Gear Indicator

[Makkat]

2016 Duramax, what is the 1 position after the manual mode gear? Why would you use this gear instead of leaving manual mode in first?

I have looked through the manual(s) and did not come up with anything on a search.

[AJE]

That extra "1" is there on the gas trucks too.  I haven't seen an explanation for it.

 

It could be something useful like a gear indicator,  but apparently it's more important to just show a 1 all the time.

[i82much]

for those of us that grew up pulling the shift lever all the way down when we wanted to crawl in first ...

[ewbldavis]

My guess is it holds 1st gear for low speed/high torque situations - like when you'd use 4L

[Big Whiskey]

As others have stated, it will hold first gear. I've yet to find a reasonable use for it though. 

[KARNUT]

Off road going up and down hills in rough terrain it’s real handy. Although in 40 years of ROW work I didn’t need to that much.


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[Icutmetl]

Have none of you guys read the owner’s manual? 
 

It enables the manual shift buttons on your gearshift lever. It will limit whatever gear you select. Shift into that mode cruising along at 60mph, and it will show 6th gear. In the older trucks, it was shown as  “M” instead of “1,” which makes a lot more sense to me.

Edited February 3, 2020 by Icutmetl

[SierraHD17]

18 hours ago, Icutmetl said:

Have none of you guys read the owner’s manual? 
 

It enables the manual shift buttons on your gearshift lever. It will limit whatever gear you select. Shift into that mode cruising along at 60mph, and it will show 6th gear. In the older trucks, it was shown as  “M” instead of “1,” which makes a lot more sense to me.

No that's not what they are talking about.  The indicator is PRNDM 1.  The lone "one" position disables the buttons on the shifter and keeps it in first.  It also works as grade braking control lol.

[Mike Barber]

If I pull the lever down to the 1 position at any speed on my 2016 gasser it will shift to the lowest allowable gear for the speed/rpm and hold that gear.  (I say any speed, but I have only tried it at speeds less than 45 mph.  It downshifts quickly.) The manual shift buttons do not work with it the 1 position.  If I start out from a stop with it at 1 it stays in first gear all the way to rev limiter and does not shift.

 

I can't seem to find anything about the 1 position in my owners manual either.  There is a paragraph or so for each of the other shift lever positions but not the 1.  The only time I have used the 1 spot is on the beach when in 4WD Low and I want to idle along through the loose sand.

 

I seem to recall there was another thread about this topic a couple years back and it got pretty much the same replies as this one.  

[redwngr]

On 2/3/2020 at 2:22 PM, SierraHD17 said:

No that's not what they are talking about.  The indicator is PRNDM 1.  The lone "one" position disables the buttons on the shifter and keeps it in first.  It also works as grade braking control lol.

Correct.

 

When you're at speed and in a panic and need max engine/trans grade braking but got too much going on to mess with the +/- button, just grab the shifter and pull it into the '1' position.  

 

If it's just pulled to Mx (range selection mode in GMspeak), the gear it shifts to depends on the gear that it is currently in -- there is are charts in the manual for each transmission. 

The gear that it shifts to will be displayed in the blank location between the M and the 1. The displayed number will be the max gear the transmission will use -- unless the +/- is used to change it, or until the shifter moved out of Mx postion.

 

[rocnrol]

Sierrahd17 has it right. It works amazing as grade brake control. I use it often when towing our rv

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[redwngr]

There is both a 'normal mode grade braking' and a tow/haul mode grade braking'.

 

Running in Range Selection Mode (M mode) disables the grade braking.

 

There may be times when the computer managed grade braking are not desired. 

 

OM has slightly different explanations for the gas engine and diesel engine trucks.

Edited March 5, 2020 by redwngr

[Big Whiskey]

On 3/5/2020 at 7:41 AM, rocnrol said:

Sierrahd17 has it right. It works amazing as grade brake control. I use it often when towing our rv

I use manual mode when towing our camper as well (especially in the Colorado mountains)......but I've yet to find a use for the "1" mode, which holds the transmission in first gear. How about you?

[Mikey52]

If you just wanted to slink along at a slow pace, the one position in 4 low is kinda like a creeper gear on a tractor. You could get out and walk beside it without it shifting into second and making you trot.

[Mike Barber]

I do that sometimes on the beach way up in the dry sand.  Well, I don't get out but I use the 1 position in low range.  My trotting days are long past.