Don't know if this is a stupid question, but is the overdrive rolling effect (4cyl TS auto) caused by it entering 4th gear or is it a separate mechanism?

The actual problem is that my car doesn't seem to be entering overdrive (not the button, the light goes on and off and the gear changing changes) but even with overdrive on, my car doesn't seem to reduce the load on the engine when rolling. When going down a hill without touching the brake or the accelerator I actually lose speed.

Car is still drivable and fuel economy actually seems better on short trip driving.

Thanks

To select 4th gear you turn overdrive on only when above 70 km or higher

The overdrive button should be off below 70 km/h

you say it is going into 4th so the end clutch is working

TS autobox freewheels nicely in 4th gear when you throttle back at some speed, its like putting a manual in neutral, revs drop quite a bit. Are you getting 4th gear at all? There should be a noticeable drop in revs when you engage it at 70 kph. Third gear on the other hand doesn't freewheel, but provides engine braking. If you don't get 4th at all, check the wiring to the solenoids or the clutch pack is worn out (but that usually gives you a false neutral, third disengages but 4th doesn't). If you get 4th but it doesn't freewheel in 4th, the problem could be with the torque converter. It has a sprag clutch for freewheeling but also a lockup mechanism to lock the torque converter at higher speeds to reduce fuel consumption. Torque converter in mine engages lockup at 90 KPH after a few minutes of steady speed, revs drop about 200 rpm.

On gentle acceleration mine does this (V6 TS):

1 -> 2 at 25 KPH.
2 -> 3 at 35 KPH.
3 -> 4 at 60 KPH.
Lockup at about 80-90 KPH, 110 KPH = 2,500 rpm

When cold I switch the OD off, as it tends to not engage 4th at all, just drops drive and the engine revs up.

I leave over drive on all the time lol Will it damage the gearbox? Sorry i I'm hijacking the thread :)

I have check overdrive work :)

on a four cylinder automatic
the friction discs on the overdrive/end clutch wear out
if you keep overdrive on all the time

Ok that cool, I learn something new again about my car :) So I gather if you do wear out the friction discs on the overdrive/end clutch. It going to be costly hence might as well use third gear.

on a four cylinder automatic
the friction discs on the overdrive/end clutch wear out
if you keep overdrive on all the time

Does the same thing happen to KR V6 autos?

Sorry, just to check, when everybody says 'overdrive on' they do mean the overdrive is on, the light is off, because it comes on when overdrive is off.

When I say over drive is on I mean the the button is push in and light is off on the dash :D Why would you think the other way lol

Mitsu recommends in their owner manual for the TS, to have both lights off, ie power OFF, overdrive ON.

never had to replace an overdrive clutch on a V6

so OD would be the same as mad max has said

always replacing the four cylinder TR/TS end clutches

Okay, had a look tonight, does go into 4th gear, just doesn't go into overdrive, how much would the replacement be? any chance there is any fuse or anything for the overdrive system?

O/D is the 4th gear?!
Off topic - Madmax that's alright from your V6, Diamante @ 100Km/h sit's at about 2700RPM and seems like it take's ages for the converter to lock.

Sorry, was that a statement or what? I'm confused

OK to clear things up. Any gear where the ratio of the engine to gear is less than 1:1 is an over drive gear. E.g, say 4spd auto:
1st gear: 2.7:1 = Reduction gear
2nd gear: 1.9:1 = Reduction gear
3rd gear: 1:1 = Reduction gear
4th gear: 0.8:1 = Overdrive gear

Some autos, like the newer 6spd ones actually have two OD gears (5ths and 6ths), some still have 1 OD but having the others closer in ratio.

This goes for manuals as well.

Personally, having driven a TP, a KS and now a KW, never had problems with OD. In fact, I shift to 5th (which is the OD gear on the 5spd auto) at just over 40km/hr.

Fair enough if the engine is not powerfull enough and you switch to OD too early then there is more stress on both the engine and gearbox.
Leave the OD on. If you feel the engine and/or gearbox struggling on particular occasions then turn it off. Most other makes actually do not have a button to switch on/off OD and it is a thing of the late 80s and early 90s.

Look up HowStuffWorks and search for Overdrive gear and auto gearbox in general.

go into 4th gear, just doesn't go into overdrive

Overdrive and fourth gear are the same thing, so this part is confusing the hell out of ppl. Pleez explain!

You have a four speed autobox with lock up torque converter.

Vlad: OD buttom was a wank factor. Most autoboxes were 3 speeders at the time, you could amaze your friends by FINDING AN EXTRA GEAR just by pushing a button! Oh, wow, your friends would go . . . . lol

Dads EA Falcon was a 4spd auto with no separate OD switch. My TP had the switch. Even the TM had the 4spd. GM chose the switch way in the VN. I had numerous friends and rellies telling me I should not be using the OD etc etc and that they never did. Once they did use it, found fuel economy improved.

That's why its there! Once you are cruising and the lockup cuts in, the fuel consumption improves more. Way better than around town, which is pretty poor really, for a 3L V6 TS.

never had to replace an overdrive clutch on a V6


I've had both astron and V6 and with both cars I've had the overdrive clutch play up and die and replacement was about $320 each time.
I use O/B for a boost, but usually around town I drive with it On (no light on dash saying its off) and it does fine, changes gears when it needs to, put the foot down and it'll downshift for extra power.

I'm still confused, if its not overdrive then what is it when your revs drop when you aren't accelerating in a normal car?

I can feel the car changing gear three times from 0 to 80kph, so all 4 gears seem fine.

But I get engine braking as soon as I take my foot off the accelerator at any speed (overdrive light on or off, but more when light is on), going down hills I actually lose speed.

So what is wrong with my 2.6 auto TS? Can someone shed some light?

thanks

lol Alright sound like you O/D is broken, when I'm in O/D (overdrive is on, no dash lights on) The car will pick up speed, going down a step hill :) My car will rev up 1500 rpm that it driving around but when O/D is off ( overdrive is off, dash lights on) car will rev about 2000 rpm while driving around :) Simple way to tell go on a flat road you will feel gear changes, and the tacho will rev up then drop if you have four gear changes your overdrive works (Make sure over drive is on, no dash lights on )

If this fails will take video of my car driving around lol

And yours does that even at around 100kph? Where you would presumably being in 4th gear already, so O/D is something separate to the 4 gears?

I'm sorry if I am restating what has been said, but from what I have read on here, people think that overdrive is 4th gear?

Fourth gear is o/d :)

Sooo, what happens when you stop accelerating at 100kph? Overdrive does nothing at that speed?

Yeah mate it just take nearly forever to slow down lol Yeah at speed the car does not rev hard. When I take my foot of the good faster pedal, it coast for a bit. Mate since your in QLD I will take you for a drive and so you can compair :)

Sooo, what happens when you stop accelerating at 100kph? Overdrive does nothing at that speed?

Did you read my post at all. What the OP is experiencing with the rev drop in 3rd or 4th (O/D) is the torque convertor locking up. When you accelerate, the two sides of the TC do not touch. Once you reach cruising speed the TC locks and the revs drop a little bit which tricks people to think there is an extra gear.

on modern 4 spd autos, 4th is an OD gear the rest are reduction gears. On my 5spd, 5th is OD and the other 4 are reduction gears. Some 6spd autos have 2 OD and 4 RG and some have 1 OD and 5 RG.