Quote:
Originally Posted by soubi7string
is a 92 oldsmobile cutlass ciera s safe to coast in N then shift back into drive?
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First check and see whether or not it's OK to tow your car in neutral. If it is OK then you can coast in neutral with the engine running, but with the following important considerations: There is no problem with the coasting in neutral per se;
the potential problem comes when putting it back into drive. You can only put it back into drive when you are completely stopped or almost completely stopped (under 10 MPH). That way when you do put it back into drive it will go into first gear. If you do it while the car is moving at higher speeds you will damage the transmission. I learned this the hard way, and it was an expensive lesson.
Practical application of this would be in coasting in neutral to a known stop sign where you know you will have to stop. It is not recommended that you try it while approaching a red light, because if the light turns green and your speed is over 10 MPH you cannot (or should not) put the transmission back into drive unless you are almost stopped.
Remember, rebuilding an automatic transmission is one of the most costly repairs that any vehicle might experience. Ruining your transmission is not worth the few dollars in fuel that you might save.