle, its like a low breeze not enough to turn the windmill with brakes on (wind being the fluid). . I thinking shifting into neutral at every-stop isnt ok by the dmv. neither is turning off the car at the stop too. but for manuals its ok. except for the turning off of car. You can cause damage the torque converter on the auto trans if your idle is above 700 rpm at a stop if its stock.. http://auto.howstuffworks.com/auto-p...converter2.htm sounds crazy to use fluid to apply power to wheels. thats why manual trannys get bet gas milage. but automatic tranny made up for its lost by locking up the converter at highway speeds. basically the converter locks up and acts like a clutch, the engine will be turning the trans at same speed the engine rotates.