I just bought an 89 Iroc convertible with 34,0000 miles on it . It is in showroom condition and seems to run fine so far. I've never had a car with this transmission before so I don't know what it's supposed to feel like, but it doesn't seem right to me. It seems to shift into overdrive to much when at cuising speeds. It also seems to go into overdrive when its in 3rd, but not as low of an rpm overdrive as when it is in OD. It's kind of hard to explain. Also the shifting from 1st to 2nd, and 2nd to 3rd seems way too smooth and sluggish feeling. Is this how it supposed to feel?

 

What you feel when its in 3rd and you feel it going into "overdrive" is probably just the torque converter locking up.

 

My '89 RS 'vert does the same thing. What I usually do is when I drive @ 50mph & under, I leave it in D, when I go 55 or faster, I just bump it into overdrive. The third gear overdrive feeling you get when in drive is just the torque converter locking up (at least that's what my buddy from the dealership told me). It's a great car, enjoy it!! My tranny has 160,000 miles on it, and hasn't missed a beat yet!!

Derrick
'89 RS Convertible
'85 Iroc Coupe

 

Thanks, that makes me feel better. I was afraid that since the car wasn't used very much that something was wrong. I went from a 71 Vette with a TH400 to this one so its taking some getting used to.

 

Have you checked the color of the transmission fluid?

 

Yeah, it looks normal to me. I'm going to change the fluid and filter as soon as I get a chance anyway.