Ok my friend is insisting he has Overdrive but his Shifter (it's an Automatic) doesn't have the D with the circle around it like mine does. I've also looked at my buddies 2000 Trans am and it's the same thing as the formula. Is it always in Overdrive or does it not have one?

 

For some reason I have a feeling I'm gonna get flamed for this question....

 

They are all the same automatic. And all have OD. As for why the shifter is not marked (if that's the case, I usually deal with M6 cars) I can't say. But 4th gear is there, somewhere.

 

My friends 98 t/a is the same thing. I think its because they have 2.73s maybe ? it goes :

P
R
N
D
3
2
1

 

I think if you have 2:73's it's 2,3,D and with the "performance rear" 3:23's you have 1,2,3,D, and yes they are all OD trannys.

 

"D" on a shifter with 1, 2, 3, D is 4th gear, a.k.a., OVER-DRIVE!! Some shifters show 1, 2, D, (D), but I think Pontiac uses D as 4th. They're the same tranny though. 3rd is really "D"rive in any case. 4th gear is the over-drive gear.

 

I remember reading that during a "drive by" noise test. The 2.73 cars were at a high RPM and were too loud to pass the test. So, (from the guys that gave us CAGS) they set it to shift early and made it so the lowest gear that could be selected was 2nd. (I guess the test called for something like "select lowest gear, make full throttle blast to 35 mph or similar). So, the lowest selectable gear was 2nd (and it was forced to shift early enough to be in 2nd for the test). The 3.23 cars were already in second by the "test speed" (not sure it was truly 35 mph, but somewhere that the 2.73 cars were in 1st, but 3.23 were in 2nd). That is the explanation of the lack of a 1st gear selector on 2.73 cars. GM simply engineered the car to "beat the system" and pass the test, based on the rules of that test (just like CAGS).

 

Pontiac VS Chevy
1 = 1
2 = 2
3 = D
D = OD


K?