im having a hell of a time with this 1st to 4th ****..it seems like everytime i shift up to 4th im either really jerky or extremel sluggish until i get the tack beyond 1.5 to 2000 rpm..can anyone give me any tips on how to make a smooth shift from 1st to 4th because my dumba** cant seem to figure it out!?!?!

If you are gonna do it, be gentle (rather than jerky) and understand that "extremely sluggish" is normal when you slip into 4th at that RPM. That's kinda the idea, really. The alternative is to wind it up a little tighter and pass that 1-4 point entirely. I've actually found that 1st-to-3rd is a much happier transition (and the 1st-4th lockout lets you do that instead) and not a terribly awkward movement - I use it occasionally when I am trying to be "stealthy" (yeah, right...)

I wasn't sure what you were trying to achieve here exactly - but what I've found is that if I'm skipping gears, it works best to still move the shift lever through the standard 1-2-3-4. I don't really go 1-4 - but I'll go 1-3 quite often as well as 2-4. In each case I'm obviously slowing the acceleration down, so going 1-2-3 or 2-3-4 with the clutch in seems to work the best.
Dan

Is there a CAGS eliminator for a 2004 GTO?? They are common for Corvettes, Camaros, and Firebirds with an LS-1 and a 6 speed???? Does the same piece fit the GTO??

Yep, check some of the sponsors at the top of this screen - like LS1Speed, Inc., for instance...

so i have another question...if you are street racing someone in the goat..whats the fastest method for getting quick pickup..that is whats the fastest way to get from 0-60 mph (what gears do you use)?

Originally posted by impulsivegoat@Jun 15 2004, 08:13 PM
so i have another question...if you are street racing someone in the goat..whats the fastest method for getting quick pickup..that is whats the fastest way to get from 0-60 mph (what gears do you use)?


Traction control off
1st gear solid launch around 1500RPM (half throttle)
when the car has moved 3 feet full throttle
when you reach 6,000RPM (you will be at 40mph) shift 2nd
when you reach 6,000RPM (you will be at 60mph) shift 3rd
when you reach 6,000RPM (you will be at 80mph) shift 4th
when you reach 6,000RPM (you will be at 115mph) shift 5th

Once you get this down, then work on the launch.
The idea is to not burn the tires, just chirp then down the road.
I use 6000RPM because it's easy to hit the rev-limiter in first and second I've done it many times and when you do (game over).

Not sure where you are getting your info - but I'll be well past 80 at 6000 RPM in 3rd. Actually I'd be a tic over 90.
Haven't been over 102, so I can't comment on the 4th gear though.
Dan

I should have said approximately. But for my car these are real close numbers I've been on several tracks and gone over 130mph on nelson ledges I know because I set my "speed over alarm" to 130 and heard it chime just about half way down the back stretch before the kink. On ledges turn four is super wide 140 degree that opens into the back stright away, I have to shift to 4th or I hit the rev limiter before I've completed the turn and every time I look at my dash it's showing a little over 80.

The lower gears 1st 2nd and 3rd I tested several months ago after I passed the 500mile break-in. Buy accelerating on an empty street with no traffic in any direction so I could watch the speedometer rather that the road.

The numbers I have are +-3mph and speeds reached (before touching the clutch pedal to shift)

I checked on my way home on the interstate and and found 1st 2nd were good but you have a point about 3rd. My speedometer now says 90 at 6000 but my GPS now tells me that my tires are worn enough to cause a plus 3mph so I'm really doing 87mph. Traffic didn't allow me to check 4th but regardless they're all close enough.

I have to take the Goat into the shop Tuesday. During previous week I noticed some strange behavior in the Goat, for one I stalled it twice for the first time since I bought it, and some hard shifting.

Saturday I was on a summer cruise with my car club, we went on a convoy south to have lunch and enjoy the great weather. While on the cruise I noticed shifting to 5th and 6th was very difficult, the synchromesh didn't want to line up the gears. By the end of the 30 mile cruise I noticed most gears didn't want to allow a down shift without double clutching or bumping the throttle, the synchromesh needed some large help. When I got home I tested the grab point on my clutch my using the emergency brake and slowly letting the clutch up from the floor. The clutch grabbed about an inch from the floor, the grab point had moved between one and two inches toward the floor.

