Can someone tell me about skip-shift? What order do the gears have to be shifted? Why are they shifted out of order? Does this also apply to thirdgens with a T-56?

 

TTT

 

Skip shifting is the way GM tried to comply with some gas guzzler laws. The skip shift only affects 93-97 t56 trannys. 98 and later don't force you to skip shift, but do give a warning light. What it is is when you start off in 1st and aren't accelerating hard enough, a light will come on and the transmission will not let you shift into 2nd or 3rd, only 4th and up. A solenoid blocks those gears. It's computer activated, so if the tranny is in a third gen there's no worry. Also, a connector can be purchased cheap from Summit or Jegs to eliminate the skip shift altogether.

At least, this is what I understand from talking to people about it. I may be wrong on a detail or two, but the concept is right on.

 

Thanks BigRuss. That's exactly the info I needed.

 

or instead of buying the connector..unplug it!!! same thing

 

Indeed, except you still get the annoying light. The connector fools the system and eliminates the light as well.

 

Sorry i'm just reading this now... but there was actually a solenoid that MADE you skip shift??? That's seriously messed up. I'd be quite pissed if i bought a new camaro or t/a and it MADE me skip gears. I'd def. have that unplugged in a second.

Patrick DeGrosse Jr.

 

lights, i can live with that lol, i already ignore the shift lite in my truck lol anyway, just a cheap/easy way to get around it

 

You and anybody else that did or might buy one. Maybe that's why the Mustang outsold f-bodies so well, despite being over-priced, slow, and too tall (I'm not kidding, you don't sit in a Mustang, you sit on it ).

But seriously, the skip shift only was a problem at low throttle, so you could still perform like a beotch when you wanted to. Still, I can't believe GM put it in there. I personally believe it was an undercover Ford executive who made that decision.

 

Yeah it seems like a dumb idea to me. Thanks again for the detailed response. My only question now is... How the hell is skipping shifts supposed to help emissions!?

 

I had a '94 Z28 that had it. GØD DAMN was it a major PITA!!!!!

One time I about got rear ended because of that damn thing. I turned left out into traffic, and it was raining. Well you can't exactly floor it in 1st in the rain. :nono: So I tried to ease out in first, then I was gonna drop it in second and nail it. Well that didn't happen. That damn thing made me shift into 4th, and a semi about plowed the *** of my car up my ***.

Needless to say, I ordered that little plug dohicky thing that day. My shift light still told me when the skip shift thought it was working, but the annoying little light that tells you it was not working was bypassed by the little plug thingy I bought.

I wonder if I would have been killed if GM would have been liable?

AJ

 

Well, think about it: whenever you have a stick shift or any tranny, the lower the gear you're in, the faster your engine spins at a certain speed. The faster your engine spins, the more fuel it uses and the lower your gas mileage. If you're forced to slow down the engine early, as in going from 1st to 4th, you're saving a lot of gas, but you can't accelerate like you could in 2nd and 3rd. It doesn't help emissions, it improves gas mileage.

I never bought one new, but I wouldn't be surprised if there's no gas guzzler tax simply because they threw that feature in. I guess they figured people would be thankful they didn't have to pay additional tax, but like me, they were pissed they didn't have a choice.

Like I said, the 98 and later models don't have a solenoid, just an annoying light that tells you when to shift to get the best gas mileage. Like I want some computer telling me when I should change gears... :nono:

 

hey now....our cars have shift lights.....Mine didn't work, kind of a good think....It would be great to get the shift light to come on for performance even tho it is in a place where it hard to see. I usally hold the gear at around 2000-2200 RPMS or so, keeps you in the power band, except when cursing then it drops to 1500.