Hi, i am new to this forum and to the world of Mazdas. I recently bought a 1998 mazda protege lx touring edition. On the shifter there is a smaller button a bit lower down which ive read turns the overdrive on or off. next to the gas guage there is a light that says O/D OFF, however it is not lit up. when i click the button nothing happens and the light never comes on. this makes me wonder if the overdrive does not work, or if it is always on, or if im just completely way off. any help would be appreciated, thanks!

 

the switch may just be broken or the light may just be burned or shorted.

 

is there a way to figure out if it is on or off if that is the case? the button that clicks on the shifter doesnt really have an on or off position, it just clicks each time you push it but it doesnt stay in or anything. so yeah if the light/switch is broken is there a way to tell if the overdrive is stuck in on or off, or if im jumping between everytime i push it? im very new to the world of mazdas and cars in general (this is my first car) so excuse my probably very simple question. thanks

 

just see if you can count how many times it shifts. if it shifts 3 times, that means that the overdrive is off, but if it shifts 4 times, that means that it is on. the last shift will be very smooth and almost unnoticable, you just have to pay close attention.

 

The normal position for Mazda Tranny is with the OD "on". If you have the OD in the off position and turn the car off, when you start it again, the OD will be back on. If your OD is not working, you would notice it at highway speeds, your tach would be reading over 3000 RPM, with the OD on, it should be about 2700 rpm @60 MPH.

 

oh i dont have a tachometer on the car so i cant really guage the rpms at all.

so basically the overdrive is always on unless i hit the button (if it works assuming) to turn it off.

so with overdrive, assuming i can get the toggle for it working, when should i be using it and when should it be in the off position. and also how does it affect the gears and junk, i know literally nothing about overdrive. im still learning, heh.

 

The only time I turn my OD of is when I am in the mountains, where I want to use the gearing to keep the revs up whilst descending a hill, or keep the torque up when climbing. If you are not in a hilly or mountainous area, you shouldn't be turning it off.