Cheap Trick for Overdrive???

[Brent13]

Has one been discovered? I am talking about the Overdrive on-off button on the shift handle. When we automatic owners start our trucks, overdrive is "on" unless we push the button. I am wondering if there is a way to reverse this button??? I do most of my driving in town at speeds of 50 or less. I push that button every time to avoid constant shifting into and out of overdrive. Seems to me that it would make more sense that overdrive be off until the button was pushed?? What do you all think and is there a Cheap Fix for this issue?

Thanks,
Brent

[RENEGADE76254]

thats a great idea, i have a theory, i bet that switch is run by a relay and in all the relays ive seen there is 2 possible connections one is ON and one if OFF the power is prolly plugged into the ON if u could just put it onto the OFF connection it would reverse button.... just a theory.....

[d33pt]

Has one been discovered? I am talking about the Overdrive on-off button on the shift handle. When we automatic owners start our trucks, overdrive is "on" unless we push the button. I am wondering if there is a way to reverse this button??? I do most of my driving in town at speeds of 50 or less. I push that button every time to avoid constant shifting into and out of overdrive. Seems to me that it would make more sense that overdrive be off until the button was pushed?? What do you all think and is there a Cheap Fix for this issue?

Thanks,
Brent

Why don't you just leave the switch out, and push it in when you need it? I don't really see a difference if the switch was in or out. You still need to push it. Anyway, toyota trannies are so smooth, you can hardly feel the shift to OD anyway, so I just leave it on.

[Mike-in-WV]

when you shift out of overdrive your running around in second gear and eating gas. Is there a reason you want to do that ? I take mine out when I'm off road and get in some rough areas but for over the road or in town I see no reason for it. Mike

[sochuck]

when you shift out of overdrive your running around in second gear and eating gas. Is there a reason you want to do that ? I take mine out when I'm off road and get in some rough areas but for over the road or in town I see no reason for it. Mike


I don't mean to sound stupid, but it was my understanding that the overdrive just effects the torque converter and not gear selection. In other words, if the OD is off the trans works like a regular three spd tranny, OD on just locks the converter in a fashion that lowers the overhaul RPMs. If this was true would not his transmission be in third gear and not second?

[boylem002]

Driving conditions (street/offroad) under 40-50mph, you want OD off. This will give you better gas mileage (couple mpg) because the trans doesn't reach OD at 40, then when you wanna pick it up, you have to input more throttle to speed up (at a desirable level). Additionally, OD causes increased wear on the brakes because when you reach a slowdown in traffic or a light, the higher gear won't act as a driveline drag brake, so it takes harder braking. The OD off button is designed for city/offroad driving conditions to lengthen the life of both tranny and driveline/brake system. Use it, you'll be surprised at what happens. It takes a conscious effort, yes, but pushing that button on and off at the right times (don't take it out of OD unless you're below 50 min.!) will make braking, acceleration, and speed consistency easier.

[TRD SyRuP]

when you shift out of overdrive your running around in second gear and eating gas. Is there a reason you want to do that ? I take mine out when I'm off road and get in some rough areas but for over the road or in town I see no reason for it. Mike

no overdrive is like your trucks 5th gear..with it off you stay in 4th..

i turn it off when im hauling in the bed and dont have as much power in 5th

[dave02dc]

no overdrive is like your trucks 5th gear..with it off you stay in 4th..

i turn it off when im hauling in the bed and dont have as much power in 5th

I believe overdrive is 4th gear - what seems like 5th is when the torque converter locks up. With the "OD Off" button pressed, you're actually in 3rd gear (1:1 for a 2002, don't know about others). When all the conditions are right (speed, throttle position, temp, etc), the ECU sends a signal to the lockup solenoid. I asked in an earlier thread if anyone had ever tried adding a switch so that you could bypass just the lockup. To me, this would be a better setup than driving around in 3rd gear.

[boylem002]

I believe overdrive is 4th gear - what seems like 5th is when the torque converter locks up. With the "OD Off" button pressed, you're actually in 3rd gear...

Later models (such as yours) have a 4 speed w/OD transmission, so you're driving in 4th gear, not 3rd. OD is not a gear, it's just a torque converter band that engages at high rpm to reduce driveline loading. When you're at lower speeds, to accelerate out of OD takes rpms up higher than if you were just already in 4th, hence the increased fuel consumption. If you're towing, OD should be off because you're loading the driveline with the weight. Since OD is low torque/hp, this would not be the way to tow a heavy load. If it's just a jetski on a trailer or something real low weight (under 1500lbs), OD can be used, but on hills it should be turned off to prevent down/up cycling of the torque converter.

