This past Wednesday, I (or my mom:o) purchased me a Z06, the car I wanted. So far it's a fantastic car, but I have one little peeve.

While looking through the manual, I've noticed where it explains the "1 to 4 shift", where you apparently MUST shift from 1st to 4th directly as long as that light comes on. Apparently if you go to 2nd from 1st while this light is on, you will damage your transmission!!! the light apparent will not disappear until I complete this type of action.

Half the time I put the car in 1st this light appears. It isn't any fun to have to worry about the light coming on, or having to go directly to 4th from 1st, or risk transmission damage.

Basically, I want to know why exactly it comes on, and if I absolutely do have to go straight to 4th.

 

Use search or search this forum in C5 Tech, (in the red banner). Use the keyword "cag delete" or "cag bypass" to research past threads. Here's one...

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-g...t-why-how.html

The 1 to 4 shift was part of GMs design to save fuel to meet CAFE requirements. It's why Corvette buyers didn't have to pay the gas guzzler tax.

You can have it bypassed with a pro tune, use a small resistor device available from many vendors, or simply rev higher in first gear to defeat it. The owners manual explains it.

If you don't have an owners manual, download one for free courtesy of Gene Culley of GMPARTSHOUSE (keyword).

 

Yeah, I should really use search functions more.

 

I learned tp live with mine by shifting to 2nd at 12 mph or below or around 17-18 mph or above. It still gets me once in a while though.

 

Got mine from here...

http://www.corvettesofhouston.com/pr...69faca42678fab

Easy install as long as you can get to the undercarriage via ramps or a lift. I could not but the tech at the dealership threw it on during an oil change.

Mind you the shift light will still come on with the CAGS bypass. There are other methods to get rid of/bypass it but this is by far the cheapest. Otherwise, learn where the shift points are for a work around.

 

That's the first thing I did to mine. Best $35 I've ever spent, add a set of Rhino Ramps for $40 and that problem was fixed.

 

Skip Shift Function Will NOT Damage the transmission

 

Post you're location and maybe a member here can turn it off for you with their tuning software. I've turned a local Z06 owners cags off for him, only takes a couple min.

 

My second mod.....that thing is dangerous in some traffic situations...

 

The only way you would damage the transmission is if you try to FORCE it but it would take plenty of force. Many times when it sends me from 1st to 4th I simply slide it up into 3rd before letting the clutch out. I disabled this in my C4 but don't mind it so much in my Z because it has a much more natural feel than the C4 did.

 

First off, you can't damage your transmission. When it tells you to go from 1 to 4, it locks you out of other gears. It's just not possible to get into the other gears.

Secondly, if you want to get past that and put the car in another gear, you can simply give the car more gas and it will not force you into 4th.

Lastly, you can get rid of this problem a few different ways:
A) You can buy a skip-shift eliminator. This is a device that plugs into the transmission and tells the computer the skip shift is doing it's job, but the transmission doesn't actually lock you out of 2 and 3.

B) You can take the car to a tuner shop and have them disable it. (I went with this option so that the "1-4 Shift" light doesn't come on at all.) This, in my opinion, is the best option, but not always the easiest or the cheapest. For me, I didn't pay anything and it only took 5 min because my friend has HP Tuners on his laptop.

Honestly, the 1-4 shift DOES save you gas, and ultimately it's pretty good. But I know how to drive my car and I bought a manual for a reason: I want to shift to the gears I want to be in!

 

I never had problem in my 94 and 01.