Low gear button questions....

[Kikinz24]

Curious beings I already installed a center console and floor shift right when I bought my car what does the original low gear button on the end of the column just keep the car in first gear or does it hold it in any gear you are currently in so say you are doing 50 miles an hour down the road in 3rd gear and push the low gear button would it just stay in third until pressed again?

 

[blob19]

Curious beings I already installed a center console and floor shift right when I bought my car what does the original low gear button on the end of the column just keep the car in first gear or does it hold it in any gear you are currently in so say you are doing 50 miles an hour down the road in 3rd gear and push the low gear button would it just stay in third until pressed again?

I have heard that the logic is to drop to the lowest possible gear for the current speed. I was curious about it too. Coming from a manual car, I like to use engine braking more than what the computer does for me, and I was wondering if it's safe to use the button this way.

 

[Kikinz24]

I'm actually curious because with the new center console it allows the shifter to drop into sport ... now this on a regular would then let select shift work. But from what I've been gathering I guess there's no way to enable select shift in the pcm. Or at least easily. With a twin turbo engine it would be nice to keep it in a gear built a bit more boost if ever out messing around on the highway

 

[Inane222]

I have a 17' PIU Eco and this was the 2nd mod I did. First was going to 8" MFT.

I rewired the "low gear" button to a small switch on the bottom half of the steering column, kinda below where the key goes. I checked the original button at the end of the column shift and found out it was only a momentary switch. When it activate it, the transmission is hunting for first gear. However, it will downshift somewhat safely, so if you hit it at cruising speed, it migh drop a gear or two and then continue to do so when the rpm's are right. If you turn it on while the car is stopped, it will stay in first and won't come out.

On your column shift mod, you can buy a replacement steering column cover for under $10 at your dealer. It will get rid of that big rubber boot from the column shifter. I hot glued some black auto carpet to fill in the void at the top where it's notched for the nicer models with the telescopic column.

Mine will drop down into sport now but obviously do anything. I've looked into buying a used steering wheel with the appropriate paddle shifters but the wiring isn't there. I pulled the airbag and checked out all the wiring in the steering wheel compared to my wiring manual. Missing quite a bit of wiring. It would be fun to get the most out of the Eco.

As this is my work car, I'll have to turn it in a 2-3 more years. I have to quit with these mods because I'll have to undo them when I turn it back in!

 

[Kikinz24]

Lol. I actually had the covers from my parts car. I'm trying to figure out how to enable select shift currently. There is 3 wires that go to it. Shift up shift down and signal return from the transmission I luckily have a complete spare harness at hand and have been tracking wires down. Shift up and down are simple go right to pin 88 and 89 on the pcm plug. But the signal return is where I'm a bit stuck. It comes out of the pcm. Also is at the engine main harness. I checked this wire is on my main harness I havent taken the cowl out yet to see if it is at the pcm side. But where I'm lost is it comes inside and looks to go to the main body harness. I'm going to have to dig further in to see where it goes from there. I would assume they are all spliced together at a certain point just trying to find that point.. some say they think it would work just wiring it . But I spoke with a ford tech from the f150 forum and gave him my vin and he said select shift was disabled in my pcm and he wasn't sure how I could get it enabled...