JoeyASPEC

So... I've searched and have found some similar threads but none that helped. Hopefully someone can answer my question.

I drive a 5AT '06 and USUALLY (60% of the time) drive in Automatic, but when I'm feeling "spirited," I like to SportShift. I've done my fair share of SS'ing in both my car and my brother's G35 and have never encountered what happened today...

I was driving on the Cross Island (for anyone familiar) and was about to merge onto the Grand Central. I was in SS mode, traveling @ appx 45mph in 4th. When I approached the on-ramp, I downshifted (obviously to speed up and get onto the GCP) and my Gear Indicator showed "2" and flashed that 3 times. I instinctively upshifted, thinking that the enginve was going to overrev or something. At this point I was in 3rd, then made my way to 5 as I went on and was like the whole way home.

Any ideas as to why this happened and/or what the blinking indicator meant?

K1N6

when you try to sport downshift and it is unhealthy for the car the gear you are trying to go to flashes 3 times. you could have easily been in 4th, and downshifted into third, and then attempted to shift into second without noticing, the 2nd gear indicator flashes 3 times showing that the downshift is unhealthy, and then the 3rd light will reappear indicating the gear you are in. hitting the upshift while it is flashing merely makes the correct gear reappear more quickly. i know this is how my second gen tl is, but i cant see any reason for difference to the 3rd gen

Desert_TL

Even in sportshift mode, your car will downshift automatically. For example, try this: go into sport shift mode and shift into 4th gear going a normal 4th gear speed (40mph). Then, leave it in sport shift mode and come to a complete stop at a stop light, for example. Without you doing anything, the car will automatically downshift all the way to 1st gear.

What happened to you is this: you were going 45mph in 4th gear. Then it was time to merge. I suspect you applied a slightly higher amount of gas just prior to hitting the shifter. The car automatically downshifted into 3rd, then you hit the shifter and tried to go into 2nd. The display flashed at you because at those speeds, shifting into 2nd would have presented an overrev situation. Even in sport shift mode, a 5AT will NEVER perform a downshift that will cause the RPM to redline. The computer knew it would redline if it shifted into 2nd like you were telling it to, so it flashed the display, basically telling you that the car's computer was overriding your command to shift into 2nd.

To try this out, sportshift into 4th gear at around 45mph, then try downshifting into 1st. It wont' let you.

At no time was your car ever in danger of overreving, nor will it never be.

JoeyASPEC

OK Cool... good deal. Thanks for the responses - that makes me feel less concerned now. And yeah, I applied gas before I hit the shifter... so your theory would be correct, Desert. Thanks King, for your insight as well.

So Desert - you're telling me that if I was driving @ 45mph and I downshifted until the computer wouldnt let me anymore (in which case I should be in 2nd and lunging forward), that it would cause no malfunction/wear and tear/problem for the car? That's a theorhetical question - I dont think I'd wanna try that lol.

Learn something new every day!

01tl4tl

You can slip into SS at any time- and try to downshift to see what happens- it will not allow an over rev condition- something the AT cars have over the MTs which like to overrev on missed shift and causes 2500-4000$ damage immediatly

Check the owner book- it list max upshift and downshift speeds
On gen 2 you can go 4 to 3 at 96 mph!
And get on the freeway and be passing people in 2nd and not bump the rev limiter~

The flashing ndicates the car is not going for that gear- it is staying in the gear above- slapping the handle does nothing to speed the process- its ALREADY in the safe gear

K1N6

if you slap the handle up the flashing gear disappears and the safe gear reappears. i wasnt saying that it put it in that gear, it was already in the safe gear the whole time, its just gets rid of that flashing number which is making you feel like a moron hah