The gears on my car

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Riyonuk

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I have an automatic, it's a 1998 Mitsubishi Mirage. When accelerating, it's no where near as fast as my Grandma's 2006 Nissan Altima, but I guess that's due to age? I know nothing of cars. Anyways...I wanted to know, what is the 1, 2, and L for? I decided to switch to those on the highway for fun and noticed no difference at all, not even sure if I should be stopped when switching gears.

The reason for doing this, is because when accelerating, it stutters, like revs up and down as I have the pedal floored. I'm not sure if I'm killing my engine by doing this or if my car is already dieing (it was bought used, I'm a poor College student). I noticed if I don't floor the pedal, it doesn't rev as badly, it's like I'm driving a standard and changing gears by how hard I floor it [=
 
Sounds like your transmission may be failing. I know when my old Toyota pickup started losing it's transmission it had symptoms similar to yours. It was going to cost around $2500 to replace the transmission, so I just sold the car "as is" to some guy who said he could fix it himself. Oh, and gears 1, 2, and L are for lower speeds when you may need more torque. You should never switch into those gears at high speed.
 
[quote name='pacifickarma']Sounds like your transmission may be failing. I know when my old Toyota pickup started losing it's transmission it had symptoms similar to yours. It was going to cost around $2500 to replace the transmission, so I just sold the car "as is" to some guy who said he could fix it himself. Oh, and gears 1, 2, and L are for lower speeds when you may need more torque. You should never switch into those gears at high speed.[/QUOTE]

It's dieing? :( WTF!? I just bought it about 3 weeks ago for $1200
 
No, a rev limiter stops the engine from reving too high. If it's doing it's job, it will feel like stuttering. Of course i had a bad transmission that was doing what you describe too.
 
Dying. The fucking word is dying.
__
And my suburban does the same thing. It stutters when I gas it too much, and will backfire if I push it further. It's been in the shop for a myriad of other reasons, but they've never told us anything about the transmission being bad so I don't think anything of it.
 
I'm not sure if this post is serious. First of all, your 98 Mirage is probably slower because it's a different car than a 06 Altima. Secondly, 1 and 2 are the gears. I would recommend learning to drive a manual if you want to truly understand how gears work. Also, I would not recommend switching into 1 or 2 on the highway. It will keep you in that gear and you'll just bounce of the rev limiter and your max speed will be about 30 mph. If you switch into those gears while moving at any sort of speed, it could do devasting damage to the transmission. Those gears are used for "engine braking" down mountains or for starting out in snow. If you floor the pedal in "Drive", your car will downshift into a lower gear. I'm not sure if this is the jerking motion you're experiencing. This is done to achieve more power. Lower gears mean higher RPMs which means more power which means you go faster. If you're flooring it, you will definitely feel the shift-shock moreso than if you're just driving casually.
 
if this is legit and this is a college student im baffled. how the f can you be in college and ask this shit seriously.
 
lol sounds like your transmission is going bad. especially the s**t your doing like downshifting to 1 & 2 at high speeds on the highway? (dur dur durrrr)! Dude you should have had a mechanic check out the car before you bought it. And why are you flooring it?! Are you stupid? Im assuming the car has 100k+ miles for the price you paid so the belts are worn and can snap! I bet the asshole you bought it from made it look all nice and said its a great car. I had the same problem with my first car. The seller lied, should have done a carfax. You need to take care of your car like doing oil changes, making sure there is air in your tires, check your fluids etc. It's cheap, just buy a $12 Haynes manual at AutoZone. Tells you everything about your car. Check your transmission fluid dip sick. If the fluid is pink or dark red your ok. If the fluid is black, get a transmission fluid flush/change. That should hopefully remedy the situation. For that you can go to a mom and pop shop. They range from $55-$75.

Oh and I hope that wasn't a real question about your car being not as fast as your grandmas Altima. Duh because she either has a bigger engine and its built better and can handle its RPM'S better at accelerating then your Mitsubishi.
 
Sounds likes your transmission. They're a bitch to change, trust me. But since you're a poor college student, you might end up like me and changing it yourself. It's hard, but you save a shit ton of money. But then again, you don't even know NOT to shift to the lower gears while on the highway, so I doubt you could change a transmission. (No offense.) :/

And hungryheepo, most 'honest' mechanics will admit that a transmission flush is just a scam. You just need to drain the old stuff and put new stuff in.

Oh, and OP, did you have somebody who knows about cars go with you to take a look at it? Gotta have someone who knows what they're looking at with you when you buy a car.
 
[quote name='Riyonuk']The reason for doing this, is because when accelerating, it stutters, like revs up and down as I have the pedal floored. I'm not sure if I'm killing my engine by doing this or if my car is already dieing (it was bought used, I'm a poor College student). I noticed if I don't floor the pedal, it doesn't rev as badly, it's like I'm driving a standard and changing gears by how hard I floor it [=[/QUOTE]

This is what automatic transmissions do. If you floor it, the engine will start in first and you'll see the RPM's hit the red line, then they'll drop down as you hit second, and it'll keep doing it again until you hit top gear.

