twisty

Luv it Dave, thanks. umm, could we get the limit increased a bit, please

swearing and drinking - live chat ... what could go wrong!

Walk of Life - Dire straights

Walk on the wildside - Lou Reed does that count? can I have another go or do I have to let someone else go next

How about a design competition? To the winner ... street cred.

I killed my old auto (RE4R03) recently and have eventually ended up with a Wholesale Autos Extreme AT, Nomad valve body and HD bronzed TC. I’ve learnt a bit about my auto gearbox recently and thought I’d share what I learnt. They are better than manuals. Heat will kill automatic transmission quickly (as will water). I’ve had many autos and prefer them to manuals on the road and at the farm. For me the gear changes were sluggish in the old AT and it was a disappointment from the very start. Although the new AT is excellent, half the problem is the auto's TCU (Transmission Control Unit) and I still find myself shifting down to second for a hill if the ecu hasn’t shifted yet. Or for complete control in the city, select “Hold” and “drive it like a manual”. The AT Power switch (next to the gear selector) has three positions. Centre is “Auto” (economy), forward is “Power” (sport) and back is “Hold”. Hold, from the owner’s manual, is used for standing starts in slippery conditions. For me, around town I always drive in “Power” mode and O/D off. Sometimes I’ll knock it back to 2nd for a hill if the ecu hasn’t shifted. Highway O/D is on. In the bush “Hold” and drive it like a manual. Most recommend fully synthetic oil such as Castrol Transmax Z. Service kit from repco included mesh filter in housing and pan gasket $50. 8 litres of castrol transmax z $120 from castrol (and they sell it in 20l drums @ $299.50). Transmax z is a honey colour (not green or red). Apparently they changed the colour because it was being confused with radiator coolant. Yeah ... beef up the cooling. Davies Craig make a few oil coolers. The cooler is mounted with plastic "spikes" and spacers through the radiator. Additional hydraulic lines are run so the new cooler and radiator oil cooler flow in series. You can also bypass the radiator oil cooler. Beware if you live in a cold climate (snow) the AT uses the radiator to help heat the ATF to operating temp so O/D can be selected. Problems Anyone with a factory tow pack has a vehicle that’s probably done a bit of towing. They’re a good box, but like everything, they wear. A good service will cost about $3-500 (if you get a flush as well). Aftermarket oil cooler about $150. If your tired auto doesn’t respond to this then it gets expensive. The bits that wear are the clutches and valves. The valves operate the clutches that engage the gears. If you replace the valve body with a shiny new one it will only put more pressure on already worn clutches. My stupid plastic radiator sprung an internal leak in the transmission cooler section, pressurised the ATF system and mixed water with the ATF, then the AT died (took about two months). On the GU the breathers are mounted inside the LH guard and can't been seen. Eventually I had a "mud" like liquid throughout the LH wheel arch that smelt and felt of oil but no obvious cause (till now). Solutions Replace the stupid plastic radiator with the biggest, toughest, Australian made copper radiator you can ($1K). Why copper, well, it can be soldered (repaired) in the bush. Aluminium needs a tig welder. WHO TAKES THAT CAMPING? Ignore the initial problem and drive till the AT dies. $5K and ... tada ... new box with all the shiny bits. A standard rebuild will be more than $3K. Oh ... and you still have a stupid plastic radiator. Hope this helps.

Nice Ray. Makes for quick de/attachment A commercial version is available in billet form. But then knowledge and skill regarding threads is required for correct use.

^^^^^^^^^^ twisty ... ya stupid bastard ... that's what the down arrow is for. ^^^^^^^^^^

yep ... can't log on

cooked the engine . Green water EVERYWHERE! Auto trans a month ago and now this ... getting expensive, and annoying. this time a new thermostat and radiator cap.

How about a thread preview "popup". eg. when viewing new threads hover the mouse over the thread link and receive a few lines from the beginning of the post instead of "View Topic".

Thanks Adrian. I ordered one.

G'day Chris. I put in one of these Sony DSX-S100 car digital media player sindle din so room for cr@p below. nothing else done. CD's are like VCRs ... old news. I rarely listen to the radio (often no reception) so audiobooks are my thing. MP3, no skipping on rough roads, no scratched/lost discs.

Nice. I like the setup.

did you know there is a fb page ... http://www.facebook.com/groups/404072482942987/ ... a congregation area for P4x4 members. yup, P4x4 is infected again, although they still believe it will be fixed. perhaps some brave soul could offer this site via the fb page.

Interesting ... the top two use to be the other way round.

Thanks for clearing that up for me David

Perhaps an "introductions" area where new members can "introduce" themselves. Seems popular elsewhere.

Thanks mate. Any pics?

I don't want to burst your bubble but I have a few observations. And, I'm sorry for the length. And, there is competition (this is good, right?). P4x4 wasn't the only Patrol forum. Although aussies have the biggest I can find. There are others in the Philippines, USA and South Africa, and with less than 1000 members each. Don't worry about offending others. Fortune favours the brave. An altruistic opportunity? If this becomes a better forum than P4x4 then traffic will increase (too say the least). Won't that then increase costs and the possibie need for advertising or fees, or both? The other aussie Patrol site has both (well, it's a donation that disables advertising). It may be a long way down the track Well, not quite. There is another aussie Patrol forum having a huge membership surge atm (8000 and growing quickly). I'm seeing plenty of ex P4x4 members joining. Daily posts have trippled, or more. A new forum needs something different to attract members. Or something familiar. Perhaps approach one, or more, of the P4x4 mods and offer to assimilate selected information. It would be a shame to lose some of that knowledge. The "stick"is the virus. I don't know what "carrot" is though. Perhaps the opportunity to be involved in a brand new forum ... no fees, no ads ... Advertise. But not on infected forums. Many P4x4 members were members of other forums like 4x4 Earth and www.exploroz.com where the car brand wasn't the focus. A few strategic posts may help. A google seach for "patrol 4x4 virus" led me here, as well as other forums discussing it. Although the threads are soon locked or deleted. On a positive note. I believe the other Patrol forum was born a few years ago due to problems at P4x4. Anyway ... I'll be back.

Thanks David. I'm watching with interest.