In a message dated 8/22/2004 10:11:28 PM Eastern Daylight Time, "R. John Lye"
<rjl@gt-classics.com> writes:
> ...I definitely prefer a manual transmission in my
> vehicles."
=====
Call me old-fashioned, but I'm with you, John! To this day, though, I'm still
baffled as to why tow ratings for a given vehicle with a manual transmission
are significantly lower than those for an otherwise identically equipped
vehicle with an automatic!
My '91 Explorer with five-speed manual and complete tow option package went for
217,000 miles with the original gearbox and clutch still fine when the rest of
the car pretty much gave out (well, rust and a sloppy engine repair job by
another mechanic are what killed it). And that "little" V6-engined SUV was, in
its prime, a pretty capable tow vehicle for a heavy car trailer with any sort
of Triumph on it.
Closest thing I ever had to a problem with that drivetrain was when I decided
(after 200k) that I really ought to have the gearbox lubricant changed early
one winter. For some reason, my local mechanic (same one as above) thought it
would be better to replace the ATF specified originally with 90wt gear oil; he
said he did that a lot for older manual gearboxes. Well, shades of an extremely
cold winter and a Triumph gearbox! First cold snap, I found I virtually could
NOT shift until the car had been driven a couple of miles and started to warm
up. I'd long since come to expect sluggish shifts from a cold Herald or TR3
with 90wt gear oil and ambient temps around -10 Fahrenheit, but not from a Ford
five-speed that had never exhibited such behavior in 12 years of ownership.
He did agree to change out the gear oil for correct ATF at no charge; problem
gone!
--Andy Mace
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