Troubleshooter Posted October 25, 2011 Report Share Posted October 25, 2011 (edited) I need this for winter driving. I have determined by trial and error that the difference between getting out of my driveway after an ice storm, and failing to get out, is second gear start. Winter is fast approaching. Unfortunately, as the result of a damage settlement, I now have a car without this feature. It is a 2002 Pontiac Bonneville SLE with the 3800 engine. I can't trade it until the settlement period is up, or I lose the rest of the settlement. The arbitrator did not listen to my need for second gear start. This is a matter of me keeping my job, so please: No arguments on whether or not it is useful, and no suggestions on other methods of getting the car out of the driveway. I know what I need, and I have tried all of the other methods. The traction control is useless. It gives up after 2 seconds as soon as I hit the uphill portion of the driveway, switching itself off. Complicating this is that a stop is required by law on the hill. Can the second gear start feature be added to a 2002 Pontiac Bonneville SLE? I have seen it on a 2008 Impala, so I know it has not been abandoned. I need to know what PCM or cable pin to use for the switch and how to connect it, if it is possible. If it is not possible, please give me proof of this, not just a diatribe or a runaround that everyone who does not want to research this gives me (including the local dealer). I do not want answers that involve reprogramming the PCM (other than enabling the switch, if necessary). This is supposed to already be in the PCM. Edited October 25, 2011 by Troubleshooter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White93z34 Posted October 25, 2011 Report Share Posted October 25, 2011 I can't really give you proof, and you may have better success at a more bonneville-centric forum such as http://www.bonnevillepro.com. I know on early w-bodys it was possible to add this just by adding a switch between some wires near the ecm or something like that. I'd imagine it be possible if you have a performance shift button you might be able to find someone willing to redo those tables to accommodate your need. I want to say that those cars never had that as an option. Really outside that I can't say for sure that it can or cannot be done. I don't know if its a mechanical lockout or if someone could just set your PCM to let you actually start in second gear when the shifter is placed in "2" That said, I'd imagine you also have a good set of snow tires? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digitaloutsider Posted October 28, 2011 Report Share Posted October 28, 2011 IIRC, there are guys with HPTuners who reconfigure Pin 21 (Perf Shift) to do second gear start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Addicted to eaton Posted October 28, 2011 Report Share Posted October 28, 2011 yes its possible to do both, make it start in 2nd if placed the shifter there or Performance shift do it. Now you just need to find a tuner close to you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schurkey Posted October 28, 2011 Report Share Posted October 28, 2011 What tires do you have? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BXX Posted October 29, 2011 Report Share Posted October 29, 2011 Get snow tires, problem solved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troubleshooter Posted November 7, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 7, 2011 I already have the best all-weather tires I could get for the job. I went for ice ratings, not snow. Read my first post. I have already researched the other alternatives, and have everything else I can get on my income. The problem is that these ice storms often happen without any warning. I do not have time for ice melters to work if a storm happens at the wrong time. Unless the county closes the roads, I am expected to be at work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BXX Posted November 7, 2011 Report Share Posted November 7, 2011 My Blizzaks are ice rated and would pwn any all season tire and aren't too expensive. Just saying getting proper tires would be the smart thing to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troubleshooter Posted November 7, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 7, 2011 I can't really give you proof, and you may have better success at a more bonneville-centric forum such as www.bonnevillepro.com. I tried them. I registered and they said I had to activate from an email they send. The problem is that I never got an email. The email address is correct. They say to contact an administrator. But all of the links to contact an administrator require that I log in first. But I can't log in without activating. Their system is broken if anything goes wrong with the registration process. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troubleshooter Posted November 7, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 7, 2011 (edited) I can't have two sets of tires. The city has an aesthetics ordinance preventing me from storing a set of tires outside on my property, and I have no place to put them inside. They also prohibit studs. I got the best I was able to legally get. Even vehicles with snow tires could not get out of my driveway after an ice storm, if they didn't have second gear start. These ice storms uniformly coat all surfaces with ice. Snow tires do not have any advantage on these surfaces, and neither does traction control. The ice itself is not slippery, unless it is warmed by a slipping tire. But applying too much torque causes the tire to slip, and makes the ice much slipperier. Let's get off the issue of tires, and onto the issue of second gear start. Experimentation has shown that second gear start is the determining factor in vehicles being able to get out of my driveway and navigate in my neighborhood after one of those ice storms. Edited November 7, 2011 by Troubleshooter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schurkey Posted November 7, 2011 Report Share Posted November 7, 2011 First Guess: You can buy a shitload of sand or kitty-litter for what it'll cost to add "second gear start". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troubleshooter Posted November 10, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2011 Tried that. It won't stay where it is needed. The car gets out once. Then the sand is not in place for getting back in. And the problem is not limited to the driveway, though it is the worst part. I can't stop every few feet and apply more. I said no other remedies. I know what I need from years of past experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troubleshooter Posted November 10, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2011 IIRC, there are guys with HPTuners who reconfigure Pin 21 (Perf Shift) to do second gear start. How? I have a guy with a tuner, but no software. And which pin 21 is this? There are several different connectors at different points along the computer control lines. Is this the PCM pin 21 (which connector?)? Or is it the pin 21 on the instrument panel, or at the firewall? I need to tell him where to connect the wire and what to enter in the PCM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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