Hi

 

Thought I would try out the 1st gear only position on the Autobox for a bit of fun. When I put it in first from standstill it seemed a LOT faster than when pulling away in drive. I have tried this half a dozen times and it is allways quicker when in '1' rather than 'D'.

 

As posted before I have had problems with hesitation and top end performance. :(

 

 

Cheers

Hi, I might tell you aload of tosh!

I thought if you select D on your auto, the car pulls away in 2nd gear.

The use of 1st I thought was for pulling away on hills.

As I said Kia this could be a load of b---ocks.

Arthur

Hi, I might tell you aload of tosh!

I thought if you select D on your auto, the car pulls away in 2nd gear.

The use of 1st I thought was for pulling away on hills.

As I said Kia this could be a load of b---ocks.

Arthur

 

 

Thanks for your reply Arthur. And stop nicking my job of talking b*llocks, lol ;) ....

 

You may be correct but my understanding was it pulls away in second (when in 'D') if the 'HOLD' switch is activated. Perfect for this shooty weather.

 

 

Cheers

Yeah Kia I think its acting normal, mine too feels quicker when in "1".

 

I think maybe the autobox decides what gear to pull away in after you've begun to depress the accelerator. If you press it lightly, it pulls away in 2nd, if you floor it - 1st.

 

I guess that would explain why it feels quicker when in 1 - it doesnt have to decide. The power seems there sooner.

 

Pete

Thanks for your replies guys.

Defo should pull away in first in D, if yours doesnt I would say its faulty. Mine is as fast either way, but I think some autos are stronger in manual first, something about using a band as well as a clutch.

Defo should pull away in first in D, if yours doesnt I would say its faulty. Mine is as fast either way, but I think some autos are stronger in manual first, something about using a band as well as a clutch.

 

Hi Mark

 

It seems slugish sometimes when flooring it in 'D' so maybe it is not changing down everytime?. Anyone know what part of the Auto Box could cause this?.

 

I keep putting it in first now just for the thrill, I have been missing out big time.

 

Cheers

Nah its not faulty I dont reckon, stop scaring the poor bloke lol. I think its more like the autobox is cleverer than we credit it for ;) Unless it simply isnt changing to 1st straightaway? :S

 

Can anyone confirm exactly what happens when you pull away at varying throttle pressures?

 

Pete

Not trying to scare him, early Mercs used to pull away in 2nd. Not Z's though. Def def def wrong. you need to speak to someone who really knows, if they do they will tell you what it could be. 01296 481145, ask for Ken.

Actually the box on a Z is not very clever, in fact its dumb compared to modern stuff.

Unless its broken the box will always do this.

When you have fully stopped - will have already selected first gear. No matter how you then pull away from the junction it will be in first - THEN depending on your acceleration the box will change into second when it thinks is best.

Only if you have the box in HOLD mode will you ever launch from second gear.

The only bit you have to clear on is if you are still rolling then you probly wont be in first as the box doesnt need to be. You will find that even if you are going slow if you force it into first, you will feel the gear change.

Unless its broken the box will always do this.

When you have fully stopped - will have already selected first gear. No matter how you then pull away from the junction it will be in first - THEN depending on your acceleration the box will change into second when it thinks is best.

Only if you have the box in HOLD mode will you ever launch from second gear.

The only bit you have to clear on is if you are still rolling then you probly wont be in first as the box doesnt need to be. You will find that even if you are going slow if you force it into first, you will feel the gear change.

 

If this is FACT :D then I appear to have a problem. This is how I thought the Auto box worked as well.

 

More often than not from pull a dead stop when in 'D' it is sluggish but as I said before in '1' is it like a crazy lunatic at full moon everytime..... Maybe a Manwell conversion!... he he. (Kia hides behind his Auto Box) :nelson:

Not trying to scare him, early Mercs used to pull away in 2nd.

