Didn't see any mention of a Rev Limiter in the manual of my '02 Z, but I think I've seen posts about it. I've noticed this happening a couple of times at the top end of first gear. It feels like the drive shaft has broken (instant no power). Then downshifting into second power is back.

1) Is there a Rev Limiter? (Sounds like a good thing!)
2) What's it supposed to be set at if the red line is 6500?

Here's when I recently noticed it. Was minding my own business one night waiting to turn left onto the entrance ramp to I-10 at a red light. There happens to be 2 lanes turning here. A silver sporty looking car (night time) pulls up beside me. At the green he jumps on it and gets around me by the time I wake up. No problem, just floored it (felt the above), shifted into second, then third and passed him and was gone onto I-10.

Thanks!

 

Yes you have one at 6500rpm, no need to down shift if you hit, you should upshift! It cuts spark and/or fuel to keep the engine from over revving due to throttle, you can still force the engine to over rev by downshifting at high speed (like missing 6th and accidentally shifting into 4th).

 

Actually I think redline is 6500 and the limiter kicks in at 6600 ... The rev limiter will NOT protect you from a missed downshift.

 

I think you mean that you UPSHIFT from 1st to 2nd gear. A rev limiter will not help you if you DOWNshift into a wrong gear. The rev limiter on the Z06 is set at 6600rpm. The rev limiter on the Coupe/Vert is 6200rpm. Hitting your rev limiter is no big deal, I wouldn't sit on the rev limiter all day long, but hitting it occasionally is no biggie! :cheers:

 

Actually, my dad hit 7000 by accident after a stoplight turned green and a "spirited" acceleration. The engine studdered twice as though it was going to shut off, but then i guess he lowered the RPMs so it didn't get a chance to fully shut the engine off. He said the needle quivvered as it hit the 7. It all happened so fast! :reddevil :reddevil :reddevil

Of course he didn't intend to bring it that high. He must have been so dazed by the acceleration that he didn't realize how high the RPMs were.

:rolleyes: :rolleyes:

 

Stock Z06 has a rev limiter of 6600RPM in 1-4,6. 5th has no rev limiter for top speed runs! :reddevil

 

At what RPM does the shift light come on? :banghead:

 

You sure? What rpm will the stock Z06 valvetrain hold before blowing?

 

There is also a chance that you got some tire spin and caused the traction control to kick in.
Also, it should go without saying that there is no rev limtier protecting you against downshifting into a lower gear.......it is a mechanical linkage people....and has nothing to do with spark or fuel. It is also a good way to mess things up(pushrods come to mind).
Godspeed, that is some good info. I never knew 5th gear had no limiter......vvvveeeerrrrryyyyyy interesting. The "Beavis and Butthead" in me wants to go see if I can find it.

 

Yes, that's what I meant. Thanks for replying. In 6 months I hit it about 3-4 times. :flag

 

If you hit red line will that void any engine related problems with the warranty?

 

NO

 

I hope not, I've redlined my motor several hundred times, actually hit the rev limiter several dozens times too.

The GM engineers build a nice tolerance into the motor because they know what a lot of Corvette drivers are going to do. They set a redline because it's well within the operating parameters of the motor. Given a stock motor, the only way to damage the motor with revs is to downshift into too low of a gear given a particular speed. Then mechanically you blow past the rev limiter and start bending pushrods, etc.

If you make sure you're in the right gear and you take care of your oil level/condition, then your motor should be good to go for a long time! :cheers:

 

A couple of things. First, I don't think he got to 7,000 rpms. You can sit with the gas pedal FLOORED in the driveway with the clutch in and the tranny in Neutral (for safety, so you don't accidentally end up in the living room) and you will not hit 7,000 rpms. You won't hurt your engine either.

Second, the rev limiter doesn't shut your engine off. It pulls spark and fuel from cylinders individually to keep the rpms below 6,600.

For the original poster: Judging from your description of what happened, I'd tend to agree with the poster who thinks that you may be getting the traction control to kick in. That sounds more like "a driveshaft breaking" than what happens when the rev limiter kicks in (which I hit ALL the time getting on to interstates.)

When you hit the rev limiter, the engine "bounces" or "fluctuates" between about 6,200 and 6,600 as the PCM does its thing. Getting traction control (or the wheel hop algorithm) is more like the car falls on its face and quits getting fuel.

Do you drive with the TC on? Also, all manual tranny C5's after 2001 (I believe that is the correct year) have the anti-wheel-hop algorithm that will kick in even if you have TC turned off. I usually only hit it when trying to bark a gear by shifting early and hammering the next gear.

 

I've never heard that before. Where does the info come from? And 6th doesn't NEED a rev limiter.

 

For the original poster: Judging from your description of what happened, I'd tend to agree with the poster who thinks that you may be getting the traction control to kick in. That sounds more like "a driveshaft breaking" than what happens when the rev limiter kicks in (which I hit ALL the time getting on to interstates.)

When you hit the rev limiter, the engine "bounces" or "fluctuates" between about 6,200 and 6,600 as the PCM does its thing. Getting traction control (or the wheel hop algorithm) is more like the car falls on its face and quits getting fuel.

Do you drive with the TC on? Also, all manual tranny C5's after 2001 (I believe that is the correct year) have the anti-wheel-hop algorithm that will kick in even if you have TC turned off. I usually only hit it when trying to bark a gear by shifting early and hammering the next gear.

Thanks for the response. That's why I love this site!

Yes I drive with TC on most of the time. Now that you mention it, I remember one time spinning the wheels in first and the engine "bouncing" like you say. At other times it's as if the drive shaft breaks... complete shut off, then comes back.

Again, thanks for responding!

6 months with my Z and loving it! :auto:

 

hi all! :seeya
In speaking of missed downshifts, agood friend of mine was driving in his '99 6sp coupe along i-65 when an RX7 pulls up next to him. The Mazda guns it, my friend guns it, the mazda puts up a good fight but gets walked away from. The RX7 not wanting to break ricer tradition, slows down for a fly-by. My friend is going somewhere between 85 and 100 mph when he sees the RX7 trying the fly-by. My friend downshifts but misses 4th and hits 2nd :eek: he punches it and side steps the clutch.

He said he saw it go straight to 7000rpm before he was able to get the clutch back in. It drove horribly for about 2 miles before dying. The push rods were Literally twisted like a curly straw!

Moral of the story??? Rev limiters are your friend. Be their friend by not blowing past them! :D :smash:

also, if youre able to bounce off the rev limiter in 6th, do you really *need* to be going that fast??

just my .02 :cheers:


[Modified by MongoosC5, 12:43 AM 7/11/2003]

 

That is correct, you CAN over-rev the engine with an errant downshift, you cannot over-rev the engine accelerating upwards.

A. You can't.
B. Who needs to hit the limiter even in 5th? But it is fun when you get the right opportunity.
C. Some guys drive these things in Europe and can go as fast as they want legally!



[Modified by Tom Steele, 2:23 PM 7/11/2003]