My Automatic Transmission Sucks!

[VidGameKing]

Every time I let my foot off the gas, it decides to take the car out of the driving gear, my engine revs down a bit and the car has ZERO rolling resistance!!!

In a manual transmission vehicle, if I let off the gas, the car stays in gear until I put in the clutch and the engine revs stay proportionate with the wheel speed until i put in the clutch. There is rolling resistance caused by the compression breaking of the engine and the car can slows down slowly.

So the problem I'm having is that when I'm on the freeway, doing 45-ish, I'm barely touching the gas peddle, because it's got me in such a gear that the engine doesn't need nearly any gas, when I take my foot off the gas peddle to slow down, and increase distance between me and the car in front of me, the car doesn't slow down!!! I have to apply the brakes! in fact, from 60 MPH it takes my car almost two miles to come to a complete-ish stop, where as my manual transmission cars would stop, within a half mile or less.

This is very frustrating coming from someone who mostly drives stick, because I rely on my cars natural rolling resistance to make minor speed adjustments. I hate touching the brakes for the small things because I'm always afraid of warping the rotors, riding the brakes. I only like to use the brakes to make major speed adjustments.

Is there any way I can convince the transmission to stay in whatever gear I'm in when I let my foot off the gas? I try manually selecting the gears. you know, turning off over drive, putting it in third, second, first etc.. but that doesn't solve the problem, the first thing it always does when I let off the gas, is take the car out of a driving gear, and decrease engine revs.

By the way I’m not saying my car goes out of “Drive” and into “neutral” when I take my foot off the gas, the car always stays in “drive” but what I’m saying is the engine is defiantly not connected to the wheels when I take my foot off the gas peddle.

It’s most frustrating in stop and go, where minor speed adjustments letting your foot off the gas peddle would be better than dancing with the peddles; going between the gas peddle and the brake peddle.

Seriously WHAT THE FRECK!

[DrLove]

Seems like a problem man...

My automatic 99 V6 doesn't do that... more.... the transmission is doing a nice job...at 11PM tonight I did a little "race" (kind of) with an Audi hatchback and between 120 to 225KM/h (mmm 75 to 140MPH) the car was accelarate juste like the Audi.. and it doesn't continue to accelerate when I stop to press on the gaz..

After the little fun we came to a stop light after the highway and we talked... the guy was impress that I was following him with no problem. Last time I tried the car my wiper jumped on he windshield at 120MPH and I was scare..thanks to the "reflex" wipper, pretty slim so I did 140MPH this time before that the motor cutoff... lol

...sorry Im still exited about the little ride!!! lol all this to say that my transmission is working fine and it's not supose to do what you are telling...

[VidGameKing]

my transmission works like a champ when I'm laying on the gas! waiting until the last moment to upshipft, allowing the most amount of power out of each gear. It's when I'm barely touching the gass peddle, or takinging my foot off the gas to slow the car down... It doesn't slow down.

It's like I'm wrestling with my car.

[woa_its_j3ff]

I doubt this has anything to do with it, but have you changed your trans fluid? get all oils checked while you're at it.

[PXLpainter]

Welcome to the world of ATs

Most modern ATs will up-shift when you decelerate then jump back down into gear when you step on the gas again. No compression braking unless you manually drop it down and keep it in a lower gear (ala Sport Shift on the Gen 2s) - even then it still sucks.

Good luck.

[VidGameKing]

Yeah my car's vitals seem okay fluids are perfect, I'm a somewhat competent mechanic (did my own LS/VTEC swap...). I just figured maybe it’s just the fact that it’s a stupid automatic transmission. I was sort of hoping maybe for someone to say: “yeah just reset your ECU” or something like that. I can accept that it’s ghey by design; maybe it’s trying to save a bit on gas. I’m so use to all the control that a manual transmission gives me and I was so wowed by the fact that I don’t have to clutch all the time, that I guess this relatively minor complaint started to bug me.

At least I don’t have to ever replace a clutch! And breaks are cheaper than clutches or transmissions, so I’d rather go through more of those than anything else!

[Gangis]

I was actually gonna suggest reseting your ECU. How? I don't know.