*snip*
>> *My 95 SLT 4x4 Ext CAb 3.9l also downshits to second when in cruise
>control when going up a hill. The trip from Roanoke to Norfolk, Va. is
>hilly enough between Roanoke and Blackstone that I tried an experiment
>with Cruise and no Cruise. By not using Cruise, I increased my milage on
>that trip from around 17 w/cruise to just over 20 without (not trying to
>maintain 60/65 going up hill. I too have questioned the dealer (service
>manager himself) about the double shift and was told that that was
>normal. Funny thing though, the service manager of Virginia Beach Dodge
>did not know that the transmission fluid was scheduled for change at
>12,000 for schedule B service. I wonder how much they really know about
>our vehicles!
> Does anyone out there have a dakota 3.9 that does not downshift
>to second gear going uphill in Cruise control.
>
>--
>
My '91 non-Magnum V8 Dakota w/automatic and 3.55 gearing had the same
double-downshift problem. I had a section of I-8 between Alpine & El Cajon
(in San Diego County) where I would be cruising along @ 65-70 and hit a VERY
small, but steep hill and the tranmission would downshift from OD to 2nd, then
slam into Drive, then 2 seconds later go back into OD. VERY annoying, especially
when pulling a loaded trailer, and the sharp jolt is enough to cause the
surge brakes on a boat trailer to activate, making a 10 second ride of push
and pull!!
My '95 goes through the same area fine...Funny thing is the first time
I drove through it w/'95 Dakota I expected another exciting ride, but NOTHING
happened!! ( I now have a Magnum V8 & w/ 5 speed :p )
Here's a few things I noticed about the automatic vs. 5 speed:
The automatic has a kick down circut that kicks down the trans from OD...It usually
occurs around 3/4 throttle. The amount of the kick down is usually to 2nd gear... To
avoid this, try getting out of OD BEFORE the kick down takes place... Then the tranny
might stay in D a little longer before going into 2nd (it worked for me pretty good).
Another funny thing is that my 5.2-non Magnum Dakota would not/could not go over 85
MPH on a flat run. The reason? Well when you are 3/4 throttle the WOT (Wide Open
Throttle) sensor thinks "Gee, this guy needs more power, I'll down shift." The truck
down shifts to D (not 2nd) and the RPM's go to 5000 RPM (much too high for a pre-Magnum
V8) and the rev. limiter fires off... You then go back to OD, and start the process all
over again...
The '95 w/Magnum V8 & 5 speed has no problem with downshifting (push in the clutch,
tap accelerator, move gear-selector :), and actually pulls MUCH better... Pulling boats
out of boat launch ramps requires NO throttle...and idles away w/4000 lb. boat in tow.
The flexibility of the gears is great: 1st = idle to 20 : 2nd = 10-40 : 3rd = 25-70 :
4th = 35 - 104 : 5th = 42 - ???(haven't been there yet!)
The cruise control is a major pain with the 5-speed too. The accel & decel going
over hills can be a pain. It seems like you are riding the brakes on down hills, and
playing catch-up on the hills...(actually you are going the SAME exact speed all the
time.) It would be nice if the truck would allow for a little run-ahead on the down hill
vs. moving the throttle 10 times a second trying to slow the the EXACT speed. I guess as
a trade off the up-hill speed holding ability is worth it.
...Sam '95 SLT
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Fri Jun 20 2003 - 12:07:24 EDT