Can i manually shift an automatic transmission

The transmission should never be shifted into first gear unless the car is stopped. Another bad practice is forcing the transmission into second gear and hitting the accelerator hard at speeds above 30 m. It will accelerate the wear on the transmission bands that run between the drum gears.

Eventually the bands will fall out of adjustment or wear out. Worse yet, shifts that are highly aggressive will tend to exert torque on the entire engine and transmission mounting system, putting extra stress on a flex plate that Chrysler uses between the engine and the torque converter to dampen shock in normal driving.

Ralph Vartabedian is a former national correspondent at the Los Angeles Times and became a special contributor in April He joined the newspaper in and has covered many technical subjects, including aerospace, auto safety, nuclear weapons and high speed rail.

He has won two Loeb awards and was a Pulitzer finalist, among many other career recognitions. All Sections. About Us. Move the gearshift upward to shift to a higher gear. Move the gearshift downward to shift to a lower gear. Tip There are six shiftable gears in the transmission.

Six is the highest and rated for highway speeds. First is designed for initial takeoff. The statements expressed above are only for informational purposes and should be independently verified.

Please see our terms of service for more details. Home Questions. Experienced Mechanic? Apply Now. What others are asking How do I disable the automatic door unlock? Your car may have an automatic door unlock feature. This will only happen if your vehicle is in PARK if you have an Read more. Check Engine light P It needs a tune-up, badly. Now that we have the initial flamefest for general ignorance out of the way, are there any particular tips anyone can offer? I downshift in my automatic when I'm going down a steep hill saves on brakes or stuck in stop-and-go traffic.

I figure if the owner's manual suggests doing so, it isn't likely to hurt the car. My '93 Toyota Corolla hatch is pretty good wrt downshifting when you press the accelerator harder, but occasionally I'll have or want to slip it down manually, like when I'm going down one of the quite steep hills near my house. Especially when I've got me and 4 of my rather large friends in the car, so I don't have to have the brake pedal through the firewall.

It won't hur your car, unless you do it at high RPMs. Modern autos shouldn't downshift anyway if it would damage the transmission or engine.

Not knowning what car you have, I can't say if yours will or won't. The car won't always make the right choices. Also and I'm not sure on this , some automatics won't shift more then 1 gear down when they reach overdrive so only to 3rd in a 4-speed.

So if you need more power, you have to manually force it into second. When going down a long incline, I'd much rather use the engine to help slow down the car than hope my brake fluid doesn't boil. Everything I've read indicates this is a better practice than using brakes. Mechanic when half of you don't even OWN a vehicle!?!?!?!?!??!?! If its recommended in the owner's manual, as it is in my volvo, I won't worry.

What sort of car is this dust? I know in my Lesabre, when we were in the mountains, i had to downshift it so i didnt overuse my brakes, and have them fail.. I can check what my manual says for speeds, if you'd like. The car is a Olds Cutlass Ciera. My mom, in her infinite automotive wisdom, lost the manual about fifteen years ago. I don't shift by speed, rather RPM. I also brake lightly just before, and apply throttle immediately after.

I'd imagine that since you're being careful with your RPMs, that you're doing okay, but im by far no mechanic, so, take this advice at your own risk. I know that going downhill in a lower gear is essential for trucks, but are there really any cars out there that have shitty enough brakes to benefit from it? Unless you've got a 2. I drove through the Rockies just using the brakes on a lb car and they were fine.

I'm fairly certain, that the manual of my auto hah1 stated you should downshift to avoid brake overheating. I wouldn't say that the brakes were crappy, but they started fading like hell after two laps on the Nurburgring, so But since the motor-brake is free, I use it pretty often anyways I haven't owned auto trannys since '86, though. Shifting to manual gears in an automatic can serve several purposes: 1.

It helps you descend steep inclines. No it won't damage your gearbox or engine as long as you are within the RPM the engine can take. You should always be in gear when descending a hill, whether you're driving a manual or an automatic. It saves on both brakes and fuels. An modern car consumes no fuel what so ever when braking. Large vehicles can even control the exhaust valves of the engine to increase compression and slow it down even further. Putting an automatic in second gear when starting on a slippery surface will help you get away smoother.

This applies to stick-shifts as well. Shifting down won't hurt the gearbox or the engine as long as you're not being an idiot doing it, keep the revs moderate, meet with the accelerator to avoid the jerking. Just like you would with a stick-shift.