Since the car is old and probably has over 100k mi, you shouldn't be flooring it. Buy a haynes manual, and learn to check all your fluids, and watch for worn belts or any hoses that become detached.

If you were cruising in top gear on the high way and you shifted into a lower gear and you really didn't notice any difference, then your transmission is screwed up, to put it lightly. Get it checked out.
 
Hey guys i've been switching to first and second gear while going 65+ on the highway. My car is now randomly driving funny, and i can't figure out why. Later today i'm going to try driving 65 then throw it in reverse for shits and giggles.
 
I'm sorry, but I look at this topic and all I can think is "The gears on my car...Go round and round. Round and round. Round and round." That's all I had to contribute because it get's stuck in my head whenever I look at it.
 
Yep, what everyone else said, your transmission may very well be fucked. Don't mess around with the 1, 2, L if you don't know what you're doing, it will further fuck up your tranny. You typically wanna switch into those gears when you're having trouble going up an incline or you wanna dick around with your friends and "race".

$1200 for a '98 Mirage is a decent price (well, as long there isn't more than 120k miles). I say you try to sell that shit away before you end up having to invest any money into it, 'specially if your tranny is about to take a hike. Not sure about where you're from, but here in California, you can easily sell a car like yours for $1500-$1800. Hell, some dude in my area takes most cars that are about to die for $1k easily.

After that, get some more cash, and invest in a Civic or Corolla. They're reliable as hell and one can easily go 200k miles with proper maintenance. Just make sure you get it from someone who didn't rice the shit out of it and pretended they were Speed Racer in their 4-cylinder race car. Hell, my first car was a '99 Corolla CE, and I fucked it up like crazy. Sold it for more than I purchased it for because them cars from Japan are pretty high in demand for their reliability, durability, and gas efficiency.

Oh, '06 Altima > '98 Mirage. Hell, if your Mirage doesn't have a MIVEC engine, probably a Yaris > your Mirage. :lol:
 
[quote name='paz9x']if this is legit and this is a college student im baffled. how the f can you be in college and ask this shit seriously.[/QUOTE]

Why would me being enrolled in College have anything to do with me having extensive knowledge on car transmissions? I'm sure everybody their knows how to replace a transmission *rolls eyes* :p

[quote name='mis0']Yep, what everyone else said, your transmission may very well be fucked. Don't mess around with the 1, 2, L if you don't know what you're doing, it will further fuck up your tranny. You typically wanna switch into those gears when you're having trouble going up an incline or you wanna dick around with your friends and "race".

$1200 for a '98 Mirage is a decent price (well, as long there isn't more than 120k miles). I say you try to sell that shit away before you end up having to invest any money into it, 'specially if your tranny is about to take a hike. Not sure about where you're from, but here in California, you can easily sell a car like yours for $1500-$1800. Hell, some dude in my area takes most cars that are about to die for $1k easily.

After that, get some more cash, and invest in a Civic or Corolla. They're reliable as hell and one can easily go 200k miles with proper maintenance. Just make sure you get it from someone who didn't rice the shit out of it and pretended they were Speed Racer in their 4-cylinder race car. Hell, my first car was a '99 Corolla CE, and I fucked it up like crazy. Sold it for more than I purchased it for because them cars from Japan are pretty high in demand for their reliability, durability, and gas efficiency.

Oh, '06 Altima > '98 Mirage. Hell, if your Mirage doesn't have a MIVEC engine, probably a Yaris > your Mirage. :lol:[/QUOTE]

I would love to sell my car, I doubt anybody wants it now that it emits a high pitch frequency sound when the car starts, not to mention there is a huge dent on the passenger side due to a hit and run. I'll try though. I'll sell it when or if I can find a job first, I don't want to walk around the city, it takes forever, especially hauling groceries.
 
[quote name='Riyonuk']Why would me being enrolled in College have anything to do with me having extensive knowledge on car transmissions? I'm sure everybody their knows how to replace a transmission *rolls eyes* :p[/QUOTE]
Extensive knowledge? No, but at least a basic understanding of how it works.

Like this:
This is what automatic transmissions do. If you floor it, the engine will start in first and you'll see the RPM's hit the red line, then they'll drop down as you hit second, and it'll keep doing it again until you hit top gear.
Click to expand...
Adding...the amount of pressure on the accelerator will determine how long the trans remains in each gear, and therefore how high the engine revs.

Based on your description in the op, I'd say your transmission is (or at least was) functioning normally. All bets are off after you downshifted at highway speed.
 
[quote name='Allnatural']Extensive knowledge? No, but at least a basic understanding of how it works.

Like this:
Adding...the amount of pressure on the accelerator will determine how long the trans remains in each gear, and therefore how high the engine revs.

Based on your description in the op, I'd say your transmission is (or at least was) functioning normally. All bets are off after you downshifted at highway speed.[/QUOTE]

Your not being fair in your logic though, I've only had the car for about 3 weeks now. It doesn't come with a manual, nobody is around to teach you the basics, and I just figured out I had a cup holder too (I thought it was just decoration, but when I pushed it in, it pops out). I'm not stupid, just un-educated about cars and quite honestly, don't care to learn much about them, but will as I don't want to get ripped off in the future. Same concept with videogames, it's better to educate yourself on prices, unless you want to purchase a Gamecube for $300 (Just an exaggerated example).
 
