Push button shifting

[-Jayson-]

ok i have a 2001 Z24 2.4L auto and i was wondering if it would be possible to put on push button shifting. I dont play on doing it myself, i would go to a mechanic, but im wondering if its possible and how much it might cost. Ive always wanted a car with push button shifting, just think they are fun, but when the oppertunity came to get a new car, this one was a good deal and had like 99% of everything i wanted. I dont want a manual car cause i find them annoying at time to have to constantly be screwing with the gears. With this option if i feel like having fun and messin with the gears i can, but if i dont want to, i dont have to. Anyways my thinking behind it is that since its an auto the computer controls what gear the tranny should be in, so their is a wire going from the computer to the tranny to relay the message. How hard would it be to put in a middle point between the two where i could deactivate the computer signal to the tranny and instead put in my own manual signal? Seems simple enough. Im not a gear head and am only starting to get into cars. So anways im wondering is it possible to do this and a guess as to how much it would cost?

[86FieroGT]

Do you mean a paddle shifter like with some sequential manuals or like the new Grand Prix, or do you mean a button for each gear like an Edsel?

And by the way, I have no idea how to do it. Just clarifying what you want to do.

[-Jayson-]

something so that i can push a button on the steering wheel and control which gear i am in.

[Reed]

if its even possible you would need a wide open throttle sensore to activate the buttons and disconnect the computer fromt hte tranny so that you could drive normally and then shift yourself when you are racing but i think this would give all kinds of errors to your computer so i dont even know if the system would be possible. you could however probably put a button on your steering wheel that wuold put you in low gear and then when you hit it agai put you in 2nd then when you hit it again put you in drive for the rest of the gears.

[Doug Rodrigues]

The last push button shifter I had anything to do with was on a '56 Dodge. You really don't want to go there.

[SaabJohan]

Is this option availible for your car? Many new cars has this, either original or as an option.

I have driven a car with this system and I didn't like it at all, you push the button, then it takes some time and the gear is changed. I can do gearchanges faster with a manual gearbox.

If there isn't anything availible for you car you don't want to do this, unless you know a lot about computers and electric systems or have a friend that do.

The gearbox has its own control units and sensors, then it communicates with the other control units in the car, engine to mention one. You can't simply mess with the signal to the transmission, you must add sensors (the paddles) that when they are pushed the control unit for the gearbox should do something, like a change gear, similar to the gear change selector sensor. This will not mess up the car otherwise but if the control unit do not support it will give you a large problem to solve.