What does it mean when the "overdrive off indicator" come on in a 1996 Ford Contour GL 2.0 4cyl?

Question

The other day the "Overdrive OFF Indicator" light came on in my car. I was parked in front of the school waiting for my son to get out. The car had been running for about 30 minutes total when the light came on. I don't know if it makes a difference or not but the air conditioning was on for about 20 minutes. I shut the car off and the light has not came back on since.

Answer 1

That just means that it won't upshift to 4th gear (or 5th gear if available). You probably pressed the O/D Off button without realizing it. When you turned the car off and restarted it, it just reset the system to use Overdrive. I don't know why there would be an option to turn off Overdrive on a 4 cylinder Contour, though.

Answer 2

The computer will shut the overdrive off if the car gets too hot. It doesn't matter if you're sitting, but if you were on the road and the engine got too hot, shutting the overdrive off would increase engine speed, pumping coolant faster and creating less heat. You'd think the engine going slower would make less heat, but it doesn't always work that way.

Answer 3

It might have just been a glitch from the computer.... if it hasnt come back on since... and you didnt hit the button to turn the overdrive off......

Answer 4

in a ford it is common for that light to come on when the transmission's temp raises to high, it happens in my work truck a lot (F450 super duty) when I'm pulling a trailer with JD50 mini exc on it (14000lbs gvw) if I'm pulling up hills and the temp rises boom the over drive automatically turns off.
it may also be a good idea to check your fluid level as a tranny will run hotter if it is low, good luck.

Answer 5

hellifiknowbutitsworthpoints