1994 Oldsmobile Achieva Owner's Manual - Page 67

Here are some times you might choose 3 instead of (D) : When driving on hilly, winding roads. When towing a trailer, so there is less shifting between gears. When going down a steep hill. 2 (Second Gear):This position gives you more power but lower fuel economy. You can use 2 on hills. It can help control your speed as you go down steep mountain roads, but then you would also want to use your brakes off and on. NOTICE: Don't drive in 2 (Second Gear) for more than 5 miles (8 Ian), or at speeds over 55 mph (88 Itm/h): or you can damage your transaxle. Use D ((Dl or 3 if your vehicle has Overdrive) as much as possible. Don't shift into 2 unless you are going slowerthan 65 mph (105 ltndh), oryou can damage your engine. If you have the four-speed transaxle with Overdrive, 2 will select either first or second gear depending on vehicle speed. If your vehicle is slowing, the transaxle will downshift to first gear at 20 to 25 miles per hour (32 to 40 l