Annoying "skip Shift"

**Vertiviper** · 03-01-2006, 05:11 PM

Hey all,

Anyone else find that 'skip-shift' feature on the 98-02 ls1 6spds to be one of the most annoying inventions to date?

I know they sell little bypass plugs to eliminate it, has anyone used one, if so was installation simple to do?

thanks!

**Z27** · 03-01-2006, 05:19 PM

Skip shift was gone about 30 min after I got mine home. Plugged in the eliminator underneath and that was the end of that. Easy to install. Actually I never had the chance to experience the skip, but it just seems like it would be real annoying.

**Hurley711** · 03-01-2006, 05:20 PM

.99 resistor from Radio Shack, 10 mins under the car, bye bye skip shift. Check install university website

**Capster78** · 03-01-2006, 06:26 PM

I have not done myne yet. It is about the most retarded thing ever. I hate it when your at a stop light in neutral and it grinds when you try to put it in 1st AT A STOP!!! Then wont let you downshift to first coming to a stop unless your going less than 5mph.. oh and having to run 1st gear up to 3000 rpm's just so you dont have to go directly to 3rd gear.. arghhhhh!!!!

**NeeD4SpeeD** · 03-01-2006, 06:28 PM

I had the skip shift.... But did cam in my car and tuned the stupid skip shift out....bye bye... Now i have nothing to do with the skip-shift elim...Gunna list it on here i guess

**timowen1** · 03-01-2006, 06:59 PM

I just happen to have an almost new Hurst C.A.G.S plug in module I will be willing to sell. I used it 3 months then had my PCM custom tuned. The skip shift was taken out permanately at that time. Somebody make me an offer plus actual shipping cost. I know this ain't ebay but highest offer...
tw-tool@msn.com
type "skip shift" in subject line

**HAWKNYU** · 03-02-2006, 10:09 AM

Mine stopped working after I installed my 4:10's...don't know why.

It didn't bother me much anyway, this is my 1st american car with a stick shift, I had Mazdas before this and it was normal to go over 3 grand before you shift.

**02z28ls1** · 03-02-2006, 01:33 PM

First thing to eliminate is the skip shift-It's really annoying in traffic when you are going through a left turn at the stop light. Everybody in front of you is taking off slow so the "skip shift" light comes on when you're in first gear still. Then you need to take off but it's making you shift into 4th gear-you can't see the lights on because you're watching where you're going,and the steering wheel is turned. You're trying to hit second gear and it won't go!! By this time everybody is freakin out behind you-it's a Camaro for chrissake and it's bogging like a Chevette in 4th gear. Got rid of mine ASAP,couldn't stand it. For the guy who's always shifting at 3,000rpm-There's alot of torque available below that and there's no reason to always be screaming the motor in daily traffic. I'll decide when and where to skip gears thank you!!

**MdFormula350** · 03-02-2006, 04:59 PM

I hated it, made it even harder to learn how to drive my car!! and this is was my frist manual car. I got it edited out of the computer, soooooo much better!!!

**BLACK02WS6** · 03-02-2006, 06:17 PM

Yea my .99 cent module works awesome, put it in the day I go my car!!! Works like a charm!

**1stbird** · 03-04-2006, 05:12 PM

The CAGS Eliminator was the first mod I did to my car! What a idiot idea from GM, but at least it got the LS1 to pass the EPA MPG standards!

I did mine the first time I changed my oil. (As long as I had it on the car ramps anyway...) Kinda tough to get my hand up by the trans to the connector, but no big deal. The oil change took longer to do!

Shop around for prices on the Eliminator, as they do vary. Yeah, you can make one cheaper, but I don't want to climb back under the car if it comes loose or whatever. You can also just pull the plug, but the check engine light will stay on and (I think) it might throw a code to the computer, too!

If you haven't done this mod, do it. You won't regret it!
1stbird

**JohnnyBs98WS6Rag** · 03-06-2006, 08:12 AM

Originally Posted by Capster78

I have not done myne yet. It is about the most retarded thing ever. I hate it when your at a stop light in neutral and it grinds when you try to put it in 1st AT A STOP!!! Then wont let you downshift to first coming to a stop unless your going less than 5mph.. oh and having to run 1st gear up to 3000 rpm's just so you dont have to go directly to 3rd gear.. arghhhhh!!!!

Uh, CAGS does not (and cannot) affect your ability of going into 1st gear. The solenoid in the transmission merely prevents the shifter from going into 2nd gear. It doesn't "force" you to go into 4th, you could just as easily select 3rd, 5th or 6th (or go back to 1st).

**ls1kid20** · 03-06-2006, 10:49 AM

Originally Posted by BLACK02WS6

Yea my .99 cent module works awesome, put it in the day I go my car!!! Works like a charm!

is that a joke or can u really get 1 from radio shack..? andy sorry if im retarded

**1stbird** · 03-06-2006, 01:03 PM

Johnny, I was about ready to jump all over you for your reply, but as i did my reseach for ls1kid16's question, I began to wonder who was right here!

Originally Posted by JohnnyBs98WS6Rag

Uh, CAGS does not (and cannot) affect your ability of going into 1st gear.

I agree!

Originally Posted by JohnnyBs98WS6Rag

The solenoid in the transmission merely prevents the shifter from going into 2nd gear.

I agree, somewhat...

Originally Posted by JohnnyBs98WS6Rag

It doesn't "force" you to go into 4th, you could just as easily select 3rd, 5th or 6th (or go back to 1st).

