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Is it possible to leave these cars in neutral after they are shut off? Mine essentially forces me into park. I have an ‘AutoStacker’ and if I were to park my C8 underneath, I have to drive in partway, exit the car, then push it in the rest of the way.
If there is a solution in the manual, I didn’t find it. Thx.
Keep in mind that Neutral is only temporary when done this way, I'm not sure if it needs battery power to stay in Neutral. You don't want to be in a position that the car has gone into Park and you can't open the door to start the engine and put it back into Neutral. You may want to invest in some dollies for the rear to roll the car under and and out from under the lift.
Wow, I have never seen an auto stacker before. So you push the car in while in neutral and then leave it in neutral while it is stored? I’m trying to understand what someone designed a lift this way to begin with? The car doors are completely blocked. Pushing the car in to and out of place seems like a lot of unnecessary work. Why pick this over a simple 4 post lift? Sam
Keep in mind that Neutral is only temporary when done this way, I'm not sure if it needs battery power to stay in Neutral. You don't want to be in a position that the car has gone into Park and you can't open the door to start the engine and put it back into Neutral. You may want to invest in some dollies for the rear to roll the car under and and out from under the lift.
I think it may or may not be that battery power is required to stay in neutral. There is a specific caution in the manual that it is not designed to stay in Neutral for a long time. And, while it looks like the Park Lock solenoid must be "on" to disengage the park lock - which sounds like it requires battery power there is a description of the park lock solenoid that says it will stay in the last known position if power is lost. I was also wondering whether there was even a "real" neutral position for the shift forks where no gears are engaged - to be distinguished from a double paddle declutch which is also sometimes described as being "like neutral". And it turns out that yes, there are specific fork positions for neutral that are different from any other gear position (even different from Park). I do not know if battery power is required to keep the forks in any particular position. There could also be software in the car that just wont allow the car to say in neutral for a long period of time.
So - having said all that (and edited what I previously said), I still would definitely not rely on it staying in neutral, at least not without some extensive testing and a better understanding of how it works.
Last edited by Andybump; Jun 6, 2023 at 10:51 AM.
Reason: found out parking pawl stay in last know position if power is lost
Actually, I found more info that says the park lock pawl will stay in the last known position if there is a power failure - so I modified my post to include that. It means it might stay in neutral if power is lost. But I would still not trust it until I tested it for days and understood better how it works. Software might also put it in park - for various reasons. proeagles and RKCRLR, you can take your "likes" back of you want, since I changed what it said .
Actually, I found more info that says the park lock pawl will stay in the last known position if there is a power failure - so I modified my post to include that. It means it might stay in neutral if power is lost. But I would still not trust it until I tested it for days and understood better how it works. Software might also put it in park - for various reasons. proeagles and RKCRLR, you can take your "likes" back of you want, since I changed what it said .
My understanding is the parking pawl is actuated by hydraulics. It is spring loaded to engage and hydraulic pressure overrides the spring to disengage it. So the pressure may bleed off over time even if the valve remains in the last position.
It depends. If the C8 is a daily driver and the other vehicle sees only occasional use then it means a lot more hassle every time the OP wants to drive the C8
If you're going to park the C8 under there, at least take the targa off / leave the roof lowered so you have some way to crawl into the car if it shifts itself into park.
My understanding is the parking pawl is actuated by hydraulics. It is spring loaded to engage and hydraulic pressure overrides the spring to disengage it. So the pressure may bleed off over time even if the valve remains in the last position.
The description of it from this section is not clear enough for me to understand exactly how it works. It mentions some mechanical connections - for example it says "Transmission Park Valve Lock Solenoid Actuator pushes lever to engage the Park Locking Plate" and "This solenoid is a normally closed solenoid that is controlled ON (fully open) or OFF (fully closed). When energized, it will push the Park Lock Lever which engages the Park Locking Plate, locking the parking pawl out-of-park" which sound like mechanical actions. But then it says "The Park Lock Stepper Motor is a 4-wire motor that controls a latching hydraulic valve. This is used to engage and disengage the parking pawl. If power is lost, the valve's locking feature keeps the parking pawl in the last known position" which of course sound like hydraulic pressure is required. So yeah, without more tests and understanding, I would not count on it not engaging the pawl. Also not clear - would shift forks stay in that neutral position. I cut the description of that image short before - here is the description with all 7 points mentioned. The actual section if even longer, but offers no more clarity on this (at least to me).
My C8 was delivered by Plycar. The driver slid in and out via the window since the side of the truck would not let the door open. He put a blanket over the window opening and on the seat. He did this with ease. Perhaps you are still young enough and fit enough to pull that off?
Wow, I have never seen an auto stacker before. So you push the car in while in neutral and then leave it in neutral while it is stored? I’m trying to understand what someone designed a lift this way to begin with? The car doors are completely blocked. Pushing the car in to and out of place seems like a lot of unnecessary work. Why pick this over a simple 4 post lift? Sam
4 post lift did not fit my space very well. This ‘stacker’ is the perfect solution for me. Just drive the lower vehicle in 3/4 of the way, exit, push an additional 2’. block the rear wheel. It’s easy.
Last edited by jost6453; Jun 10, 2023 at 09:40 PM.
Transmission ‘N’ question
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