Actually, shifting into L, 1, 2, 3 or whatever in most newer cars with an auto transmission including a '98 Mitsubishi will have no effect if you're already driving at a high speed. For example, you're on the highway going 70 mph, and decide to move the lever to L or 1, nothing will happen. Well something does happen but not immediately. All you're doing by shifting into L or 1 at that speed is telling the computer of the car that when you slow down enough to safely get back into first gear to stay there.

From what the OP says, its hard to gather what the problem is although it does sound like a problem and not normal operating behavior. Could be the transmission, could just as likely be the engine. Spark plugs, tune up, air filter, etc. Either way its gonna cost him.
 
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[quote name='Riyonuk']Your not being fair in your logic though, I've only had the car for about 3 weeks now. It doesn't come with a manual, nobody is around to teach you the basics, and I just figured out I had a cup holder too (I thought it was just decoration, but when I pushed it in, it pops out). I'm not stupid, just un-educated about cars and quite honestly, don't care to learn much about them, but will as I don't want to get ripped off in the future. Same concept with videogames, it's better to educate yourself on prices, unless you want to purchase a Gamecube for $300 (Just an exaggerated example).[/QUOTE]
Yes, learn all you can, even though it isn't interesting to you. This is a (relatively) expensive piece of equipment you'll be relying on for school, job, recreation, etc. There are hundreds of ways it can fail on you and as many ways you can be ripped off by dealers, sellers, and repair shops.
 
[quote name='Riyonuk']I have an automatic, it's a 1998 Mitsubishi Mirage. When accelerating, it's no where near as fast as my Grandma's 2006 Nissan Altima, but I guess that's due to age? I know nothing of cars. Anyways...I wanted to know, what is the 1, 2, and L for? I decided to switch to those on the highway for fun and noticed no difference at all, not even sure if I should be stopped when switching gears.

The reason for doing this, is because when accelerating, it stutters, like revs up and down as I have the pedal floored. I'm not sure if I'm killing my engine by doing this or if my car is already dieing (it was bought used, I'm a poor College student). I noticed if I don't floor the pedal, it doesn't rev as badly, it's like I'm driving a standard and changing gears by how hard I floor it [=[/QUOTE]

Looking over this initial post again, I realized the OP may not have a problem at all. a '98 Mirage will never be as fast as a '06 Altima. Without even looking into car specs ( engine, transmission, amenities, etc). The Mirage is more likely an econo/compact with a small 4-cylinder engine meant to save gas and nothing more. The Altima is probably a standard size car in what 4 and 6 cylinder flavors. Even the base entry level engine is more powerful than that in the Mirage.

The revving and stuttering can also be explained. Most transmissions use anywhere from 2 to 9 gears for acceleration, most commonly 4-6. The Mirage probably has a 4 speed auto. Without going into how transmissions work engine revs up, car accelerates, upon reaching a certain speed or RPM, car shifts into higher gear. Rinse and repeat also factoring how much you're depressing the gas pedal. The more you press it, the more the engine revs up in order to accelerate faster. Torque x revolution, HP, and all that. Floor the pedal and your car behaves like a race car (although in a Mirage, it probably behaves like a kid with asthma running), press the pedal in moderation and it revs accordingly. Its all linear.

I think the stutter you feel is the feeling you get while the car is shifting between gears which is particularly pronounced when flooring it. Interestingly enough, it could also be because your grandmothers Altima may have a gearless (read infinitely geared) transmission or CVT. This kind of transmission accelerates directly relative to RPMs so there is no 'shifting' per say. Just a smooth and constant acceleration aka no stuttering. I doubt this is the case because I'm sure you've been in other cars before and know how they behave, even if you were just a passenger. Even movies depict car behavior.
 
[quote name='slvrknght8'] Interestingly enough, it could also be because your grandmothers Altima may have a gearless (read infinitely geared) transmission or CVT. This kind of transmission accelerates directly relative to RPMs so there is no 'shifting' per say. Just a smooth and constant acceleration aka no stuttering.[/QUOTE]
I've been meaning to test drive a car with a CVT, just to see what it's like. I read somewhere that many people don't like them because they don't "feel" right compared to a traditional transmission.
 
[quote name='Riyonuk']Why would me being enrolled in College have anything to do with me having extensive knowledge on car transmissions? I'm sure everybody their knows how to replace a transmission *rolls eyes* :p
[/QUOTE]

its not simply extensive knowledge that you lack, its common sense. youre a poor college student and you do crazy shit with your car on the freeway because you think itd be fun. did your parents teach you anything?
unless theyre out of the picture i think its ridiculous that theyd let their kid go out purchase and drive a vehicle with the complete lack of operating knowledge and no common sense to figure it out on their own.
good luck, youre going to need it.
 
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