I just started driving my LS 400 <passed down from dad>
LoL dont post and yell at me saying im dumb ,I dont need to waste my time reading that
I know what the PWR ect switch does now but still dont know what the overdrive button does....
Can anyone explain it easily ?

-thanks

 

Yes sir, Overdrive prevents the car from upshifting into your highest gear (4th or 5th, depending on your car, for a 1994 LS4, its a 4 speed auto). That's as simple as it gets. If you are doing 55, normally your LS would be in 4th gear. With O/D OFF, your LS will stay in 3rd gear, and the Revs will be much higher. As a rule of thumb, under 35 mph, O/D OFF is ok to prevent unnecessary shifting between 3rd and 4th gears, where the difference in RPM is unnoticeable, but anything over 35, i'd keep O/D ON. O/D is a feature that automatic transmissions adapted to have to increase gas mileage. It's equivalent to the 5th gear of a 5 speed manual transmission.

O/D button is convenient for highway driving, when you KNOW you are going to pass someone. You can simply push the button to put the car into 3rd gear BEFORE you are ready to pass, then when you have the chance you can punch it without any hesitation, instead of normally waiting for the car to shift AFTER you hit the pedal.


For future reference:

 

exactly what he said... love the pic btw

 

haha ya like that? I thought it was a nice touch. MSpaint works wonders

 

All right thanks , I think I pretty much understand most of that lol
So your saying leave it on all the time, and if I want fast acceleration on the highway turn if off then floor it?

 

Well it technically won't increase your acceleration at all, it will just put you in third gear, so that when you hop on the gas you don't have to bother going through the downshift. But simplified, yes, you will experience the acceleration in a quicker duration than if O/D was ON.

 

You can use O/D full-time if you are hauling a boat or trailer, obey max sppeds for the item you are towing.

 

Tow?? I would pay good money to see an LS4 tow something(preferably not mine own thanks) is that even possible??

 

The LS makes a great tow car. I must have towed my 4x8 foot utility trailer hundreds of times with an LS over the past 15+ years. I hauled gardening supplies, lumber for projects, furniture. A $400 trailer sure is better than having to put up with owning a pickup truck.

 

Indeed, I've seen 1st gen SC's outfitted with a hitch and jetski's.

Also, Brandicus, I realize you are new, and you probably have been PM'ed by a Moderator for this also. Please reduce the size of the image in your signature to follow the ClubLexus signature guidelines. The maximum size allowed is 450 pixels by 100 pixels. It's hard for some of our members who are still on 56k modems to have to load that image everytime you post. Just as a courtesy to others, we have a limitation on the size of images for signatures. Hey, if you can't find a good image, post over in the photoshop forum and someone will make you a signature.

 

So, would it damage my 93 ls400 to drive around with overdrive off all the time? I like the torquier feel but not if it kills the engine

 

do you have a trailer hitch system for the LS400 that you recommend or any advice?

 

the overdrive button off is basically just like driving around in 3rd ger, it will not hurt the transmission, but it will suck gas like you would not believe, knocking off as much as 7 mpg on the highway

I can't recall if a 93 has the PWR/NORMAL shift button, but that would be what you use instead, for peppier shifts and minimal loss of mileage.

 

Talk about dredging up an old thread!

I don't remember the brand of trailer hitch on the 90 LS I had but the hitch on my 2000 LS400 is a Draw-Tite from www.etrailer.com The ones from Curt that etrailer sells for the 95-00 LS now look the same.

The Draw-Tite hitch was "on special" when I bought it ten years ago. According to my records it cost only $108.95 including shipping. etrailer is only 225 miles from where I live.

I would have to remove trim in the trunk to see the brand and model of the trailer light control module but it is a commonly available type. The trailer light control module acts as relays. Wires run from it to the wires leading to the tail lights but the trailer lights are powered from a terminal by the engine compartment fuse box - same terminal from which I powered my two extra horns via a relay. My mechanic ran the power wire from the trailer light control model in the trunk though an existing hole for an ABS wire and then under the car forward to the engine compartment. I've never looked that hard for it but I cannot see the power wire underneath the car - he did a great job of hiding it.

The hitch I had on my 90 LS was very different in design than the ones etrailer sells now for the 90-94 LS. The 90-94 LS bumper "reinforcement sub assembly" has threaded holes for attaching a trailer hitch. My 90 LS hitch attached both to the bumper reinforcement sub assembly and to the bolts the mufflers hung from - this probably kept the bumper from absorbing collision impacts like it was designed to do. The hitches etrailer now sells for the 90-94 LS attach only to the bumper reinforcement sub assembly and allow the bumper to absorb impacts like it was designed to do.

The Draw-Tite hitch on my 00 LS and the hitches etrailer now sell for the 95-00 LS attach only to the bolts the mufflers hang from and allow the bumper to work properly.

The removable under-bumper garnish of the 90-94 LS almost completely hides a trailer hitch - all one has to do is to cut a notch in the garnish so that the draw bar can attach into the hitch receiver.

A trailer hitch on the 95-00 LS is more noticeable since the under-bumper garnish was discontinued after 1994. Here is a photo of the hitch on my 00 LS and one showing how it looked before it went on the car.

 

There's no way in the world I would use my LS in place of my pick up truck. I'd like to see you haul a load firewood, yard waste, and a water heater in your LS in a single trip.

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