Engine Braking with an automatic transmission?

[Hahnsb2]

If you're on gravel, dirt or equivalent, use low range. Or buy a 5 speed.

 

[adsm08]

I was playing with the Escape today coming off highway ramps to and from church this morning. Even in Low with hill descent on, I still lose engine braking in the area of 10 to 15 mph.

 

[GoodOld85BlueBalls]

This must be something specific to your model of automatic transmission. I just went out and tested my F350 triton with 5 speed auto and it engine brakes all the way to almost a stop. I also tested my Jeep with 5 speed auto and it engine brakes all the way to stop also.

Are you sure you have it in first and the diagonal and the other side of the "N" didn't wear off your shifter?

Sorry guys couldn't resist. I had to modify the tranny in the Jeep so it wouldn't do exactly the same thing off road. Had a 4x4 shop in Denver do it, I seem to recall they modified the sprag clutch in the tranny?? Cost me about $400 to do it. Now it works perfect.

 

[colby450xc]

Get a 5 speed, or shift into 4 low.

 

[Ozwynn]

I had a switch on the E4od in my Bronco that allowed the TC clutch to stay locked up in any gear at any speed. had to remember to turn the switch off when stopping or it would stall out....... also had the same mod on the 4L80e in my old silverado, but that required re-pinning the transmission module.

 

[Sasquatch_Ryda]

I can't find anywhere where it says in the work shop manuals that says anything about it being speed related....

All it lists is having engine braking in manual 1st, manual 2nd and when OD is cancelled.

That being said, even in 4low in my ranger with it it manual 1st I'm still using the brakes when wheeling to hold the truck back on long descents. It just won't hold the truck back as well as a manual transmission will. Not possible.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

And that was a worthwhile post how?

He just wanted to know if something was wrong with his trans, no need to insult.

Besides that, I have found certain speeds in a manual where one gear is to slow and another is too fast... so even they are not perfect.

 

[06RangerXLT]

And that was a worthwhile post how?

He just wanted to know if something was wrong with his trans, no need to insult.

Besides that, I have found certain speeds in a manual where one gear is to slow and another is too fast... so even they are not perfect.

Who said a post has to have value? I hope you dont visit the tailgate, you will end up neg raping everybody. if he cant take criticism, the internet is not for him.

 

[Sasquatch_Ryda]

Well then keep it in the tailgate buddy....

No need to post in a thread just to insult someone.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Who said a post has to have value? I hope you dont visit the tailgate, you will end up neg raping everybody. if he cant take criticism, the internet is not for him.

I have been in the tailgate since it came to be a couple years ago, this ain't the tailgate.

 

[heptofite]

I was engine braking my stratus yesterday and realized...

when i put the transmission in low, the engine isn't even spinning fast enough to apply any kind of appreciable braking below 15mph, it's basically returned to idle.


on a related note, my b2 can idle up to 10mph if i let it, so i don't see how you could engine brake that either.

 

[Will]

Line pressure is adequate for engine braking. The pump is positive displacement and sized large enough that most of the fluid is dumped back into the sump.

At low speeds, there is almost no braking effect, simply because the torque converter isn't throwing fluid very hard. Nobody really talks about deceleration as one of the phases of converter operation so I don't really know what is going on in there. If the engine is powering the trans, we all know about stall, acceleration and coupling. If the trans is trying to power the engine, does it all work the same way in reverse? Seems unlikely that the impeller becomes the turbine and that the stator is angled properly for the same efficiency going forward. This isn't something designed into automotive converters because you don't need much when you have a converter clutch you could just lock up.

You need to connect a switch to override the converter lock-up clutch.

I should say, there is very noticeable braking if you downshift on the highway. If there isn't on your truck, then I would agree that something is screwy. I've not had an auto, though, where coming down a steep hill, even in low, would be in anyway controlled by engine braking.

 

[Ozwynn]

Will nailed. I wish I was as articulate.

 

[xr75er]

hot brakes fail.

light pressure on the brakes to help slow you down? When riding the brakes no matter what speed heats them up. unless you have synthitic brake fluid your brakes will heat up and fail. brake fliuld boils at 500'f. the more you let them contact the hotter they get. When you go down Pikes Peak or any of the passes here in Colorado the sign say's to "use low gear. hot brakes fail." My brother came out in 92 with his full size bronco and came down the Peak. The brake check guy at Glen Cove saw his Rode Island plate and knew he was going to pull him off the road until they cooled down. But when he reached down to check them they were only warm not hot. He looked at my brother and said "your brakes are hardly warm. My borthers reply ? "I can read."

 

[gribly]

xr75er - That reminds me of my daily commute. There is a hill that I actually have to downshift my truck for on my way to work to maintain 50mph without getting too far into the pedal, and when I get to the top, I slow down to 35mph right before I start back down the the other side in both directions, downshift to 3rd, and coast the whole way back up to 55mph by the bottom. EVERYBODY tailgates me hardcore when I do that, and then they pass me when I am back up to 55 at the bottom of the hill, and I end up behind them wishing they were not going under the speed limit on the smooth twisty parts. I actually had an old lady start tailgating me today on my way home - I couldn't see her front bumper - so I slowed down on the next long straightaway to let her by after two failed attempts to brake-check her. I ended up coasting to a complete stop, and waited for a second trying to wave her by. When I realized she was just going to sit there, I'm certain some of my 31's ended up a goobery mess on her hood when I melted my tires off while getting back up to speed - and after she caught back up she was right on my butt again. I'm sure she had no idea what she was doing or what had just happened. I'm not one to get road rage, I'm a pretty calm driver, you could say I am a slowpoke, but I felt like she deserved some hot rubber for that one. Good luck cleaning that off your minivan lady - if you even care. Why are some people so scared of passing?