just a question

Hey I just got my '85 Camaro and I'm still getting a feel for it. I have a really stupid question but I need to know the answer to it. It of course has automatic overdrive. My question is, when to use overdrive? What exactly does it do? Is it for highway use, or bad road conditions? Like I said, its probably a silly question, but I cant seem to find the answer.

I has a 95 Camaro V6 w/auto and i just put in OD all the time. I don't think it hurts anything. I mean the trans just shifts up from first at a stop anyway and if it doesn't need to get to the OD gear it won't get to it, right? I mean isn't it just a high range gear anyway? I've always just put automatics in OD...

Ok, thanks that sounds good. Another question for those of you out there with a 3rd Gen.. the stock engine blew within 70k miles. Im guessing they just drove the hell out of it.but now its not a Crate engine with less than 60k on it, but when they put it in, they didnt charge the a/c and its an R12. Current recharge kits only come in R134A. For those of you with a similar problem you know what this means. If you dont, it basically means that either I pay $900 for 30 pounds of this stuff, or I have it retro-fitted. My question is, about how much will it cost me to have it retro fitted. I know the answers will vary, but just give me a shot in the dark. Or if there are other alternatives Im not aware of, that would be even better!

I always drive my 3rd gen in OD unless im just crapping around on the streets and dont plan on going that fast I will put it in D. Its basically an extra gear for higher speeds and especially highway use to give you decent mileage.

Personally I would get the ac retro fitted to R134A. R12 is expensive as hell and retro fitting it should be somewhat reasonable.

i leave my transmission in D while in town because at about 35mph it shifts into overdrive. i dont like to have to floor it to get into second gear at low speeds

you can get a retro kit for your AC for about $45 but you have to get a vaccum pump to pump out the existing R12 or have a service shop do it for you to be able to recharge it with 134. i'm not sure if you can get R12 anymore, and it's illegal to pump R12 into the air

use overdrive for all regular driving. D should be used when conditions do not favor overdrive, icy roads, hilly areas, towing. D in town is ok, but i wouldnt do it too often. the transmission is designed to go into the highest gear it can to keep rpms low. doing so, esp when its in 2 or 1 at high rpms can and wil burn out the bands. as for R134A, one of the quotes i got was for $125, they reoil the compressor, run a vacuum to remove any moisture, charge the system, put in leak dye (and fix whatever leaks). the diy kits are about $40, but changing the orifice tube, running a vacuum, and changing the accumulator are highly recommended. R12 is still accessable, i think, but its like $70 for the equivalent of the lil bottles of R134A.

it doesnt matter which you use. OD's single purpose is for gas mileage. the OD gear is set at a lower ratio so that the wheels turn faster than the engine. while the car is in overdrive, the shift points are changed slightly from when it is in normal drive. it'll have an affect on drivetrain wear, but by no means a serious or short term one...

use OD when you are at higher speeds consistantly, i.e. on the highway. also, if you are goin to be traveling on hilly roads (mountainous) or going up an incline, you do not want the transmission in OD...

Thanks alot guys, that answers my question. Now here's a chance to show off what you've done to your cars. My question is, is there anything that you suggest a camaro owner must have done to their cars, i.e. cowl hood, crate engine, flowmasters, HID headlights, disco ball instead of a dome light, anything inside or out. Basically whats your favorite thing that youve had done to your car that you might suggest to others.

favorite thing that i have done to my car is putting a set of t-tops off of a 97 in place of the ones that came with my 94 (dont ask why i needed to). the 94's came with the dot safety tint, and in 97 chevy started to smoke tint the t-tops. sooooo much cooler looking. also, the headers back exhaust hasnt hurt the love factor for my car...

disco ball instead of a dome light

HAHAHAHA

yeah i seen that too.. lol

people have done it?! lol that makes it that much better

i bet someone has.. lol wait... didnt they do it on Pimp My Ride???

oh god. I hate that show. But one time they did restore a 60 something mustang with taste, it wasnt too bad, they gave it a nice paint job (i coulda missed some things i was at work and it was on)

Yeah thats where I got the disco ball thing. They took an '81 Firebird and put in a chandelier instead of a dome light, personally I found it kind of offensive to do such a thing but the paint job they did on it was pretty kickass so I just dropped it..lol