Save the manuals... or don't.

"RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht" (ramblininexile) 08/31/2015 at 11:39 • Filed to: None

4

22

Okay, how about a compromise: stick with an automatic overdrive. Wait, what?

Sam > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 08/31/2015 at 11:49

0

I really do just want PDKs in everything. If everyone can make a transmission as good as that, I’d be a happy man. Oh, and none of that ‘you’re at redline, we’re going up shift for you’ or ‘you’re at 3000 RPM, here’s a higher gear’ BS. Manual mode should be truly manual controlled barring letting you bog it to the point of dying.

jjhats > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 08/31/2015 at 11:50

0

c4 corvettes had these. the top 3 gears had an overdrive which was automatic so it got you 4+3 gears

luvMeSome142 & some Lincoln! > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 08/31/2015 at 11:52

1

I’m not sure about the aspect of it shifting into overdrive automatically, but the idea has been used for a long time. Look up “Laycock overdrive”.

My Volvo has a 4 speed manual with a push-button overdrive. The overdrive is physically separate from the manual transmission. It’s essentially a two speed planetary transmission bolted on to the end of the 4 speed manual.

It’s only supposed to be engaged after shifting into 4th. But on mine, the relay is busted so I can use it in any gear! 8 speed transmission!!!

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > luvMeSome142 & some Lincoln! 08/31/2015 at 11:56

0

I’m very familiar with separate overdrives, just not one that shifts automatically on a three speed. In fact, we’ve had three of those Volvo push-buttons in the family, and there’s a GearVendors unit behind the Turbo Hydramatic in my dad’s motorhome. That one is designed for automatic operation and/or manual.

Berang > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 08/31/2015 at 11:57

0

I’m pretty sure that was how all of the Borg warner electric overdrives worked. Yes you had to “Activate” overdrive with a knob, but it would only come on (automatically) at a certain speed - freewheeled in overdrive too.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > jjhats 08/31/2015 at 11:57

0

Didn’t realize the 4+3 was automatic - neat. I still think this is impressive - top-gear automatic overdrive, in 1938...

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Berang 08/31/2015 at 11:59

0

That sounds... very German, in fact.

luvMeSome142 & some Lincoln! > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 08/31/2015 at 12:03

0

My bad. I didn’t mean to be pedantic.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > luvMeSome142 & some Lincoln! 08/31/2015 at 12:04

0

No worries. It was mostly the early year, coupling with a three-speed, and automatic operation that I found interesting, but I’m sure separate overdrives in general would be new to some.

Berang > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 08/31/2015 at 12:06

0

brain-fart, I meant Borg-Warner:

http://www.fordification.com/tech/overdrive…

jjhats > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 08/31/2015 at 12:07

0

the corvette transmission didn’t seem to know it was automatic either....thing barely worked half the time

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Berang 08/31/2015 at 12:19

0

Sounds like the BW unit was what they launched in the DeSoto here, one of the very first. It still sounds German. I wonder what the ethnic German population of Oakland County was in the 30s...

Cé hé sin > luvMeSome142 & some Lincoln! 08/31/2015 at 12:22

0

Top tip: Don’t. There’s a reason why o/d was restricted to fourth and in some cases third. The extra torque in the lower gears will do the overdrive unit a whole lot of no good.

Opposite Locksmith > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 08/31/2015 at 12:24

1

I’ve always wanted a button that can only be pressed when the gear is in 1st that makes first into a torque converter crawler gear

Or rest your left leg in traffic

Berang > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 08/31/2015 at 12:43

0

Some Borgs, some Warners.

luvMeSome142 & some Lincoln! > Cé hé sin 08/31/2015 at 15:30

0

I was only kidding! Actually, it’s a real pain in the ass. The default state of the OD relay is “engaged” when I start the car. So I have to remember to hit the button before I start moving. On the rare occasion when I forget, there is a “thunk” when the OD builds up enough pressure to actually engage.

Cé hé sin > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 08/31/2015 at 17:39

1

Simca (French maker, bought Ford France, were later bought by Chrysler and even later sold to Peugeot) had the ex-Ford Vedette in the 1950s and designed for it an automatic overdrive which served to fill the gaping chasm that existed between second and third on its three speed box.

Here we go. Rush being direct third, Route o/d.

Tohru > luvMeSome142 & some Lincoln! 09/01/2015 at 19:13

0

I had a Honda CB900C that had a 2 speed transmission behind the standard 5 speed transmission. 10 speeds forward, on a motorcycle, in 1981!

Tohru > jjhats 09/01/2015 at 19:13

0

The Doug Nash 4+3 was awful.

Tohru > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 09/01/2015 at 19:14

0

The 4+3 was only until 1988 or so. The 1989 was a traditional 6-speed manual.

luvMeSome142 & some Lincoln! > Tohru 09/02/2015 at 09:24

0

That sounds crazy. I went looking for more info on your bike and I found this old Cycle World issue from 1980.

https://books.google.com/books?id=m0o1i…

Tohru > luvMeSome142 & some Lincoln! 09/02/2015 at 17:28

0

That’s the beast, right there. They only heat-treated 1st gear, so 2nd gear was prone for having failures. Mine did - if you got on it too hard in 2nd, it would jump teeth. Also mine liked eating spark plugs on the right half. It was a pretty cool bike though.