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by Anonymous on May 24th, 2007

Anonymous

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AM I SUPPOSE TO HAVE MY OVERDRIVE ON OR OFF IN MY 1997 TOYOTA 4RUNNER? AND AM I SUPPOSE TO HAVE ECT ON POWER OR NORMAL? I DON'T HAVE AN OWNERS MANUAL...SORRY!!!

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  • by jalex137 on May 24th, 2007

    jalex137

    Under most driving conditions, and I mean well over 99 miles out of 100, Overdrive should be on. At certain speeds and loads, you may notice the transmission shifting up and down every few seconds. Not a problem briefly, but if you expect it to go on for a few minutes or more, turn off Overdrive and let it stay in the lower gear. Turn Overdrive back on as soon as it's appropriate. It improves gas mileage and reduces engine wear by lowering RPM for a given speed.

    ECT is a little more a matter of preference, but for better gas mileage put it in Normal. Switching to Power adjusts the shift points of the transmission, and possibly a couple of other engine settings, for a little punchier performance. One place where I use it is when I'm climbing a winding mountain road; it shifts more the way I would with a manual. It can be fun at times, but like I say, you pay for it in slightly reduced gas mileage.

    Comments

    • Excellent answer. I can't add anything except for a nagging point I have...STOP WITH THE CAPS! Dam does it every annoy me!

      geek860

      by geek860 on May 24th, 2007

    • EVERY annoy...??!

      8 Jan 2004-10 Dec 2009

      by 8 Jan 2004-10 Dec 2009 on May 25th, 2007

    • so what is the difference between overdrive being off and ect?
      wont the characteristics of the shifting in the tranny be basically the same or is there a big difference in the gas mileage? I live in the mountains and I do not have a problem going up or down with overdrive off all the time, but at a times my transmission struggles in between gears in wich case i just give it a little more throttle and iM good. Am i wasting gas doing this? should i use ect or is it just personal prefrence in power/shifting?

      juggernott

      by juggernott on December 11th, 2008

    • Basically, turning OD off turns your 4-speed tranny into a 3-speed tranny; it locks out 4th gear.
      .
      The only cars I've ever driven that called of "Overdrive" were two Fords and a Mazda that used a Ford transmission. I think it's a holdout so they don't blow the minds of those people that can't handle that automotive technology has advanced since 1952.
      Every non-Ford 4-speed slushhox I've had called the top two gears "Drive" and "3".

      8 Jan 2004-10 Dec 2009

      by 8 Jan 2004-10 Dec 2009 on December 11th, 2008

    • I also live in a mountainous area. I often don't bother touching the shifter, opting to merely twitch the gas pedal and force a downshift to 3rd, but that is more a matter of personal preference.

      8 Jan 2004-10 Dec 2009

      by 8 Jan 2004-10 Dec 2009 on December 11th, 2008

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