Overdrive???

[PsYcRoW]

ohhk i a newbie when it comes to cars but anyways what is overdirve and should i have it on or off and why? thanks

[imtheoneandonlyD]

doesnt really matter in city driving but you should have it off for highway. i dont know all the technical stuff with it. i just know that for my car 3rd gear is alot longer in OD than without it.

[BleedDodge]

He's got that backwards. You should have it disengaged when city driving, but engaged when on the highway.

[imtheoneandonlyD]

yeah, that i did, my bad thanks for the correction

[LTJGWorth]

Yea I was reading that and was like, wha? If you run it off on the highway, your wasting gas.

[imtheoneandonlyD]

yeah i was thinkin light on means its on, i just wasnt thinkin, lol

[LTJGWorth]

Yea, Dodge did make it kind of confusing making it to where if the light is off, the overdrive is on and if the light is on, the overdrive is off. Geeze.

[imtheoneandonlyD]

arent all cars like that? i think the light should be on if OD is on, but i guess they think otherwise

[LTJGWorth]

I have a 1992 GMC Safari that has an overdrive tranny and it has 2 drives on the gear selector. One is a D for Drive, and the other is a D with a square around it for overdrive. No lights, no buttons.

[imtheoneandonlyD]

yeah thats how i like it, i dont like the push button OD.

[fredjacksonsan]

Hey, the light DOES say "O/D Off".

[fredjacksonsan]

Overdrive refers to the drive ratio. In 3rd gear, you have 1:1, which means for every time the engine turns, the driveshaft turns once. In overdrive, the engine is turning slower, maybe only.72 for 1 or something like that. Lets the engine turn slower for a given mph, saves gas. (Although I prefer to think that it lets you go faster for the same amount of gas...whatever..).

[CrucialConcepts]

Its Best to just keep it engaged all the time, and only dis-engage it if your towing something.

That way you get the Best MPG and you dont mess up your trans when your pulling something...

My 2 Cents
Rick

[theFREAKnasty82]

actually, it's best to leave overdrive off unless your on the highway b/c excessive shifting causes heat and that heat wears a transmission down. And with these A-500/518 transmissions, leave OD off because overdrive is controlled by a 845 ft lb coil spring; that coil spring constantly engaging and disengaging only causes hell in these transmissions and can make them fail quicker than having it in normal OD.

[CrucialConcepts]

If thats the case then why by defualt is it turned on? Wouldnt Dodge have make it the oposite?