Date:         Fri, 20 Jul 2007 07:06:10 -0700
Reply-To:     Michael Elliott <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Michael Elliott <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Talk to me about AT's!
In-Reply-To:  <003401c7ca92$f346fc20$6401a8c0@Trooz1>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed

Bob, Loren, and all who responded to this question: thank you.

The AT in Mellow Yellow was pretty gummed up when we first got it, a
couple years ago at 68,000 miles. I changed the fluid and the screen and
that fixed the sloppy shifting and the transmission seems to be just
peachy keen now, at 75,000 miles. Given the hard mountain work I just
put it through it probably wouldn't be time terribly misspent if I just
did another fluid change and cleaned the screen to catch left-behind
debris and goop. A fall project.

--
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



Trooz typed:
>  I'll second Loren's comments.  I spend a lot of time in the Mammoth area
> (the grade Mike was talking about) and I routinely pull it into second gear
> on that climb, then again for part of the pull into Mammoth.  My reasoning
> is this:  I have to floor it and keep it floored to do 40 mph up the Sherwin
> Grade, gradually dropping down to 35 or so.  If I pull it into second, I can
> easily maintain 35-38 mph at about half throttle.  In my mind, that has to
> be a lot easier on the engine.  I've never worried about the AT, and at
> 191,000 I guess I won't start worrying about it now.
>
> I do that on all of the long, steep passes in the eastern Sierra: Cottonwood
> Lakes, Rock Creek, Tioga Pass, etc., and, like Loren, I also use the tranny
> for engine braking on the downhills.
>
> All I've ever done to the tranny is to have the shop of the day change the
> AT fluid and clean the screen every 50K or so.
>
> Bob Trousdale
> '90 Westy
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com]
>> On Behalf Of Loren Busch
>> Sent: Thursday, July 19, 2007 10:30 PM
>> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>> Subject: Re: Talk to me about AT's!
>>
>> RE: Automatics
>> Mike, about the time you were on your trip I was doing a trip
>> with my '90 Westy automatic, heavily loaded, to a location I
>> drive to several times a year.  The last 12 miles go from
>> about 2,200 feet to over 6,300 feet on narrow and very
>> winding road, very slow going.  I'm down to second gear from
>> the start of the climb and better than half that pull is done
>> in 1st gear on the automatic.  And not over revving, max
>> around 3,800 rpm.  The automatic does just fine.  The Westy
>> warms up, radiator fan on and occasionally on high, what I
>> call 'propeller' mode.  Coming back off that mountain is
>> about the same, part in 1st gear, most in second so that I
>> have brakes all the way and still when I hit the bottom.
>> I've never seen any reason to not use the automatic just like
>> I'd use a stick (and I drove this same route many time with a
>> manual in my '85.  I understand the feeling about an
>> automatic (am I about to blow a seal?) but I don't like to
>> lug an engine when pulling a grade.  I've always figured I'd
>> rather stress a transmission (cheaper to
>> repair) than blow an engine.
>>
>> No virus found in this incoming message.
>> Checked by AVG Free Edition.
>> Version: 7.5.476 / Virus Database: 269.10.9/907 - Release
>> Date: 7/18/2007 3:30 PM
>>
>>
>
> No virus found in this outgoing message.
> Checked by AVG Free Edition.
> Version: 7.5.476 / Virus Database: 269.10.9/907 - Release Date: 7/18/2007
> 3:30 PM
>