Conclusion I don't think the pressure plate is completely letting go of the clutch. Now comes the part that sucks, I call the dealership I bought the car from to schedule an appointment to adjust the clutch, the guy I talk to says that there is no adjustment for the hydraulic clutch so I must have something else wrong. Looks like I’ll probably be driving the Z28 for a wile.

Originally posted by High Octane@Jun 20 2004, 06:26 PM
I have to take the Goat into the shop Tuesday. During previous week I noticed some strange behavior in the Goat, for one I stalled it twice for the first time since I bought it, and some hard shifting.

Saturday I was on a summer cruise with my car club, we went on a convoy south to have lunch and enjoy the great weather. While on the cruise I noticed shifting to 5th and 6th was very difficult, the synchromesh didn't want to line up the gears. By the end of the 30 mile cruise I noticed most gears didn't want to allow a down shift without double clutching or bumping the throttle, the synchromesh needed some large help. When I got home I tested the grab point on my clutch my using the emergency brake and slowly letting the clutch up from the floor. The clutch grabbed about an inch from the floor, the grab point had moved between one and two inches toward the floor.

Conclusion I don't think the pressure plate is completely letting go of the clutch. Now comes the part that sucks, I call the dealership I bought the car from to schedule an appointment to adjust the clutch, the guy I talk to says that there is no adjustment for the hydraulic clutch so I must have something else wrong. Looks like I’ll probably be driving the Z28 for a wile.
I have also been told by my dealership that there is no adjustment on the hydraulic clutch. I wanted to move the clutch engagement closer to the floor, because it engages out toward the end of the pedal movement. Has anybody else had this situation with their GTO? It's not a big deal, just a driver preference that the clutch engage closer to the floor. Pardon me for being picky, but for a very nice car that wasn't exactly cheap, I would think it would be possible to adjust the clutch engagement. A friend at work who is a tranny guru tells me that non-adjustable clutches began with Hondas and Toyotas, which are very poor company for my GTO.
Other than that relatively minor bitch, I can't complain about anything.

I got a call from my dealer today, he said there was a service bulletin on the GTO clutch, relating to the area in the clutch pedal travel where the clutch engages. He told me that the reason for the service bulletin was the clutch engagement moving out toward the end of the pedal, which was exactly what I had complained about. Apparently the bolts on the pressure plate are not torqued to the proper value. So, I'm taking my car in Friday morning to let them make the adjustment. I'll post a message to let people know how the adjustment affects my car.
Once again, the car is a pleasure to drive. I drove out to my sister's house at Possum Kingdom Lake last weekend, 150 miles one way on winding 2 lane country roads with 70 mph speed limits, and got over 20 mpg for the round trip. It was a great drive, with the occasional armadillo or deer in the road to test driving skills................

That TSB is well-known. For some reason, though, I can't find a reference to it on this forum at the moment! Maybe someone else will look and find it. The gist of it, though, is that they did a mid-run change in hydraulic fluid and torque specs. Cars that were fixed at the factory have a yellow "OK" rubber-stamped onto the back of the left cylinder head. If the "OK" is there, the problem should be something different. If it is the pressure plate torque issue, you should expect it to take a bit more than just a few hours...

I just wanted to add something about CAGS. I've read a few people saying that CAGS improved the gas mileage of the f-body when it was introduced in 1994. Well, I did some poking around at http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/findacar.htm and discovered that gas mileage from 93 to 94 was hardly different. The 93 M6 LT1 cars got 17/25 and the same in 94 got 17/26. CAGS shouldn't affect highway mileage...I really question GM's motives here. I will say that the 93 F-body used a T56 with different gear ratios (everything shorter, 1st to 6th), but the rears were taller to make that up. I really don't get it.

CAGS will probably never affect 'actual' fuel mileage. Cags does allow the car to get better mileage in the epa test - therefor letting the car not qualify for the $1000 gas guzzler tax. Adding a $100 solenoid that can be bypassed for $20 give or take to save customers $1000 - great motive to me.
Dan