GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

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Overdrive is just 4th gear. When O/D is on, the trans uses all 4 gears. Turning O/D off means the trans only uses the first 3 gears. Switching it on and off while driving is just like down or upshifting. The trans does it by itself when you mash the throttle.

A lot of us auto users are taking advantage of the O/D button to get more power for passing and climbing hills...No fear my friend, 'tis all good!

I feel ashamed to say but I still don't get the whole O/D think.. I just leave it on... or... off.. See I am confused.. Well.. I leave it so I don't see the O/D sign is the dash....

You know you can go 105 mph with it on. OOP's!! That's another resson why I don't like it on the shifter so close to the unlock button, I hit it by accident and during the day with sunglasses on it's hard to see the O/D off light.. My old Geo Storm had it near the arm rest.

quote: I hit it by accident and during the day with sunglasses on it's hard to see the O/D off light.. My old Geo Storm had it near the arm rest.You should know you turned it off because the engine starts screaming, your torque shoots up, and your RPMs rev higher...

No I didn't cause I had it floored from a stop sign and the engine always sounds like that when I floor it. I only noticed it when the car wouldn't go any faster then 105 mph. Then I let off and it 'wound' down, then I realized the o/d was off. I'm more careful now, so hopefully it wont happen again.

Doesn't the owners manual say something about not switching the O/D button while at speeds over 55 mph?if no one responds, I'll check in the morning. I'm comfy in bed right now :X

Yeah I thought it said not to go over 40mph.

O/D is just 4th gear. If you leave it off, the trans acts like a 3 speed and doesn't shift above third. If you leave it on, the trans acts like a 4 speed and will down shift to third on it's own when needed. The only time I ever turn off the O/D is when the trans is downshifting to third and then back up to 4th and then down to third, etc. alot. Then I turn off the O/D so the trans will just stay in third.The manual DOES NOT say anything about turning the O/D off at any speed. It will not damage anything:quote:OverdriveYour automatic transaxle has an O/D (overdrive off) button. It is located on the left side of the shift lever. Press the O/D button to turn off overdrive. A light on the instrument panel cluster will come on when this feature is used. Press the button again to turn overdrive back on. Then the light on the instrument panel cluster will go off. See “Overdrive Off Light” in the Index. Use this feature for better fuel economy. Fast starts use the most fuel while gradual starts give you the best fuel economy. When you turn on your vehicle the overdrive will automatically be on until you turn it off.The only warning the manual says is:quote:Don’t shift into SECOND (2) unless you are going slower than 65 mph (105 km/h) for front-wheel drive vehicles or 59 mph (96 km/h) for all-wheel drive vehicles, or you can damage your engine.

quote:The only warning the manual says is:Don’t shift into SECOND (2) unless you are going slower than 65 mph (105 km/h) for front-wheel drive vehicles or 59 mph (96 km/h) for all-wheel drive vehicles, or you can damage your engine.Scott -- doesn't the manual know when to shift? I mean, if I shift into second and I'm moving too fast, won't the auto keep it in third until the engine slows enough, and THEN downshift?I thought I downshifted too much once and remember that happening...

Most modern automatics do. I don't know if the Vibe auto is like that or not because I haven't tried but I would assume it does have that safety feature.

Aha! So I just got the warning mixed up - excellent, thanks for straightening that out, Nova

I hear you all talking about an o/d switch, but at this point, I'll treat it as a rumor until I actually see one...

you have a manual transmission??

quote:you have a manual transmission??All GT's have a 6-speed manual.Oh, and BTW Yoda, you do have an overdrive switch. When you switch from 4th gear to either 5th or 6th gear.