Same here ..
it's not hard to accidentally find yourself in 2nd gear in an auto trans
vanagon at 60to 65 mph,
( like if you're doing manual shifting, not watching the tach ..etc..
  the engine sounds and feels very much the same at 65 mph whether in
2nd or 3rd. )

I doubt much harm was done to the engine unless it was for like 20
minutes or 20 miles.

Send a sample of oil out for Oil Analysis if you really want an idea how
healthy your engine is.
Very worth doing once or twice in the long run.

Scott
www.turbovans.com

On 9/24/2012 11:29 AM, neil n wrote:
> I don't own an automatic, so can't make any guesses on the
> transmission (I bet it's fine) but....
>
> How many miles on engine? Well maintained? Was it hot outside?
>
> If the engine is in good shape, my guess is no harm done to engine. I
> mean you **might've** shaved a few miles off it's life, but I wouldn't
> worry about it.
>
> Neil.
>
> On Mon, Sep 24, 2012 at 11:10 AM, Ed Lloyd <elloyd33@comcast.net> wrote:
>
>
>> I find the expresssway out of town, plug along for about 5 miles, traffic moving 65+, I am doing about 63, with road noise, wind noise, truck noise, but eventually I realize the engine is
>> sounding very loud.  Van is driving well, so I figure the exhaust is starting to need attention when I get home.
>>
>> A glance down at the instrument panel to check for the �red blinking light�, which I do frequently, and I am alarmed to see 4500 on the Tach!  Out of the green, almost into the red zone.
>>
>> A quick shift back into �Drive� and all becomes normal again, but at what future cost?
>>
>> Will this dumb mistake cause any lasting harm to a 2.1L waterboxer?
>>
>> Ed in Rockville, Md
>
>