Mrs Squirrel and I just got back from several days of camping in the Sierra Nevada (spectacular weather, great camping, especially at site #32 at Highland Lakes) and Mellow Yellow operated flawlessly, even climbing the mighty 6% grade up highway 395 to Sherman Summit in 109 degree (F) weather, loaded with camping gear, w/o overheating. This was at 7pm -- I tried to wait out the heat of the day but it hit over 105F at noon and just stayed there. I killed as much time as I could in the shade of a young sycamore at Tuttle Creek campground near Lone Pine, but it just never cooled off.* Anyhoo, on the way up, between watching the temp gauge, the tach, and rear-view mirror to make sure that I wasn't about to get rear-ended by a faster vehicle, I was very aware about how little I know about automatic transmissions. Uphill Question: If Mellow Yellow had a manual transmission, I'd think nothing of downshifting to second or even first gear as needed to keep the rpm's up. But there's just something about running an automatic transmission for long periods in lower gears that worries me. Maybe it's because the transmission sounds at a higher pitch than I am used to -- I don't know. I can't put my finger on it. Is it okay to stay in "1" or "2" with an automatic transmission as long as the engine isn't being over-revved? Downhill Question: Some of those Sierra passes have long downhill grades at up to 26%. Again, if I had a manual, I'd-a downshifted and used the engine to take some of the load off the brakes. Is it okay to do that with an automatic transmission? * Glad I had a Norcold refrigerator instead of the original Dometic -- with its 45F max differential, the inside of the old reefer would have been 109 - 45 = 64F, which is too warm for food safety or cold beer. -- Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott 71 Type 2: the Wonderbus 84 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana") 74 Utility Trailer. Ladybug Trailer, Inc., San Juan Capistrano KG6RCR |
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