 

*cough* bullshit *cough* :slap:

 

LATE mercs with the electronic gearbox will pull away in 2nd if W(inter) mode is selected, otherwise all merc boxes pull away in 1st, which i would have thought the zed would do! ;)

when stopped - does the car lurch when you manually go for 1st?

when stopped - does the car lurch when you manually go for 1st?

 

I think so, it certinaly does when put into drive. Also the change from 1st to 2nd (when in 'D') is quite harsh and jerks as you can feel it change.

Paul C, you dont know your Mercs. As for the bullshit comment. Thanks.

But, spend some time and find out I am right and then say it again, only this time it will be to yourself.

Kia,

it does sound like u have a small problem , it should pull away the same whether in D or 1. you sure its not stuck in hold? you should be able to tell easily what gear u are in , so when it pulls sluggish in D is it actually in 1st?

Does the kickdown work correctly? If youre doing 20mph in D and floor it hard does it instantly drop to 1st and fly? It should.

Maybe the kickdown needs adjusting , it used to be a cable on other cars ive had but have no idea if the Z has a kickdown cable or something electronic controlling it.

Paul C, you dont know your Mercs. As for the bullshit comment. Thanks.

But, spend some time and find out I am right and then say it again, only this time it will be to yourself.

 

LOL!! i have worked for mercedes for the last 9 years, iv rebuilt, road tested & diagnosed more merc autoboxes than i care to remember!! ;)

 

ps, the bullshit comment was meant to be taken lightheartedly :p

Paul C, then allow me to say sorry, and I mean it. But my ex parents in law had a 190 auto, must be 12 plus years ago, and that did only go into first when you booted it. and I also used to rebuild autos, more years than I care to remember ago though, and it is true, merc used to "save" first for when you pressed the gas hard.

 

No offence meant before

No offence meant before

 

none taken! ;)

 

but the box engages 1st gear when put into drive (at least it should!)

No really, they start in 2, but if you boot it then go to first. And first was sooo low it almost always went straight back into second, weird idea, wasted a whole gear for 99% of the time.

the harsh shift could be one or both of the following....

The TPS may need adjusting to bring it back to spec - the auto box uses this to work out throttle usage.

The throttle cable may need to be adjusted to remove any slack in it. A write up is on tt.net with pictures.

Then reset the ECU and see how you go.

Hi all

 

correct me if i'm talking b0ll0x, but wasn't the 300zx auto box one of those that "learns" your driving style? I know some Jap and German cars from the early 90's had these....... :confused: (don't laugh!!)

 

Anyway, my auto box always pulls away in first but in normal driving, switches up to 2nd almost imediately, say at 10mph. Yes, it does seem faster when using 1 on the selector because it stays in 1st until you select the next gear. If I boot it from standstill in D it is just as quick in reality as it changes at the redline. As I rarely floor it from a standstill (traction issues ;) ) it will be more responsive in "1" than "d" as it won't change up at 10mph......

 

Richard :smw:

Kia,

it does sound like u have a small problem , it should pull away the same whether in D or 1. you sure its not stuck in hold? you should be able to tell easily what gear u are in , so when it pulls sluggish in D is it actually in 1st?

Does the kickdown work correctly? If youre doing 20mph in D and floor it hard does it instantly drop to 1st and fly? It should.

Maybe the kickdown needs adjusting , it used to be a cable on other cars ive had but have no idea if the Z has a kickdown cable or something electronic controlling it.

 

I don't think it is stuck in HOLD as when hold is activated the difference is even greater. I think the kickdown will be well worth looking into and I will have to run a few more tests to makes sure it is dropping down to first properly. Thanks for your help Trevz

the harsh shift could be one or both of the following....

The TPS may need adjusting to bring it back to spec - the auto box uses this to work out throttle usage.

The throttle cable may need to be adjusted to remove any slack in it. A write up is on tt.net with pictures.

Then reset the ECU and see how you go.

 

I have tried ajusting the Throttle cable but this just increased the rev's at idle. I will have another look as I propbably adjusted it wrong or too much. I have not yet touched the TPS. Am I correct in saying it is all about voltage! and will I need a multi meter?.

 

Cheers.