GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

I have a 2003 base Vibe with an automatic transmission. I've noticed that when I press on the gas enough to get it to shift from 4th gear to 3rd gear (usually if I'm going up a long hill) it will take a little longer than it should to shift back from 3rd to 4th. Whenever I would get to the top of the hill, I would take my foot off the gas and it would stay in 3rd gear for 3-4 seconds until it decided to shift back to 4th gear - unless I turned OD off then turned it back on again, which would also shift it back to 4th. Has anyone else noticed this with their automatic transmission Vibe? Is it any cause for concern? Any input is appreciated - thanks!(sorry - I must have posted in the wrong place, I didn't notice the "problems" forum - could a mod move this for me?)

Quote, originally posted by scoot »I have a 2003 base Vibe with an automatic transmission. I've noticed that when I press on the gas enough to get it to shift from 4th gear to 3rd gear (usually if I'm going up a long hill) it will take a little longer than it should to shift back from 3rd to 4th. Whenever I would get to the top of the hill, I would take my foot off the gas and it would stay in 3rd gear for 3-4 seconds until it decided to shift back to 4th gear - unless I turned OD off then turned it back on again, which would also shift it back to 4th. Has anyone else noticed this with their automatic transmission Vibe? Is it any cause for concern? Any input is appreciated - thanks!(sorry - I must have posted in the wrong place, I didn't notice the "problems" forum - could a mod move this for me?)IIRC, the Vibe's powertrain maintains a lower gear when going down grades to help maintain engine braking and reduce the load placed on the braking system. Your issue sounds normal.

Quote, originally posted by ragingfish »IIRC, the Vibe's powertrain maintains a lower gear when going down grades to help maintain engine braking and reduce the load placed on the braking system. Your issue sounds normal.But what about going uphill like stated in the original post?

Click on this link for a description of shifting control in uphill/downhill driving (on page CH-19):http://www.illformedpragma.com...a.pdfBasically, the ECU calculates throttle opening and acceleration rate to determine whether vehicle is in uphill or downhill state. The ECU judges an uphill condition if actual acceleration is smaller than "reference acceleration" and restricts 3rd to 4th upshift after 4th to 3rd downshift has occurred.I interpret this as, the greater your vehicle speed, at the top of hill, the sooner your tranny should shift back to 4th. But, most of the time, you'd probably back off the speed (throttle opening) at the top of the hill, which would delay the upshift to 4th. Does that make sense?