>>> 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!
Might that be the torque converter's torque multiplication and unlimited
slip capabilities?
Bill
On Tue, 24 Aug 2004 10:10:22 -0400 Herald948@aol.com writes:
> 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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