Date: Fri, 20 Jul 2007 01:04:12 -0400
Reply-To: John Lauterbach <lauterba@BELLSOUTH.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: John Lauterbach <lauterba@BELLSOUTH.NET>
Subject: Re: Talk to me about AT's!
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
reply-type=response
Mike, the AT is probably one of the best parts of your Vanagon. Just make
sure to have it serviced periodically by someone who knows what he/she is
doing.
Here in middle GA there are not enough serious hills to comment on extended
use in lower gears.
John
----- Original Message -----
From: "Michael Elliott" <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Friday, July 20, 2007 12:53 AM
Subject: Talk to me about AT's!
> 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
|