Here’s the latest reader question, along with my reply!
Kanhaiya asks: Where is the overdrive switch located in a 2013 Toyota Scion xb?
My reply: There is no switch – per se.
Your Scion’s gear selector gate has four indicated positions – Park, Reverse, Neutral and Drive for the four speed overdrive automatic. There is also a “manual” gate to to the left of Drive. If you move the gear selector to that position, you can manually control the transmission’s gear changes by pushing the gear selector forward (+) for an upshift to the next highest gear or a downshift by pulling the gear selector backward (-).
You will find overdrive – fourth gear, in this case – by pushing the shifter manually forward (+) from third gear . . . once you are moving fast enough. The computer will not allow upshifts below a certain road speed/load to avoid lugging the engine; similarly, it will not not permit a manual shift to the next-lowest range if road speed is too high, to avoid over-revving the engine.
If you leave the gear selector in Drive, the transmission will automatically upshift and downshift and should go into overdrive once the car has achieved a steady speed (light load) at around 35-40 MPH.
There should be an indicator in the gauge cluster to tell you which gear you’re in when in manual mode, too.
. . .
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