lower gear indicator

[monkeydave]

driving home tonight on the motorway in the wind and rain i didnt notice for a while that my lower gear indicator was on before i downshifted, happens more in wet or windy weather or going up grades

what i want to know is will it damage the crank and the bearings over time if you dont catch it as soon as it lights up as the car was driving ok and not sounding laboured

this is a manual 6 speed 

[ColinS]

I think this is more of a 'fuel saving' gimmick.  True that labouring an engine will damage it but you would know if you were driving in that state as it would judder.

[ColinB]

It's only a guide to help you to drive efficiently. The handbook clearly states (p.402) that you should drive according to road & traffic conditions rather than slavishly following the indicator. So no, you won't damage anything just because you missed an up/down indication, but you might be using a little more fuel than the car thinks you should.

[monkeydave]

It's only a guide to help you to drive efficiently. The handbook clearly states (p.402) that you should drive according to road & traffic conditions rather than slavishly following the indicator. So no, you won't damage anything just because you missed an up/down indication, but you might be using a little more fuel than the car thinks you should.

its when im in 6th gear on the motorway and it comes on up a grade and i dont change down imediately as i didnt notice right away as the car was still driving normally is what i was meaning 


thanks

[MicktheMonster]

If the car's driving OK then everything is fine and there's no need to worry, the indicator is just telling you that you will get better economy if you change gear, I find you have to ignore what the indicator as it doesn't know whether you will shortly need to change gear for hazards or road features such as a steep hill coming up, traffic lights or whatever. It's just an economy guide.

[monkeydave]

If the car's driving OK then everything is fine and there's no need to worry, the indicator is just telling you that you will get better economy if you change gear, I find you have to ignore what the indicator as it doesn't know whether you will shortly need to change gear for hazards or road features such as a steep hill coming up, traffic lights or whatever. It's just an economy guide.

glad its just for economy and not detrimental to engine running in a higher gear up motorway grades

if the car didnt have the arrows or the lights round the speedo you would just continue to drive it in 6th up the motorway grade as it was not labouring and just felt normal

thanks for that

[Jocko]

As I said elsewhere, my ScanGauge shows me I get better mpg at low revs in top than I do if I change down a gear.