What RPM does the shift light come on at?

[Evil D]

I found out this morning that my shift light does actually work, but way higher in the RPM range than i thought. Is the shift light set up to tell you when you're hitting or approaching redline or is it like most cars and tells you the optimum shift point per gear?

I'm running seafoam through my gas and i've been driving it hard the last 2 times i've driven it..harder than i ever have. This engine runs SO good...no smoke, no ping or knock...it revs to the moon. I need to get a tach...but until then could someone tell me or test and find out for me, what RPM does the shift light come on at in each gear on a stock 4 speed car with 12 inch tires?

[FestYboy]

shift light comes on according to engine load, not RPM. it's there to help w/ fuel economy.

[Evil D]

Any idea how that's calculated and what does the calculating? It seems like mine only ever comes on when i'm driving it hard and at high RPM, close to what sounds like redline.

[Fordverde]

May be the factory manual or the owner's manual should say something

[FestYboy]

ECM controled, it has a look-up table that it goes buy to activate lamp. i don't know what else the ECM looks for to activate the light.

[deathegg]

Since you don't have a tach, you're probably imagining that the shift light comes on at higher rpm's. Our engines sound like they're revving their little hearts our even at 3000 rpm. Chances are that it's working fine, but you think it's high rpm's when the light comes on.

[Evil D]

Since you don't have a tach, you're probably imagining that the shift light comes on at higher rpm's. Our engines sound like they're revving their little hearts our even at 3000 rpm. Chances are that it's working fine, but you think it's high rpm's when the light comes on.

Yeah that's why i was asking someone to verify what theirs shifts at. I can tell you almost exactly what RPM a wound out 302 is running but i don't have enough experience with these engines to know what i'm hearing. All i know is when the light flashes it sounds like the damn thing is screaming lol. If that's the optimum shift point, then i'm shifting WAY low in the RPM range, like probably 1500rpm.

[apintonut]

these cars have shift light? should my 93 have one? never seen it come one and shift @ about 5500 + RPMS

[jesteratc]

I remember asking this exact question when i first got my 88 Carb. Shift light still working to this day lol.

[wybnrml]

these cars have shift light? should my 93 have one? never seen it come one and shift @ about 5500 + RPMS

Just '88 and '89 with a non-tach gauge cluster have the shift light.

[WmWatt]

The shift light on my carb'd '89 comes on at 40 kph (about 25 mph?) to shift into 4th gear which is good for fuel economy because the speed limit on residential streets here is 40 kph.

[Evil D]

I shift at 10/20/30 mph, so that sounds about right or at least close, which means for whatever reason my shift light must be coming on way late.

[epoxxy]

What? Shiftlight? Where? Picture/Video pls =)

[redlobster84]

I thought mine was broken, till somebody said that it only came on 88-89 cars.

[Evil D]

When i first got my car, it was working for about the first 3 days...then it went way and i thought it died until the other day i was beating on it and it came on way up in high rpms. It does it ever time too...i'm totally confused because i know it didn't come on that high up before.