3rd and a half gear???

[Black Dragon]

Has anyone experienced this....

I have a 2002 Trans Am. When the car shifts from third to fourth gear, there seems to be a 3rd and a half gear in there as the RPM's will drop a bit for a few seconds, then finally drops all the way down when 4th is fully engaged.

The dealer tells me that this is normal. Somehow I don't think that it should be doing this. I flushed the transmission and that just seemed to make the 3rd and a half pause much shorter. But it has been slowly moving back up in the amount of time spent at that in between third and fourth gear phase.

Should this be happening? Has anyone else experienced this?

Thanks,
Jim

[Chevellessjeff]

That's probably your torque convertor locking. But what all do you have done to it?

[kev70ss]

thats seems normal. Your car is going from 3rd to 4th and then the torque converter locks up in 4th. When it locks up the rpms drop like 300ish i believe

[mrr23]

the TC will lock in 3rd gear as well as 4th. sometimes the converter locks in third, then unlock, then shift into 4th and then lock again.

[Black Dragon]

thats seems normal. Your car is going from 3rd to 4th and then the torque converter locks up in 4th. When it locks up the rpms drop like 300ish i believe

Interesting. So this is normal. Just seemed unusual to me to have two RPM drops going from 3rd to 4rth gear.

Thanks,
Jim

[Black Dragon]

That's probably your torque convertor locking. But what all do you have done to it?

I have done nothing to the TC. It is all stock.

[Chevellessjeff]

My friends 98 is doing that same thing. He has 3.73's and it started doing it right after the hypertech tuner. It's just annoying more than anything.

[02blkws6]

It is normal.....