Auto/Man transmission

[BMWredneck]

For those of you that have been wondering, and for those that have posted previous threads.
I have figured out the purpose of the A/M switch. First you put the vehicle in manual, then you put it in the lowest gear posible, and just as a warning this is sitting still.
**Do not put it in 1st while going avoe 40. You could do serious damage to your engine.
But when you start off you will feel a tremendous difference than normal, or at least i do. And you shift as you go, pretty simple, it was a great discovery for me. And for those who didnt know it will hopefully be as joyous to you as it was to me. And just to let you know my car started registering at 40mpg, instead of the normal 25 while in auto. So this is not only saving me money but its bringing me fun. And it was registering 40mpg when i was running in 2nd at 60 mph. Which my RPMs were around, 5-6000. But this is awesome to me so hope yal enjoy it too.

[Rickman]

Well everything I ever learned about cars has completely gone out the window now. How you can get better MPG by driving in manual mode is beyond me. Doesn't it work off engine revs? Shouldn't matter what gear you're in, it's just the revs that dictate the fuel consumption. Anyway, my car doesn't have an A/M switch so I'll have to stick to the MPG I am getting now. Around 40 MPG I reckon.

[AW328i]

I would think it's the load on the engine that dictates fuel economy. The less load, the more economy.

[BeRzErKaS]

For those of you that have been wondering, and for those that have posted previous threads.
I have figured out the purpose of the A/M switch. First you put the vehicle in manual, then you put it in the lowest gear posible, and just as a warning this is sitting still.
**Do not put it in 1st while going avoe 40. You could do serious damage to your engine.
But when you start off you will feel a tremendous difference than normal, or at least i do. And you shift as you go, pretty simple, it was a great discovery for me. And for those who didnt know it will hopefully be as joyous to you as it was to me. And just to let you know my car started registering at 40mpg, instead of the normal 25 while in auto. So this is not only saving me money but its bringing me fun. And it was registering 40mpg when i was running in 2nd at 60 mph. Which my RPMs were around, 5-6000. But this is awesome to me so hope yal enjoy it too.



^^THAT IS NOT THE PURPOSE OF THE A/M SWITCH!



The e36 auto tranny actually has a lot of pretty cool features. Learning to utilize them will make your car a blast to drive but there is so much misinformation out there that you have to be careful.

Putting your car in M mode and rowing through the gears is COMPLETELY WRONG and may damage your tranny.

Locking you car in D,3,2,1 however is appropriate in quite a few situations and is PERFECTLY SAFE.


The following selector lever positions exist for various traffic conditions: P-R-N-D-3-2-1

On the electronic-hydraulic transmission three shift programs can be selected:
A/E (automaitic) - economy/fuel saver
M (manual) - push switch
S (sports) - shift lever to position 3

The gears (all this applies to automatic mode):
D - Drive: this is the position for normal driving. The car starts in 1st gear and shifts up automatically through all 4 gears. The shift points are chosen for maximum economy. The 4th gear is designed as an overdrive, to reduce engine speed, engine noise and fuel consumption once a steady road speed has been achieved.

3 - Sports Mode: This is the program for an enthusiastic driving style. The gear (3,2,1) shift points are delayed to make full use of the car's power band. In other words flooring the car in this mode will take the car pretty much to redline before shifting. Allegedly, the car switches to a more aggressive a/f curve as well but I've never read any confirmation on this.

2, 1 - Hill-climbing/Towing/Engine braking: These gears are intended for very long uphil/downhill gradients or when the engine is going to be working much harder than usual. Better use is made of the engine's braking effect.

Side Note:
Kick-down Switch - after reaching the normal full-throttle position the accelerator pedal on automatic transmission cars can be depressed slighty further thus activating the kick-down switch. This will enable maximum acceleration to be obtained immediately by dropping the tranny to a lower gear allowing you to rocket off briskly. After the kick-down has been operated, the upward shift will occur only at a much higher engine speed than usual.


Now about the A/M switch:
A - automatic/economy program is the default selection when the car is started and is intended to keep fuel consumption down.

M- manual program is for single-gear driving. Gears 1-3 can be selected, 4 gear (overdrive) can not be selected. Putting the car in (D) while in manual mode will default to 3rd gear.
The gear selected is also used for pulling away. For example, if the selector lever is in position 1 and you are driving up steep gradients, no undesirable upward gear shifts will take place. The same applies to driving on icy roades in winter: with the selector in position 3 you can pull away smoothly and no gear shifts will occur.

[BMWredneck]

i was just saying what i heard from a guy that has been an enthusiast for 30 some years and buys and sells them. It was pretty much a guess and it seemed pretty right. But for now since my tranny and engine need to be rebuilt anyways, im gonna keep doing it so maybe the insurance will cover it. And it also is made to be switched between gears while driving, that is why there isnt a lock gate for each gear, you can freely move the gear sleector through all of these gears. (3-1)