Re: Economy, transmission
Reply #8 –
Jimmy,
Sounds as though your transmission is programmed the normal way so that the econ shift sequence is selected when the mode is on. I wish my transmission was programmed to be in econ after an engine start. I perfer to be in that mode as much as possible, but I don't always remember to select "mode on". I have found that hunting between gears on rolling hills occurs more frequently when I am in the "performance" selection. Just think of the transmission as having 2 shift ranges as it does. One range "econ"shifts up to a higher gear sooner and down to a lower gear later than the other range "performance". The difference is about 5 mph for shifts between 5th and 6th and 6th and 5th. With a little testing you should be able to tell which is which. This hunting could occur with either range being selected; just push the down arrow button to lock out the higher gear and stop the hunting or select a different mode. You must remember to reselect "D" or the up arrow button to return to normal. The econ mode will not lug the engine, it will still downshift when necessary. Someone in a previous post stated that because we have a retarder, Foretravel installed a larger than normal radiator to take care of the extra heat load. I'm not sure that this is true, but it sounds plausible. Even in econ, if the cooling system is in good condition (radiator clean, no leaves and trash between the CAC and radiator) the engine should not overheat. If it does overheat selecting a lower gear should help reduce the engine temp, then later check for a problem (leaves, dirty radiator, coolant, thermostat, etc). One thing to remember about the World transmission is that it will still up shift to a higher gear even though a lower gear is selected if engine RPM exceeds a safe speed when descending a steep grade. It does this to keep the engine from over revving and destroying itself. This will come as a big surprise to the driver if it happens, and the only recourse is a hard application of brakes to slow the vehicle. An alert driver will take action before this happens. It's your coach, select the mode that you perfer. Hope this helps.
Topic: Economy, transmission