Community Forums

sanrus · 12-27-2010, 02:07 AM

i have a 1992 CC Affinity an it has on it a switch on the panel next to me that you push it forward it says D for drive then you pull back once it says N neutral pull back once more it says R for reverse. Question is when in the mountains how do you downshift. I have jake brakes. Not sure what i'm suppose to do? Any answers!

Ranger429 · 12-27-2010, 05:17 AM

It's an automatic trans, it will downshift as needed. The jake brake is used to maintain speed going down the mountain.

rebelone · 12-27-2010, 05:34 AM

Once you are in drive , use the key pad to downshift. Just be careful if it is slippery as it can lock up rear wheels . Same as the brake retarder, use it on dry roads only.
Safe travels
Rebel

dons2346 · 12-27-2010, 03:54 PM

Ok, you have the D, N, and the R. You should also have a "mode", and two arrows, one pointing forward and one pointing to the rear. The rear pointing one will cause the transmission to downshift to a lower gear. A number other than 6 will show in the window.
That action will only happen if the engine RPMs are within the range the trans likes. The trans will protect itself by not downshifting unless it is satisfied with the engine RPMs.

Ranger429 · 12-27-2010, 06:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rebelone

Once you are in drive , use the key pad to downshift.

Hmm, learned something new today. Thanks

RickO · 12-27-2010, 09:06 PM

On long uphill hauls be sure to watch your temp gauge. At least on my coach I have to keep the RPM up around 2K on long uphills in hot weather. This requires manually downshifting to maintain that engine speed.

Rick

Dadeaux · 12-27-2010, 09:55 PM

Good advice Rick.

Luckiest Dreamer · 12-29-2010, 01:03 PM

Back when I was boating we had a saying that you should never attempt to dock your boat any faster than the speed you wanted to hit the dock at.
Same goes for going down the mountain slopes. Find the gear that will hold you at the speed that you can safely reach the bottom at and shift it to that gear at the top. When using the Jake, the gear you use may be a bit higher than it would be if you did not have the jake. You need to know from experience what those gears are and what speed each will allow you to travel. Remember, going down a 5% grade will be different than an 8% one. Using a bit of caution may slow you down a bit more than others, but, you will get to the bottom safely.
Do not rely on your brakes to do the job! They may get hot and refuse to work at a bad time. Short bursts of the brake petal will give them a bit of a chance to cool where holding them down the friction is always there and trouble will soon follow.
My MH came with a Allison tranny and it had it's own manul with operating instructions. If you do not have one I suggest you may be able to go online at the Mfg, internet page and find one for your model.