VR wont shift to 4th????

[gupatrol]

G'day,

My VR 4sp Auto for some reason will only shift into 4th when going down a hill at around 80-100km/h with my foot completely off the gas. As soon as I touch the gas it shifts back down into 3rd.

Just had the Gearbox speedo seal done, would this have anything to do with it??? Did they stuff it up?? if so, how??

Any info would be great

Cheers

[nugatory]

I was reading in the Holden Service Manual that the gearbox only ever shifts into 4th if it detects there's no problems with the gearbox otherwise it'll stay in 3rd.

I notice sometimes on the freeway mine might hold 3rd a bit longer even on light acceleration.

[gupatrol]

Thanks champ...

I'm hoping its nothing major. Just weird how it wont shift to 4th until ya take ya foot off the gas.

Cheers

[AttaBoy]

Could be the shift solenoid, is it logging any error codes??

[gupatrol]

Nah mate, no error codes.

Startin to **** me off, burning the fuel abit quicker stuck in 3rd on the highway.

[nugatory]

If you accelerate out past 120km/hr and then back off, will it slip into 4th then? When you put your foot back down (even a little bit), is it straight back to 3rd? Or will it hold 4th?

It doesn't really sound like a faulty gearbox, more a faulty sensor somewhere.

That's what I meant before by mine will hold 3rd a bit longer, but other times it'll go into 4th too early. Sometimes I can be cruising at 100km/hr and the gearbox is in 3rd and then I can accelerate out past that, back off a bit and it'll go into 4th then. Other times it'll hit 4th gear at 90km/hr and I have to kick it back to 3rd to climb up to 100km/hr properly as it chews more fuel in the wrong gearing.

When I read the thing about the gearbox won't shift into 4th if it detects problems, I figured the gearbox also does other things to ensure it's ok to go into overdrive and if the criteria isn't met, then the box won't shift into 4th. (E.g. reading through the other posts about how the v6 engine detects pinging from lower grades of fuel and adjusts itself for that scenario, I'm pretty sure the auto's in the VS are more sensitive too to certain conditions than their predessors.)

I'm not a mechanic, these are very basic shots I'm taking, but it sounds like it needs an auto technician to look at it more if all the other things have been looked at.

[gupatrol]

Ay mate,

At past 120 it will still stay in 3rd, but when ya take ya foot completely off it will go to 4th, but touch it a tiny bit and it will shift start back to 3rd. Will take it to a mechanic tomora and see what he says.

[nugatory]

This post power button vs commodore ? is worth a read. You've probably tried the power / econ button I imagine as well?

[hako]

G'day,

My VR 4sp Auto for some reason will only shift into 4th when going down a hill at around 80-100km/h with my foot completely off the gas. As soon as I touch the gas it shifts back down into 3rd.

Just had the Gearbox speedo seal done, would this have anything to do with it??? Did they stuff it up?? if so, how??

Any info would be great

Cheers

I try to look at things from a different angle so pls do not take offence from my questions/assumptions.

Reading your original post - I have one question: - how do you know that your car shifts to 4th only when going downhill?....engine revs are no guide with a trailing throttle.

I hope you are not confusing going into 4th gear with the torque converter locking up - this will cause an immediate 200rpm drop just like a gear change.

Good Luck.

[gupatrol]

Nah mate, I know 4th gear doesnt sit on 3000 revs at 110km/h.

Either way, the bastard isnt shifting to 4th.

It drops alot more then 200 revs too... bit more like 1000 champ.

[gupatrol]

Any auto mechanics out there??