Very well put, Alex. I think that is what most of us are trying to say. I
certainly don't claim to know everything there is to know about automotive
engineering. I can only relate what my experiences have been through 35
years of driving and about 15 different vehicles, both domestic and foreign.
Even if I did know everything, motor vehicles are mechanical beasts for the
most part and about the time you think you have all the answers an anomaly
shows up and like the rest of the people I scratch my head. But back to
driving habits, driving too easy can have as many detrimental effects as
driving too hard. In today's computer age, we can take that a step further.
As our automotive systems get smarter and smarter and artificial
intelligence gets more and more integrated into all these components, your
vehicle is going to act like it thinks you expect it to act. The more miles
you put on it driving it certain ways the more it will try to drive the way
it thinks you like it....so if you shift at 1500-1800 it will come to expect
that. If it never sees 3000 rpm it won't quite know what to do the first
time you decide to hit 3000 rpm. You get my drift? Anyway, as far as Will
goes, I can't argue with his experiences. His truck probably will last 400K
miles but the question is: Did he make his vehicle last for 400k miles or
did he enjoy his vehicle for 400k miles? It is possible to do both, is it
not?
Ron
00 PB SLT QC 4X2 5.9 46RE 3.92 LSD
For modifications see my DML Profile (URL follows)
http://www.twistedbits.net/WWWProfile/dakota/Kw9pV1EkFeOYY
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-dakota-truck@buffnet.net
[mailto:owner-dakota-truck@buffnet.net]On Behalf Of Alex Harris
Sent: Tuesday, February 27, 2001 10:50 AM
To: dakota-truck@buffnet.net
Subject: Re: DML: I think I'm making myself misunderstood here......
Hey Will --
I know I'm of the same mind as many others on the list when I say I
appreciate the dedication you have to keeping your truck in as good shape as
possible, and you obviously have a lot of experience with other vehicles to
go by.
At the end of this post, you ask for advice as to how better care for your
Dak, but at the same time you sound frustrated with the advice you've
already been given... because it's not the advice you want to hear? You know
how good some of these sources are, e.g. Ron Wong et al.
I've followed this entire thread, and most of what I've read from others is
a genuine attempt to help you with your truck, not criticize you for your
habits. The consistent theme hasn't been "go out and thrash your Dak,"
instead it is "drive it according to its design parameters." Although
driving overly gently does intuitively feel like it's better for your truck,
what I hear people saying is that driving 'below' the design parameters is
harmful in its own right, just as driving 'above' the design parameters is.
If the truck is designed for optimal function within certain parameters,
driving outside those parameters, whether harder or easier, is not in the
best interests of your truck. That sounds credible and reasonable.
Along with opening it up occasionally to 'clean it out,' one of the old
standby 'rules of thumb' I've always heard about motor vehicles is that
lugging the engine is one of the worst things you can do to it. I don't have
the technical experience to back this up, but if it's based on fact it's
possible that consistently low shifts could be having some effect on your
tranny. Still, you have such low miles on it, I can't imagine 'driver
habits' being responsible for the shifting problems, I always thought
effects of this kind would appear later in its life. Anyone? My
understanding is that simply driving at the higher RPM's is not what is
really harmful to the engine or tranny, rather, frequent hard acceleration
is more likely to shorten a component's lifespan somewhat because you're
subjecting the components to greater stress.
My personal feeling is that a range of driving methods is good, subjecting
the engine components to a range of temperatures and speeds... and that's
the way I drive anyway. Depending on my mood, sometimes I toodle along and
shift at 1500-1800, most often I shift around 2000-2500, and sometimes when
I'm feeling fiesty I gas it up and shift at 3500-4000 and stretch its legs
on the highway. As opposed to your experience, my truck feels like it loves
to cruise at 80 mph, smooth as a baby's bottom. If I'm in traffic I've
actually started taking to shifting only above 3000 rpm, because my truck
doesn't like to accelerate much under 2400 and I feel like I'm lugging it,
and I, too, want this baby to last (especially with >4 years of payments
left on it). Mind you, I have the V6, so my points are different, but you
get the idea.
You may indeed have a tranny that's faulty from the factory, and I wouldn't
automatically assume otherwise. Pursue that avenue, definitely! But as to
the question of driving habits, the overwhelming consensus seems to be that
it's good for the truck to operate it within its design parameters, and that
includes temperature. You don't have to follow that advice, but that's what
I hear people recommending. It might go against your 'intuition' and
experience with other vehicles, but I wouldn't discount the experience of
the people on the list that you know and respect.
Sorry for the long post, and thanks for being such a gracious listener! If
anyone feels I'm steering Will wrong, don't hesitate to speak up!
- Alex
'00 RC SLT V6 5-Speed
Profile: http://www.twistedbits.net/WWWProfile/dakota/SxokV7hSrtCVk
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