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So why did my car try to blow itself up today?


Scottster

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I just read an old article in Car and Driver about the GP when it first came out. The test car was the 5 speed manual/2.8 six, and in the specs. it claimed 35mph to be the speed at redline in first gear.

 

Just out of curiosity, I thought I'd take note of the RPMs my 3.1 was spinning away at, when it shifted from first at WOT.

 

So I'm watching the digital speedo make it's way up, and waiting (and waiting...and waiting...lol) until she's screaming away doing 40MPH...at 7000 RPMs!!!

 

I was like WTF!! Shift!!! I was sort of paniced so I backed off a for a split second, and then gave it gas hoping it would go to second, but it just held first, screaming away. Only after I completely lifted my foot did it it come down.

 

I know that my auto is hydraulic (1990 model year), not computer controled, but can someone explain to me what the hell happened? I've got on 'er hard before, and this hasn't happened...so why this time?

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You have stumbled upon one of the most common characteristics of the vacuum-controlled 4T60. My '89 did that exact same thing, first time it happend I was like HOLY SHIT, and after that it was normal; just back off the throttle and it'll shift. Lost a lot of half-ass street races against ricers that way. :lol:

 

I miss that digital speedometer. I'm going to find a decent condition '89 GP.

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Loose TV cable?

 

Maybe.

 

By the way, you were nowhere near 7,000rpms. The 89-90 cars usually have horribly incaccurate tachometers(speedos a lot of the time too). With 225/60/16 sized tires and a 4T60 transaxle, 5000rpms = approximately 40.7mph.

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I miss that digital speedometer. I'm going to find a decent condition '89 GP.

 

Ya, I love it! My car came with the analoge gauges, but I came across the "hybrid" (digital and analoge) gauge cluster in a j/y. At that time I had never seen one before, and thought it was strainge. It grew on me though, and I eventually found another one, and poped 'er in.

Loose TV cable?

 

Maybe.

 

By the way, you were nowhere near 7,000rpms. The 89-90 cars usually have horribly incaccurate tachometers(speedos a lot of the time too). With 225/60/16 sized tires and a 4T60 transaxle, 5000rpms = approximately 40.7mph.

 

Sweet, thanks for the info. That makes me feel ALOT better knowing it really wasn't reving that high.

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Throw in the fact that a 5 speed has a much shorter gear spread then your automatic (thanks to the torque converter). The slip of the TC allows you to have a very tall 1st gear thus go much faster before you hit 2nd gear. A 5 speed standard shift on the other hand, most of them have a pretty short 1st gear, since it is usually geared to get the car moving and then to flip it into 2nd.

 

I personally can't imagine having my S-10's 2.8L (5-speed) at 35 in first gear...it would be a large chunk of useless metal under the hood in no time. Its all about the gear ratio.

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