P & M session

[dieseljeep]

Originally Posted by MadMan

The Prius 'transmission' is actually quite fascinating. As a transmission mechanic, I had the opportunity once to open one up. Everyone always kept telling me it was a CVT transmission.

In a manner of speaking, I suppose. But no, it was a lie! There's next to nothing inside of them. There's 2 big ass electric motor/generators, the final drive (differential), and then a little planetary gear that is the armature of the 1st motor. There are no clutches, no torque converter, no hydraulics, and no electronics. The engine is directly coupled to the planetary gear, and the way it's set up is that the planetary just freewheels there. Unless the motor is energized, then it sort of holds it, and the engine is 'directly' coupled to the wheels, the amount of 'slip' varying by how much electricity is sent to the motor. Reverse is accomplished electrically.

Fun fact, if you have a Prius, you can use pretty much any oil as a trans fluid. They say it has to be Toyota's basic trans fluid, but really, any old trans fluid is fine, because no hydraulics, and no clutches.

The main reason I'm driving one as a daily driver is because of the high degree of engineering that went into it, plus the 45+MPG.
This ones a 2011 bought used with 89K miles. The older one I had was a 2006 bought with 87K. The Prius models are all built in Japan.
My other three vehicles are US built Mopars.
Regarding the Transmission fluid, certain 60's era Mopars with the Power-flite transmissions used the engine oil as the transmission fluid.

[zeno]

Auto stop/start is big with Ford. I wouldnt have it. Always defaults on
unless you mod it or buy a kit. Ford says they have a better starter &
battery so no extra wear. Begs the question why not put the better
stuff in ALL the cars ?

With manuals I almost always started in 2nd. Only time for 1st was
when you were doing comparative driving or a smoke show. Another
feature lost on automatics is the D2 that skips 1st. In snow both my
Crown Vic & Roadmaster would just spin the tires in 1st the second
you let off the brakes.

Interesting thing on gearing. The Mt. Washington Auto Road uses
GMC vans as limos.
https://mtwashingtonautoroad.com/guided-tours
They are geared so you have to accelerate to go DOWN hill. Let off the gas
& you come to a stop.

73 Zeno
LFOD !

[mr_rye89]

Kinda late here, But I have a 1990 Dodge w250 with an NP435 granny 4 (and likely 4:10 gears in the diffs) and I never take off out of first unless I'm ripping small trees out of the ground. 1st is like 6:1 or something ridiculous like that. It even says in the manual to take off out of second for normal driving.

I'm also not crazy about the old 4 speeds. my truck is at 3000rpm at 65mph in 4th.

[Jon A.]

Originally Posted by zeno

With manuals I almost always started in 2nd. Only time for 1st was
when you were doing comparative driving or a smoke show.

Originally Posted by mr_rye89

Kinda late here, But I have a 1990 Dodge w250 with an NP435 granny 4 (and likely 4:10 gears in the diffs) and I never take off out of first unless I'm ripping small trees out of the ground.

Whatever floats your gears blokes.

There's a series of videos on YouTube of a school bus that was refitted with a 5-speed main and a 4-speed auxiliary. The two guys I saw drive it took off in second/low except for when demonstrating granny low and later on pulling out a badly stuck 4x4.

A car we used to have had a really wide gap between third and fourth, the latter only being used at highway speeds. I suppose one's level of satisfaction with 4-speeds depends on whether or not fourth is an overdrive.

Early on when I was practicing on a manual, that particular car was tricky to get into low so I accidentally ended up in third a couple of times. Once I actually succeeded in taking off in third which really bogged down the engine as I had pulled onto an incline. Once I realized what happened I made the mistake of downshifting all the way into low; the engine roared and when I shifted back in second the tires screeched a bit, prompting a chuckle from the guy who owned the car. Nevertheless, even then I was better at driving a manual than Captain Kirk.

[dieseljeep]

Originally Posted by zeno

Auto stop/start is big with Ford. I wouldnt have it. Always defaults on
unless you mod it or buy a kit. Ford says they have a better starter &
battery so no extra wear. Begs the question why not put the better
stuff in ALL the cars ?

With manuals I almost always started in 2nd. Only time for 1st was
when you were doing comparative driving or a smoke show. Another
feature lost on automatics is the D2 that skips 1st. In snow both my
Crown Vic & Roadmaster would just spin the tires in 1st the second
you let off the brakes.

Interesting thing on gearing. The Mt. Washington Auto Road uses
GMC vans as limos.
https://mtwashingtonautoroad.com/guided-tours
They are geared so you have to accelerate to go DOWN hill. Let off the gas
& you come to a stop.

73 Zeno
LFOD !

My new to me 2017 Jeep Compass seems to act that way. The second you decelerate it seems to downshift, almost like you're braking. I guess it's easier on the brakes.
It also has what they refer to as "Autostick". You can go through the gears like a manual.

[zeno]

Originally Posted by dieseljeep

My new to me 2017 Jeep Compass seems to act that way. The second you decelerate it seems to downshift, almost like you're braking. I guess it's easier on the brakes.
It also has what they refer to as "Autostick". You can go through the gears like a manual.

On the Auto Road you run 1st all the way up for cooling & all the way down for braking. There are some cars that cant stay in 1st & they wont let them up.
I was told once they used to do brakes every 2 weeks about 675 miles !
The new vans never need brakes, you only have to use them twice per trip.
Anyhows its abt 4000 feet up in 8 miles & really tests the cooling, brakes
& tranny. You can actually smell a car coming !

73 Zeno
LFOD !

[MadMan]

Originally Posted by dieseljeep

Regarding the Transmission fluid, certain 60's era Mopars with the Power-flite transmissions used the engine oil as the transmission fluid.

I know! I actually had a 54 or 53 Chrysler New Yorker in the shop once. Was the first model year for Chrysler's first actual automatic transmission (not counting the manual with a torque converter [although ironically, this transmission WAS a manual with a torque converter, just automatically shifted by a coffee-can-sized solenoid]). The service manual was with the car and I read up on the transmission. You had to change the engine and transmission oil altogether, because they shared the oil. Must've been an expensive oil change.