On the gear selector, what exactly does the "S" and "L" position do? I know "D" starts it in 2nd then goes to 3rd and 4th obviously. I know it is a stupid question, but I am very new to these cars.

 

It is sort of the equal to "2" and "1" on a car. You can drive the car like a clutchless manual. I knew people that did it daily so they can control the RPM on the shift.

 

Okay, if it is in "S" will it start in first or stay in second? Thanks

 

If you're at a dead stop it should always start in 1st no matter if you'r in D, S or L. To get max accelerationfrom my 240 at a dead stop I usually start in L and let the transmission automatically shift me from 1st to 2nd. The revs really get up there but it eventually does shift me to 2nd around 20MPH. Then after 2nd gets cranking I manually shift fromL toS to go to 3rd at about 35MPH. After I reach about 50MPHIshift the transmissionto D to go to 4th. It makes a dramatic difference when merging into highway traffic or for when you need to drag race that '79 Chevy Citation to the nexttraffic light.

 

You obviously know more than I do, but I'm pretty sure when it is in "D" it starts in 2nd. So "L" will definitely start me in 1st. I don't own the car yet, I am only going by the few times that I drove it. It starts very slow, then upshifts twice the final one being around 40mph(this is as fast as the speed limit allowed). Is that when it should be upshifting to 4th, or is there another shift on the way? Remember this is a 300, not a 240. Any other info. would be great.

 

S stands for slope and L for low. your manual specifies maximum road grades for each gear. also the line markings on the speedometer show the maximum speed for each gear as well as the approx rpm in top gear for those without a tach.

 

Hmmm, maybe my 240's valve body is set to always begin in 1st because of the lower HP of my engine versus the five cylinder? Mine does in fact start in 1st from a dead stop in D, but it's only there for a second before shifting to 2nd. In any event, manual shiftingS-L-D gives max acceleration on either model rather than allowing the transmission to shift itself automatically.

You can also tinker with the adjustment of the Vacuum Modulator to modify the shift points of the transmission. Rotate the adjustment key under the vacuum cap one click to the right to extend the time between shifts or one click to the left to shorten the time between shifts.Never move more than one click at a time, andalways road test right away to see if you've achieved the goal of your adjustment.