Last weekend, we took our 79 Automatic double cab on its longest journey so far 40 miles. On the way home, 5 miles in on the motorway was a long gradual hill. I've never had an auto before I'm only used to manuals. She climbed the hill quite well, but as speed started to slow, I pressed the peddle down more, and more the speed dropped to about 25mph. As we levelled out, we carried on and built up speed but I noticed the engine sounded like it was screaming in a low gear all this time I was in D I end up slowing right down to about 30mph and pulling off the motorway I parked up switched everything off investigated a fuel smell (loose tank breather weeping) then drove home and gearbox sounded fine. I know she has other gears 1 & and 2, but I was told 1 is for climbing up very steep hills and 2 for going down very steep hills, is that right? Sent from my SM-G981B using Tapatalk
All is normal I think. There is a kickdown mechanism so if you floor it, it will go into first gear. This is separate to the manual change. It should however change up when you pick up speed.
Yeah it didn't change back up wondering if I should have put it I n gear 1 half way up or is it gear 2 I've no idea Then but it back to D? Sent from my SM-G981B using Tapatalk
That's not the way I do it - it should just do it automatically. Have you seen the troubleshooter guide which has been posted on here?
You should only use D (drive) for normal driving. Position 2 & 1 are only for locking it in a lower gear when descending a steep hill to give some engine braking & save the brakes overheating. As said if it starts to labour up a hill press the pedal to the floor which should actuate the kick down.
Don’t try to select gear 1 above 30mph. Very easy to over rev the engine & cause damage. Logically it shouldn’t go into 1st gear above about 30mph but I wouldn’t want to risk it
If you're in 1 or 2, it should stay in that gear (until the engine explodes). It won't change up. As above, kickdown should change into a lower gear, then change up when you ease off the pedal. In D, it should change up and down automagically.
My automatic is a bit reluctant to drop a gear when negotiating hills, I listen to the engine and drop to 2 to stop it labouring…. Don’t forget to go back to D once the hill has been negotiated… they don’t like going much above 45 in 2. In my experience, once you start climbing a hill and dropping gears, you won’t be going back into D till you’ve reached the top.
Be grateful you don't have the problems my old Ford had. I didn't notice the engine earth had dropped off, and the autobox kickdown cable now performed that function. Stuck a shiny new battery in, started him up...and the starter current welded the kickdown cable up. I had to drive to the autobox place in Bournemouth in first gear ...
Look on thesamba.com for the owners manuals where things are explained e.g. Make sure to obey the final note But because you only have three gears, revving it hard is more of a thing.
I had a Merc C class that got stuck in second(on a 7 speed box so still a very low gear), when I drove it to the Merc specialist I reset the trip computer just for a laugh. I got 9mpg
Thanks for this, mate Just a thought I have put some thick 5mm rubber underlay underneath the original rubber mat (cuts down road noise) So the peddle doesn't go down as much as it used to wondering if this has an effect Sent from my SM-G981B using Tapatalk
I thought you said it kicked down, but then didn't change back up to 3rd when you released some throttle?
I think though its the adjustment at the back- around that long spring , that gives the increase in throttle cable tension against that spring which operates the kickdown switch.. If you have removed 5mm of travel and the kickdown works its probably kicking down in the same general pedal position/engine rpm region where the auto wants to change up if left to the governor. I once was driven mad by an automatic Toyota in the USA where it couldnt make up its mind whether to kick down or change up at 9000ft above sea level. Put it in 2, scream. Put it in D and it was constantly changing up and down.. The day skiing at the other end of that drive was worth it. Breckenridge Psychopath double diamond black down a gulley with the wind blowing snow up so we couldnt see our boots was the high point.
Sounds like the BMW Captain Slow had on the Top Gear special ( the one with baby Jesus ), he said of the auto box gears. “ many are called, but few are chosen.)
