lazyy auto box

[disco-ian]

Hi all

I've been working on ex-derv's legnum the last couple of days and one thing we need to look at in the future is the gearbox.

It is very lazy changing gear. Also with it in auto mod if you put your foot flat on the floor the box drops down grass like it should but then the engine just revs and there is no drive till you back off three loud peddle a bit.

Any suggestions. Lol

Ian

[horndog]

Has this been since a battery disconnect or all the time?

[Wobble]

did tim ever get the ecu that came with the gearbox ? could still be a mismatch

[eyeballprawn]

You might need to replace the clutch packs. Dump the fluid and see it it appears burnt.

[Davezj]

All three of the answers given are good ones, personally I would do the following. In order of cost effectiveness.
1. check is easy, just post up the gearbox model number and ecu model number and we will be able to give you any known compatibilities issues.
2. if battery has been disconnected recently, do another battery disconnect leave car to idle for 10mins and then go and drive the car gently (not accelerating hard at all just allowing the auto box to go up and down the gears not doing any more than 3000 rpm in auto mode for 20-30 miles and this should improve gear changes if the lazy nature of the change is to do with the relearning of the gear shift points. If you do a battry disconnect then go straight out and boot it every where then i am not sure if the gear box can adjust to the violent changes straight away and it gets things a bit wrong.

3. Check the colour of the fluid, it should be bright clear cherry red, drain a little bit out of the sump into a glass and check it. If it dark red or brown colour then it probably needs changing. If it is a nice cherry red then you will need to confirm it is the correct type or not. It Has to be SPIII compliant ATF there are few out there but AMSoils universal ATF is one of the best and comes highly recommended. Anything that says dexron III is not good. If you don't know what was used at the last change then it might be worth changing anyway, even if good ATF was used last time if you don't know and can't prove it the correct stuff, then I would not chance it . I would change it. There is a millers oil ATF the is SPIII compliant and is about half the price of the AMSoils ATF but it is not as good for long term use.

[ex-derv]

I'm fairly sure that it's got the right ecu to go with the box - had long chats with John following Dave's input over which ecu would be needed with which box and we concluded that they're right. What I don't know about the box is how long it was sitting around before it got fitted, realistically how many miles it had done, or how it ran before it was removed from it's original car. John did wonder if there might be more to it than matching ecu and box in that there might be complications with fitting a FL box onto a PFL car - especially a crossover model like mine. I did think that a fluid flush and change might be a good place to start and see if that makes any difference. Since Ian has re-gapped my plugs to 0.6mm from 0.8 it has crisped up the changes quite a bit but the box warms up pretty slowly and it's a good 20 minutes before the changes get anything like they were on the old box before it expired on me.

[Davezj]

With respect to leaving an auto box in the shed for 3 years as a spare, then just bring it out and fitting to your car, that is exactly what I did with my car.
And everything worked out ok, auto box worked fine straight away, well a soon as I got the correct ecu for it. I drove it for a week or two in tip only as it would jump out of 1st gear if put in D and drove off. But that is a known issue with ecu not matching the auto box.the auto box I had was not stored with ATF in it either. I just put it on a trolly and left it for over 3 years.

[CANDEE]

it has crisped up the changes quite a bit but the box warms up pretty slowly and it's a good 20 minutes before the changes get anything like they were on the old box before it expired on me.
Factory or external cooler?

If its external does it have a thermostat? This will help make it warm up faster..

Also are you sure its got the right about of fluid? mine is a bit over and takes a while to warm up..

[disco-ian]

Hi guys

Thanks for all the replies. I notice tim is in on the chat as well so me me and him have lots to check with his gearbox now.


Thanks for the input we will keep you posted.

Ian

[ex-derv]

It's all factory but I couldn't say for sure about the fluid levels or quality of fluid. I've got a spare box so could cannibalize it if necessary.

[ex-derv]

..........and yes Ian, I think another green dragon trip might be in order after payday.

[disco-ian]

When checking the oil level on these boxes is it the following sequence.

Engine running with the gearbox in auto??

[SGHOM]

When checking the oil level on these boxes is it the following sequence.

Engine running with the gearbox in auto??

cycle through the gears gently 3 times... PRN4321 & back... then check level. engine running

[disco-ian]

So cycle through the gears with foot on brake car not moving?

Then when back in Park leave the engine running and then check the level.

Sorry, I'm not familiar with autos. I like my manual box :-)

[elnevio]

N.

Check the level when in N. :thumbsup:

And check it several times after repeating the procedure! Also best to do it when the gearbox is warm, but not too hot, or it's very difficult to get a reading.

[disco-ian]

Right well I recon for the gearboc plan of action we should.

Disconnect the battery.
Reconnect. Then go for a 20 mile steady drive in auto mode. Not going to 3000 rpm and only light throttle.
By then the gearbox should be warm, but not cooked lol. So check the gearbox level as descried in the above posts.

[Davezj]

That sound a pretty resonable chain of events. It will at least answer a few questions raised.

You can check the quality of the ATF by dropping a good few drops (well more of a dribble realy) on some white paper towl, this will show up the colour of the fluid. If it is in good condition it will bright and red almost self illuminating really bright, if it is dull red a bit cloudy looking colour then it could probably do with changing. If it is brown to black then difinitely needs changing.