Automatic shifting is off
 

It usually works when I accelerate slowly, but revs high when I accelerate quickly, sometimes it will shift when I let go of the pedal a bit.

Not sure what is causing this, do I need to check the fluid, would that even help? Also, my father suggested removing the kickdown cable...

I am getting the flex pipe on my exhaust fixed soon, I don't think that has anything to do with my shifting though.

That sounds like how it is supposed to work.

Can you post a video on youtube and link it here.

Is this a 2.2L? 2.4L? What year? Z24?

How many miles?

I guess if you haven't checked the fluid level, why start now??!!

Well, should I still be in 2nd gear when I reach 55, 60 mph? Because sometimes it doesn't shift when I'm accelerating and approach that speed.

I'm not sure what kind of video you want me to post, I don't really have access to a decent video camera anyway.

My Cavalier is a 1999 2.2L and has the bare minimum of almost everything (no power locks, mirrors, windows, no cruise control, no cassette deck until i replaced it a few months ago, pretty basic features)

Maybe I'm noticing it more because the exhaust is leaking, I'm not entirely sure. It just seems like it's shifting later than it should.

If you want specifics, I'm driving to work tomorrow and can give you an idea of when it is shifting from 1st to 2nd, or 2nd to 3rd, I'll write em down and respond to this thread as soon as I get home.

My speedometer's also displaying 5mph more than it should, not sure if this could be related.

Well - was thinking it would be nice to see how it is sticking at 55-60 mph with your rpm's....

Are you at redline when in 2nd gear at 55-60 mph? What is your rpm's when it is stuck like that?

And why is your speedometer off? Do you have different sized tires on?

Did you do anything to affect the speedometer?

How many miles?

Well, I'd like to know the RPMs as well, but I don't have a tachometer in my Cavalier :/

I'm not sure why the speedometer is off, the tires are definitely the right size. I did replace the entire instrumental cluster a few weeks ago, when I thought that was the problem with the speedometer (it wasn't reading anything) but I found out that the wire going to the VSS was not plugged in. I could go back and put my original cluster back in and see if that does anything.

My odometer on my old cluster read approx. 158,000 miles.

oops... my 2002 z24 had one...

Anyways - was this cluster from a junkyard or where? it's identical year/model?

Did you just buy this car? Why was the VSS unplugged?

It's hard to say if the car is malfunctioning while shifting. If your giving it a decent amount of gas and you let up on the gas - yes it will shift up a gear.

I bought the car in March from a used car lot, then promptly put a rod through the engine in April, three days after Easter Sunday. Took over a month to get another engine for it and put it in.

Apparently we missed this wire when we were plugging in everything coming off of the harness - my dad found the plug hidden behind the fuel injectors, probably why it went unnoticed.

The cluster I have in the vehicle now is exactly the same, not sure if it's from the exact model year but no more than a few years off if any. I did look at the car door when I took it out, but I forgot the year. The odometer also has almost 20K less miles on it.

My father says I may have damaged the exhaust from revving too much, due to my transmission not shifting, not something under my control.

/end thread. I can't believe after all that it was just the exhaust making me think it was revving too high. It's fine. Now I gotta worry about my exhaust and my thermostat.