Hi all. Just acquired a 2002 LS and going through it. Mostly deferred maintenance on fluids. Otherwise the car is in good shape. One lingering question I have though is what is up with my ECT modes. I notice no difference at all in responsiveness or shift points when I engage the ECT power switch. Transmission shifts smoothly, maybe a little early for my tastes, and no difference when in power mode. I think I do feel a slight difference in snow mode with subtly less-responsive throttle.

Could someone describe in detail what this particular car should do when in power mode? I've already searched the web and only come up with the general sense that the shift points should be higher, but even that information was quite general across many years and models. Nothing specific to this 5-spd transmission in the LS. Owner's manual suggests I should have higher shift points.

Also, is it normal for these cars to shift early on unless you're deep into the throttle? I like the smoothness, but just never really had this sense of shifting too soon in any other cars.

A bit of extra info: about 150,000 mi on the car and never had transmission service. Just did a T-IV fluid drain/refill (2 qts, actually just used a fluid extractor down the dipstick tube to drain)...crossing fingers at this age...and no difference in performance so far; but this behavior and question I have here well predates that service. Checked the ECT switch and dash lights using TechStream and work as expected. No transmission module in TechStream to scan, and the rest of the drivetrain modules (ECU, ABS/VSC, etc) are all OK.

Thanks!

 

i always thought that button was more for show than actual use

 

Mine is 2001. The ECT power mode will downshift faster when accelerator pushed. If not feeling any difference disconnect battery for ECU to relearn. It works.

 

If you want to feel the difference in Power mode, you will need an empty road and be willing to put your foot to the floor and leave it there for at least 10 seconds.

It changes the shift points, but ONLY if you have your foot planted. Otherwise it will still shift up when it is most efficient to do so.
With your foot to the floor the ECU knows that you want maximum acceleration so will hang onto gears for longer.
It probably makes other changes to the ECU map but I don't think you will feel those changes other than maybe slightly worse gas mileage.

 

In my 2001 I never tried it for the upshifting but leave it in the power mode to help get rid of the sluggish effect to make more responsive in downshifting when pressing accelerator.

 

Thanks for the responses!
Sounds like mine is driving like normal then. As with every new vehicle, one has to learn the little quirks. I might try the battery disconnect reset, but it does seem to be behaving a little better over time...or I'm just subconsciously learning how to plant my foot deeper than I think I need and then leave it there.

 

Excerpts from TIS - 2002 LS 430 ECT:

Previous automatic transmissions have selected each gear shift using mechanically controlled throttle hydraulic pressure, governor hydraulic pressure and lock−up hydraulic pressure. The electronically controlled transmission, however, electrically controls the line pressure, throttle pressure, lock−up pressure and accumulator pressure etc. through the solenoid valve. The electronically controlled transmission is a system which precisely controls gear shift timing and lock−up timing in response to the vehicle’s driving conditions and the engine condition detected by various sensors. It makes smooth driving possible by shift selection for each gear which is the most appropriate to the driving conditions at that time, and by preventing downing, squat and gear shift shock when starting off.

. HIGH RESPONSE GEAR SHIFTING CONTROL The engine control module performs the high response engine torque up control to control the ignition−timing lag as well as opening the electronic throttle when shifting down. By doing this, the gear shifting is performed in a short period of time. Moreover, the engine control module uses the orifice switching control, which optimizes the speed of applying and reducing the hydraulic pressure. And it realizes the fine shifting condition by applying and reducing hydraulic pressure slowly when the gear shifting shock is important and quickly when the high response is required.

. ELECTRONICALLY CONTROLLED TRANSMISSION PATTERN SELECT SW CIRCUIT When the electronically controlled transmission pattern select SW is switched to PWR, a signal is input to TERMINAL PWR of the passenger side J/B ECU, and control signals are distributed to the engine control module through communication control of the J/B ECU. This enables shift−up and shift−down at a higher speed range.