Hummm... that's where I would disagree with you, at least for my 2001 Formula. But other people (with different year cars) have said the same thing. They WERE able to shift into 3rd, rather than the 1st to 4th shift that my car did. I'm damn sure not going to crawl under my car and disconnect the thing, just to prove a point as to which gears are involved! 1st to 4th, 1st to 3rd... doesn't matter... Still a PITA!
SS #670 http://www.xse.com/leres/ss/cags.html states it like this:

Computer aided gear selection (CAGS) is a hack that was invented to avoid the gas guzzler tax. A solenoid is used to lock out second and third gears when the following conditions are met:
Engine coolant is 170° F or higher
Speed between 15 and 20 MPH
Throttle between 0 and 25%
During the lockout, a dashboard light that says "SKIP SHIFT" is illuminated and you are supposed to shift from 1st directly to 4th. There is apparently no timeout; that is, the lockout continues as long as the above conditions persist.

I don't know who's "right" here, but I think we can all agree that CAGS is a PITA!!!!

As far as Capster78 quote, I have never had it prevent me from DOWNshifting into 1st. Maybe he has some OTHER problem...

For ls1kid16, no... this ISN'T a joke! Supposable, you actually CAN buy a resister from Radio Shack and it will do the same thing as a "store bought" CAGS Eliminator. I haven't tried this, but I guess enough people have to say it works. I just didn't want to take the chance of it coming apart or getting wet and me having to climb back underneath the car! Twenty dollars ONCE is better than $1 five times, if you get my point. And no... you are not "retarded" just for asking a question! We all have questions and hopefully we can share our opinions, right or wrong! Even I will admit that I don't have the answers to everything. That's why I am here!

Install University has the instruction. Here's the DIRECT link, instead of all of the other links that don't show you WHERE to find the info. http://www.installuniversity.com/ins...adio_shack.htm I just checked this link and it does work.

**Kyle C** · 03-06-2006, 03:38 PM

99 cents actually buys enough resistors to do 5 cars. I had one for a year or so and it work flawlessly. I recently had some tuning done and had that tuned out while I was at it. The only difference is that with the radioshack resistor in, the "skip shift" light still comes on, it doesn't once it's tuned out. All you need is some electrical tape and the proper resistor. I think the resistor is a 2.2 ohm but don't quote me on it.

**Demon_Speeding** · 03-06-2006, 04:12 PM

Ditto, I did the 2.2K Ohm resistor for about a year. It was removed ONLY because I got my car dyno tuned and had them remove it from the PCM.

**JohnnyBs98WS6Rag** · 03-07-2006, 07:52 AM

Originally Posted by 1stbird

Hummm... that's where I would disagree with you, at least for my 2001 Formula. But other people (with different year cars) have said the same thing. They WERE able to shift into 3rd, rather than the 1st to 4th shift that my car did. I'm damn sure not going to crawl under my car and disconnect the thing, just to prove a point as to which gears are involved! 1st to 4th, 1st to 3rd... doesn't matter... Still a PITA!
SS #670 http://www.xse.com/leres/ss/cags.html states it like this:

I don't know who's "right" here, but I think we can all agree that CAGS is a PITA!!!!

In all honesty, I can't recall ever having tried shifting to 3rd when CAGS came on, nor can I recall ever being blocked from 3rd w/ CAGS on. I've been driving M6s since '97 (a '94 Z28 'vert for a year before trading it on my '98), and in both cars CAGS was disconnected within the first week. I believe the mechanism inside the trans only blocks the 2nd gear gate w/ a slight angle that "guides" the lever into 4th as you pull the shifter backwards from 1st. This possibly explains why most people haven't tried going to 3rd instead of 4th. But in any case, CAGS is a PITA.

FWIW, I have the resistor-CAGS! fix. I measured the solenoid resistance at around 17 ohms, and I had a 22 ohm resistor handy and it has been working fine for almost 8 years now. The only reason you need to install the resistor is to fool the PCM into thinking the CAGS solenoid is still connected, otherwise a SES light will come on. My '94 Z didn't even need the resistor as it's PCM didn't care (didn't check) for the presence of the CAGS solenoid.

Question for the folks who've "dyno tuned" CAGS out of the PCM code: Can the PCM be re-programmed to ENGAGE the CAGS solenoid under the conditions of >4000 RPM and > 70MPH (i.e.: when winding out 3rd gear)?? This could prevent the dreaded inadvertent 3-2 downshift that has been known to bend pushrods. This seems like the most logical use of the hardware that could be implemented merely by a software change. Why GM didn't do this from the factory is beyond me.

**1stbird** · 03-07-2006, 12:11 PM

Originally Posted by JohnnyBs98WS6Rag

In all honesty, I can't recall ever having tried shifting to 3rd when CAGS came on, nor can I recall ever being blocked from 3rd w/ CAGS on. I believe the mechanism inside the trans only blocks the 2nd gear gate w/ a slight angle that "guides" the lever into 4th as you pull the shifter backwards from 1st. This possibly explains why most people haven't tried going to 3rd instead of 4th.

This might also explain why (in the research I did on this question) that some people stated that they were able to shift into 3rd! I've always been taught to "row" the H. Left Top, to Left Bottom, to Right Top, to Right Bottom. Thus the "H". If something blocks the way I am use to that pattern, I guess my natural response would be to follow it. (1st down to 4th) I guess I never thought about making a "U" from 1st to 3rd! It was more like WTF is going on here! Maybe I will crawl underneath the car and disconnect it, just to see if 3rd gear IS locked out!

Thanks for the info, Johnny
1stbird

**SailorZ28** · 03-07-2006, 05:25 PM

I can't imagine having that skip shift "feature". I'd find it incredibly annoying. If I have a manual, I want to be able to shift in whatever gear I choose.