[rourkem]

I think I might have shifted from 5th into 2nd at about 60mph while on the highway yesterday. I meant to shift into 4th, but when I started to let the clutch out the engine reved up into the red. I put the clutch back down and put the engine in neutral right away, and then went back to 5th. I might have just put the gas down before the clutch b/c the car seemed to be in 4th, but I'm not sure.

Could I have badly damaged the engine this way? The car is only days old... what should I do?

If this can cause engine damage, what sort of engine damage would that be?

Thanks,
Rourke

 

[alee]

If this can cause engine damage, what sort of engine damage would that be?

If you did miss a shift, typical damage is bent valves, and can go all the way up to just plain blowing the engine completely. I have read many cases of the earlier 95 E36 M3s have had missed shifts that basically required a new engine (figure $25k or so). :yikes:

I think diagnosis is typically doing a compression check on each of the cylinders. If any of the cylinders fails a compression check, you may be in for a big bill.

-Al

 

[alee]

I should add that you shouldn't panic just yet. If you caught it fast enough, it's just a bruised ego. I believe at 60mph, your gearing is enough that you didn't overrev the engine on the downshift so you're safe there too.

If your engine is running fine, and you aren't hearing weird noises, consider yourself safe... but be careful next time. A real missed downshift is nothing you want to deal with.

 

[The HACK]

I should add that you shouldn't panic just yet. If you caught it fast enough, it's just a bruised ego. I believe at 60mph, your gearing is enough that you didn't overrev the engine on the downshift so you're safe there too.

If your engine is running fine, and you aren't hearing weird noises, consider yourself safe... but be careful next time. A real missed downshift is nothing you want to deal with.

These cars will do 60 in 2nd gear near the redline...In fact, 0-100 kph figures (0-62 mph) are generated with a single shift from 1st to 2nd. It'll take about 10,000 rpms to bent the valves or damage the lifters/springs, so I'm CERTAIN the original poster was well within the safe operating range of his vehicle.

It'll take a 5 to 1 downshift, which can't be executed because all the non ///M vehicles have a gate that blocks the first gear from being engaged past a certain speed.

 

[rourkem]

Wheew! I'm so relieved!

Thanks! You have no idea how happy seeing your post just made me...

 

[Nick325xiT 5spd]

I can verify that hitting second at 60 will do no harm.

I once watched in horror as my newbie stick driver sister grabbed first gear at around 45MPH. It pegged the tachometer WAYYY past 7K RPMs, something like 8500 revs, I believe. No harm done. These engines are AMAZINGLY resilient.

Nick