[RENEGADE76254]

Later models (such as yours) have a 4 speed w/OD transmission, so you're driving in 4th gear, not 3rd. OD is not a gear, it's just a torque converter band that engages at high rpm to reduce driveline loading.

i agree with most of what u have said except this part, if u manually shift ur transmission (overdrive button off) u go thru 3 gears L, 2, D, when u turn overdrive on it goes into 4th and locks the converter. therefore he is in 3rd with the converter not locked. if he was in 4th and the converter was not locked he may have a nice bit of force on the gas petal.

sometimes it feels as if u shift 2 gears if u watch the tach and feel the truck, thats b/c u shift into 4th (aka overdrive) and for maximum MPG ur torgue converter also locks up (which is a slightly noticeable pause in the shift from D to OD aka 3 to 4), sometimes it happens at the same time and u cant tell, but under the right amount of acceleration u can feel it, the converter locks up right after it starts its shift into 4th giving the feeling of 2 shifts.

so if overdrive button is off u wont come out of 3rd gear (D) but if u press the button it lets u into 4th (OD) THEN the computer locks the converter in. and if it was a 4spd w/OD it would therefore be a 5 spd.
and if u dont believe me u can call up toyota. hopefully ur local dealer will explain it the same way i have explained it to yall. this is how the toyota mechanic at my local dealership explained it 2 me.

so to sum it all up, dave02dc said the same thing the yota mechanic said 2 me.

[Paul]

I would save myself the dilema and go with a standard tranny.

[Mike-in-WV]

Anytime you turn off the OD you are useing more gas ..period! The only time you don't is if your off road or climbing an extrem hill (mountain) with a long grade or maybe rock crawling . The biggest problem is so many people like to punch it or use a heavy foot when climbing so you then get more shifting with OD on.
The way we drive can change many things but then it's not always fun unless some of us get to punch it and then cry about gas milage :D

PaulW, I'll stick with my auto any time over a standard, when climbing a mountain you will be doing the shifting but my auto tranny will do it for me :)

[boylem002]

Mike,
Try turning it off under 40mph on city/local streets, then turning it back on when you're getting on the freeway or above like 45 to 50mph, you'll see a better fuel economy number. You're not using more gas out of OD when you're at these speeds, because the engine is actually more efficient at the higher rpms, necessitating less pedal input (throttle) from you to change speeds (whether slowing or accelerating). Just that change alone gained me 2mpg average for the last 12 tanks of fuel. It's much like those getting 13mpg that have little to no fuel system upgrades and aren't S/C'd. They've got their foots in the throttle bodies! If you keep your foot at one level to maintain a singular speed, only accelerating at a minimum when necessary, you'll see better fuel economy because the engine can work efficiently, and small drops in speed due to incline are regained on the back end. Most people are 'me first' around here, so they're constantly fluctuating from 70mph to 85mph to keep up with traffic surges, when those like me that are at a steady 70mph maintain the same position in traffic and get almost 19mpg! Keep a logbook for fuel mileage, with notations made for what you change out or do differently. I know it's tedious, but it will give you a history for the vehicle that will aid you when you go in for service. The last vehicle I had I kept the logbook religiously for the life of the car (165k), and at 88k when I had the valves redone, I noticed that my fuel economy had slowly drifted down over the 4 months prior to the actual service, then once repaired, it was back to the same when new. Just one example. I also notice tire wear plays a small role in fuel efficiency, as well as air filters, chassis lubes, etc. It's actually something that I'd recommend everyone do. I used to work in a fleet motorpool where logbooks are kept on every vehicle, and they are invaluable, especially if you're not the sole driver of the vehicle. So often we overlook the small details of vehicle performance, and focus on the next mod or the next hop-up, when our trucks/cars will tell us when things are getting out of 'cal' if we just monitor the basics.
I reiterate it again, OD is only for freeway speeds with little load on the vehicle. If you truly don't believe it and refuse to change how you drive temporarily, then fine, but if you're like me and hate the friggin gas prices (SoCal), then you'll try anything to save a few bucks. Furthermore, according to the tech specs and engineer input, using it that way will lengthen the life of your transmission and brakes.

[Mike-in-WV]

First off let me clear somthing up here: If anyone thinks that you are not changing gears by turning off or on the OD you are very wrong and this is right from the 01 Tacoma manual for the auto tranny......." You can select either THIRD GEAR (with OD off) or FOURTH GEAR (with OD on). ALWAYS drive your vehical with OD on for better fuel economy and quieter driving"

The OD is not ment to be used running around town. It's used under high stress like climbing steep grades or off road 4-wheeling or your coming off a steep hill and want to slow her down a little.
Don't get me wrong here, I drive allot around here with my OD off because I'm climbing mountains all day long, it's the only way I can get anywhere from my house :) . But I also have some spots in the road where I can hit 60-65 before heading up the next mountain and driving around at that speed with the OD off will eat gas like my wife spends money!

In short if you drive around with the OD off then you are running around in third when you have a 4 speed tranny. Not much different then haveing a three speed and driving around in second all day. That's just my openion but I have only been driving 4 wheel vehicals for about .........well, long before they even had auto tranny's :D Mike