I know what the skip shift does, but my question is does the car do it for you automatically, or do you have to shift it to 4th when the light comes on. I have a 6spd.....thanks.

 

When the light comes on, there is a solonoid which blocks the shifter from going into second gear, guiding it into forth. So basically, it is done automatically.

 

You can get a little gizmo called a skip shift eliminater which will remove the skip shift so you never need worry about it again. Bout 20 bucks and takes about a minute to plug in.

 

The function of the computer aided gear selection (CAGS) is to prevent you from shifting into second gear when three conditions are met (coolant temp higher than 169 degrees, speed between 15-19 mph, and less than or at 21% throttle). Chevy put this little feature into your car to improve gas mileage under those conditions (EPA I suppose dictates all the groundrules under CAFE), thereby avoiding a gas guzzler tax for your 400HP machine. When all of the conditions are met, the Shift 1-4 light comes on, and if you try to shift to second, it will go into fourth instead (a solenoid is engaged by the computer to do this). You don't "have" to shift when the light comes on: it just means that if you want to go to second, you won't be able to (you can, however, shift into third). The good news is Chevy designed this so that you can work around it (they could have been real meanies and done something like put a seal on the CAGS plug that if broken might indicate whether or not you messed with it and then void your warranty, but they didn't do this - gotta believe some if not all of their design team are Vette lovers, too).

The work around is a CAGS eliminator kit, around $20 and 10 minutes or less of your time to install (you have to raise the vehicle unless you are an extremely thin, small person). You remove the existing CAGS plug, put a dust cover plug into the tranny where the CAGS plug came from, and then attach the skip shift connector onto the end of the removed CAGS plug. Use some nylon tie straps around the brake lines to get the wires up out of the way and prevent them from getting burned on the exhaust. The CAGS eliminator kits I've bought all come with clear instructions on how to do this, or you can download them from the web.

Even with the CAGS eliminator kit installed, shift 1-4 light will still come on when the three conditions are met, but you will be able to shift to second gear when and if you want to, thereby never worrying about this little issue again. This mod is worth every penny and then some!!! HTH. Blair

 

Hmm, is "gizmo" necessary? Reason for asking... I had a 94 Fbody with a 6 speed with skip shift. All I needed to do was pull 1 wire out of the tranny, (i ended up inserting a resister because I could hear it "clicking" occassinally), and it fixed the issue. Granted, the skip shift light would still come on, but I could laugh as I shifted into 2nd gear. lol

 

No, the "gizmo" isn't necessary. You can do the resistor trick. But why do that when the CAGS eliminator kit is so easy and relatively cheap (and you won't have to worry about hosing your computer or cutting any wires...an advantage if you have to take the car back for any drivetrain warranty work [and if you're worried at all about a dealer claiming "mod" you can just pull the CAGS eliminator and hook her back up the way she came from the factory before taking the car in).

 

Why have a sports car if you are going to drive it like a soccer mom?

Just shift about 2000 rpm and the light will go off.

 

Where can I get a CAGS? What do I ask for, will they know what the CAGS is? Thanks, Jeff

 

To add to this very well done write-up, I *think* that when doing a tune its possible to modify those conditions. So...put the condition to be above say, 6300rpm, 80% throttle, and same coolant temps, and you have a handy dandy shift light.

 

Very well said. One comment though, I live in a rural area and therefore rarely drive in heavy commuter traffic. I have also driven lesser powered sports cars for years, and I have only seen the 1-4 light on about 2-3 occasions in over a year of driving. I assume my style of shifting (at somewhat higher RPM's) might be part of the reason for this, but overall I am averaging almost 26 MPG.
I do not have the CAGS eliminator.

Jim

 

CAGS can be had at pretty much ANY Vette store, including the forum store. Here's a link to the item at the forum store, part number PM-188.

http://www.zip-products.com/Corvette...32F8BA96C2D02A

 

I agree Jim. Why pay for a CAGS emiminator when all you have to do is drive the Vette like a sports car! Shifting below 2000 rpm is hard on the entire car.

Save your money and just shift above 2000 rpm!

 

I suppose that's an approach. But I do live in the city, and it isn't always possible to shift above 2k rpm, no matter how much I might think I can manage the traffic around me. Too me, $20 was worth it to not worry about this. If $20 is an obstacle for someone with a C5/C6, then it's good to know there are other "less expensive" options. The fact that the original poster, however, asked about this feature seems to indicate that with his particular style of driving, he is encountering the CAGS shift 1-4 feature, as I did.

After searching the net and forums like this, I opted for the eliminator kit as a relatively cheap, simple to install way around this feature (and just so you know, no "soccer mom" driver here, but I've learned in my old age there is a time and place for everything, including driving my "sports car" - which is my everyday set of wheels - like it was on the track. Besides, I have Corsa sports and my city has a new auto noise ordinance, so it behooves me not to blow the carbon out of the motor everytime I start off from a stoplight! Come to think of it, I like the sound of the Corsas so much I actually have to restrain myself from getting on it all the time! What a great problem to have!!!)