I have a 1996 Mercury Grand Marquis. It runs great except for a little shudder at times when shifting between (I think) 2nd and 3rd gears. I want to make it last as long as possible.
I recently started shifting into 1st gear at stops with the idea that this will be less stress on the engine to get moving again. Is this a good idea?
Is this a good idea?
Not particularly. You're not dealing with 1950-vintage Studebaker "DG" Automatic Drive or Packard's 1949 Ultramatic that would start out in 2nd gear unless 1st was manually selected. If your transmission is working properly it will start out in 1st gear when left in Drive.
As far as lasting a long time it has already lasted 28 years. If it dies tomorrow it still would have lasted a long time. How much longer do you realistically expect to get from it?
I recently started shifting into 1st gear at stops with the idea that this will be less stress on the engine to get moving again.
Does your transmission not take off in 1st gear?
Is this a good idea?
Doesn't that mean that you're shifting into 2nd manually?
Is your shift timing better than an automatic transmission?
To me this sounds like more bumbling around, and an accident waiting to happen, with zero benefit.
Even when you use your shift lever, the transmission still uses clutches to make the shift. It's exactly the same as the automatic shift sequence.
it's a nearly 30yo car, and soon the transmission will stop shifting altogether, I'm afraid. The best thing you can do now is have another vehicle lined up. Do it now, before you're desperate and under more pressure to make decisions.
I recently started shifting into 1st gear at stops with the idea that this will be less stress on the engine to get moving again.
The transmission is electronically controlled, so it already does that. You might be having an issue with a failing shift solenoid. You didn't mention mileage.
Worn-out transmissions usually fail from the lowest gear to the higher gears, reflecting the frequency of stop and go traffic.
