1996 Acura 3.5RL , how to tell if transmission stil goes into "overdrive".

Jun 27, 2005 9 Replies
G

Hi:



I have a 1996 Acrua 3.5 RL. I has 98,000 miles on it. THe car is in pretty good mechanical shape overall except I do not know if its automatic transmission goes into "overdrive" any more. I can tell clearly when transmission shifts from 1->2, and from 2->3, and from



3->4, but after that it seems there should be a further "overdrive" shift down. I note only a very slight shift down. On level highway going at a steady speed the RPMs show 2500 RPM at steady 75 MPH. SHould it not be lower? I can't recall from earlier years how this was, have owned this car since 1998.

George


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Gautam Thaker wrote in news:r_qdncx_dbvHwF3fRVn- snipped-for-privacy@comcast.com:

Isn't there an "OD off" button?

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N
2500rpm for 3.5L @ 75mph should be right.

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G

So, if I can "see" (on tach) the shifts and feel them, (1->2, 2->3,

3->4), is that all it should do? Sounds like you are telling me that that should be about it.

Either way, thanks for the comment.

George

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G

No, as far as I can tell (and I have been driving this car for 8 years), there is no "OD off" button.

George

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G

I was in a honda odyssey minivan yesterday. It has the same size engine, a 3.5litre V6. It 75 MPH it is doing a low 2100 RPM or so, perhaps even 2000. ANd, at top end of accelerating it clearly does a nice slowing down of engine as it seem to go into its last year or the overdrive. I know, the minivan and 3.5RL are diff cars but with same size engines i expected 3.5RL to have if anything lower RPMs for the same miles/hour when going steady on a flat road.

If someone otu there has a 3.5RL it would be nice if they can see what is their RPM when cruising on flat road at 75 MPH.

thanks for comments people.

George

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Gautam Thaker wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@comcast.com:

Then 2,500rpm at 75mph IS overdrive. My Integra's 5-speed manual does

4,000rpm at 85mph.
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F

What comes after the 3-4 shift, and feels like another gear, is not really a gear shift, but the torque converter locking up. The torque converter in an automatic transmission is the equivalent of a clutch in a manual transmission. In 1st and 2nd gears it always slips, which is why you can hold you brake pedal at a traffic light while the car is in gear. In 3rd and

4th gears on most 4-speed automatics, the torque converter will lock up while cruising to save fuel and reduce heat. Locking up of the torque converter feels like a gear shift, only the change in RPM is very small - 200-300 rpm at most. When the transmissi> > The RL has a 4 speed transmission
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N

A minivan has a different final drive than a sport luxury sedan. That would account in the RPM difference.

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