Crazy T/A Lover

I'm picking up a 98 T/A with a LS1 and M6 on Friday. A friend of mine asked me if it has traction control and something about the transmission not allowing certain gears if the rpm's aren't high enough. Supposedly it will lockout 2nd and 3rd and force you to shift to 4th. Any ideas on this?

BLK85

iTrader: (1)

Its called skip shift. For 30 bucks you can buy something to get rid of that. I personally have never experienced that probelm, and Ive drove a few 6speed fbodies(not a lot but I dont own one). What happens? Everyone I drove let me go 1-2-3-4-5-6?

Crazy T/A Lover

When I drove the car I didn't notice it either. Is it built in to all 6m's?

prplhaz

There is a solenoid in/on the transmission that locks out the shift path to 2nd and 3rd gear if certain parameters are met, like the engine coolant has to be above a certain temperature and the throttle position has to be less than say 50%. So if the engine is sufficiently warmed up and you're not puttin' your foot in it then you will literally be prevented from shifting into 2nd and 3rd gear leaving 4th, 5th or 6th as your only options (when accelerating moderately). This is a feature that has allowed GM to get favorable mileage ratings from the government, and it is easily defeated. There are write-ups on several LSx sites on how to do-it-yourself or you can get a connector ready-made from many sponsors. Look for "skip shift eliminators".

300bhp/ton

It's called CAGS (Computer Aided Shift Selection) it exists to allow the cars to meet the EPA fuel economy regulations. Yes it essentially locks out certain gears while driving normally. The V8 is torquey enough not to need them. From a performance stand point it sucks though.

There are some really cheap fixes but they tend to leave a warning light on the dash. Other fixes won't. Just check with any of the spponsors (Texas Speed & Performance, Thunder Racing) they all sell skip shift eliminators. Have a look over at Installuniversity as well or simply use Google.

Traction Control is called ASR, there should be a button on the dash to switch it off. A warning light on the dash will eluminate when it's off. It's not a bad thing to have and in the wet is handy, although after a few mods the engine will completly overwhelm the ASR system. There are option (tuning software) that allows you to set the default to OFF as opposed to factory setting of ON. Failing that just remember to switch it off when you want to go play.

If you don't have the button, then there is no ASR fitted to the car.

CaMaRo67RS355

iTrader: (75)

traction control wont let you kick it really it will kick the gas back up to you not allowing you to get on it hard at least that has been my experience with it. the not allowing you to shift into 2-4th gear is skip shift if the car doesnt go over a certain rpm i think mine was like 2300 or somewhere around there it will automatically bring you into 4th gear not 2nd. to fix the problem you can install the skip shift eliminator and its really easy to do just make sure you dont plug it into the wrong harness because my friend did and it locked out reverse and he couldnt get in it.

BlackBat99

Instead of the $30 skip-shift eliminator, I installed a 7 cent 2K ohm resistor purchased from Radio Shack into the sensor that I unplugged from the tranny. Sealed it with weatherproof tape. The skip shift light still comes on, but it allows shifting into second even with the light on. Best 7 cents I ever spent (actually, I had to buy a pack of 4 resistors so it was 28 cents + tax. A work around with an active CAGS system is to shift to fourth briefly then, without letting out the clutch, shift to 2nd.
The traction control is, by default, turned on each time the car is started. There is a button near the shifter that is used to disable it. You can buy a device that reverses this so that the traction control is off when the car is started and can be manually turned on by hitting the switch by the shifter. I turn it off everytime I drive the car since mine is only driven in nice weather and I like to hang out the tail sometimes.

BlackBat99

skip shift is standard on all 6 speed F bodies. Traction control is an option on 6 speed and slushbox F-bodies.

Crazy T/A Lover

Thanks for the info everybody. Maybe that's why I didn't notice it I must have had the rpm's high enough to avoid it. I also don't remember a button for the traction control so maybe it doesn't have it. Jason

bww3588

iTrader: (49)

CAGS is the acronymn for Computer Aided Shift Selection? CASS?
it actully stands for Computer Assisted Gear Select.

gonefishn1212

the tcs button is right next to the stick in a T/A

Shallow Bay

iTrader: (3)

CAGS comes into play under the following conditions:

- you're in 1st gear (of course)
- you're at 35% throttle or less
- you're between 15 and 21 mph
- engine coolant temperature is greater than 171 F (77 C)


Can you accomplish this with EFILive? If so, what exactly do you have to change?