Omega Owners Forum
Omega Help Area => Omega General Help => Topic started by: amazonian on 19 August 2016, 16:12:39
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I have often wondered how long one should leave an automatic Omega in drive for when its standing in traffic?
Do you simply put your car in drive in the morning and leave it there all day sort of thing, or what?
Also what actually is happening wear wise, in the gearbox when its left in drive ?
:) :)
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Good question. I leave mine in drive unless im sat at a traffic light for more than a minute or so. Or if there's a need to engage the handbrake (ie it's night time and you're considerate enough not to give the person behind you retinal damage with the brake lights)
I read once that changing out of drive put's more stress on the components than just leaving it in drive. :-\
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As you say it depends on the situation. but more often than not ill knock it into neutral as I cant see the point of sitting there with it in drive if I'm not going anywhere.
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I'd imagine it's 'good practice' to go in N or P.... not least of all you consume less fuel. But DO I? Often not, often leave it in drive. The only element to be weary of is if you leave it in drive, your foot slips off the footbrake... you go into the back of the car in front!!!
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.. Or if there's a need to engage the handbrake ...
which is that ...... ::)
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Probably puts more wear on the Autobox putting it in and out of Drive than leaving it alone.
Personally, I just wiggle the stick in the middle, if I really cant be arsed then just put my left foot down on the clutch peddle.
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I was wondering the same thing and more especially if you are on a slight upward incline in traffic, how long should you hold it in Drive? Is that likely to overheat the ATF if sustained for long?
Ron.
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As far as I'm aware the idea is that you shouldn't sit in stationary traffic with your foot on the brakes[no matter how many pedals it has]as the heat can't dissipate from the disc where it's held by the pads as it can from the rest of the disc,therefore you are likely to induce warping of the disc.Taking that forward it means you should then apply handbrake and release foot brake so you should select neutral.
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I agree completely, about not holding the car on the footbrake, Baza - it will definitely cause disc warping and subsequent brake judder, but I was wondering about the possible downside to holding the car on an incline in Drive and without brakes applied - you know, being lazy!
Will this result in any problems long-term?
Ron.
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As far as I'm aware the idea is that you shouldn't sit in stationary traffic with your foot on the brakes[no matter how many pedals it has]as the heat can't dissipate from the disc where it's held by the pads as it can from the rest of the disc,therefore you are likely to induce warping of the disc.Taking that forward it means you should then apply handbrake and release foot brake so you should select neutral.
what about on the cars that use the disc's pads for the handbrake? ::)
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As far as I'm aware the idea is that you shouldn't sit in stationary traffic with your foot on the brakes[no matter how many pedals it has]as the heat can't dissipate from the disc where it's held by the pads as it can from the rest of the disc,therefore you are likely to induce warping of the disc.Taking that forward it means you should then apply handbrake and release foot brake so you should select neutral.
what about on the cars that use the disc's pads for the handbrake? ::)
Stick it in Park ::)
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As far as I'm aware the idea is that you shouldn't sit in stationary traffic with your foot on the brakes[no matter how many pedals it has]as the heat can't dissipate from the disc where it's held by the pads as it can from the rest of the disc,therefore you are likely to induce warping of the disc.Taking that forward it means you should then apply handbrake and release foot brake so you should select neutral.
what about on the cars that use the disc's pads for the handbrake? ::)
Stick it in Park ::)
Just gently rest it up against the vehicle in front! :y
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We leave our buses in drive and they're at it all day
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When I used to drive autos, which ive done for probably 25years+
I always used to leave it in drive (less wear on the gearbox) and used to stop a reasonable distance from the car in front and then let the car creep forward by 1/2 a wheel turn a short time after the first stop. Doing this not only saves the wear on the gearbox by not changing from D to N or P but also allows the discs to cool down reasonably equally.
If you want to stop the brake light glare from the following motorist, then simply leave in drive and apply the handbrake and release the footbrake....it isn't going to go anywhere. if your handbrake works :y
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Not too sure I'd leave it in drive on an incline and use the incline to stop the "creep" if that's what you mean bigron.Would that not be akin to holding a manual in the same way by holding it at the clutch biting point and wear the clutches out prematurely?
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It's a good question. I suppose it depends what is slipping when you are stopped.
Is it one of the clutches slipping? or as I suspect, it is the torque converter slipping, or "giving".
If it's the t.c. It's doing what it should as its a fluid coupling.
Need an auto box expert.
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How long have we been driving these cars and it appears that nobody knows the answer to a simple question and that includes me :y
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I agree completely, about not holding the car on the footbrake, Baza - it will definitely cause disc warping and subsequent brake judder, but I was wondering about the possible downside to holding the car on an incline in Drive and without brakes applied - you know, being lazy!
Will this result in any problems long-term?
Ron.
Given the right hill I sometimes do this in the Scanias and I don't believe it causes undue stress, surely it's easier on the 'box than having to move off from stationary?...
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How long have we been driving these cars and it appears that nobody knows the answer to a simple question and that includes me :y
Ive only just found out that if you have your foot on the gas pedal at say 30mph and then put your other foot on the brake then the engine sort of shuts down
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Isn't that the Stall Test, Steve? I seem to recall reading something, somewhere (on here?) to that effect.
Ron.
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Isn't that the Stall Test, Steve? I seem to recall reading something, somewhere (on here?) to that effect.
Ron.
Proper Stall Test procedure here ..
http://etereman.com/blog/transmission-care/transmission-troubleshooting-techniques-properly-perform-a-stall-test
or
http://www.freeasestudyguides.com/torque-converter-stall-test.html
but NEVER exceed 5 seconds ....
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Modern slushboxes should have a neutral stop feature. Where it selects neutral after a few seconds of being stopped, volvo had this but it just destroyed the boxes
Im not sure our dinosaur boxes have this feature
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Thanks Nige - at least it showed that I wasn't dreaming it!
My caravan is happy to be home, thanks to you.
Ron.
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Modern slushboxes should have a neutral stop feature. Where it selects neutral after a few seconds of being stopped, volvo had this but it just destroyed the boxes
Im not sure our dinosaur boxes have this feature
SWMBO had an auto Astra G that did that, you had to wait a second or so for it to take up drive after you'd released the brake .... IMHO it was awkward
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Isn't that the Stall Test, Steve? I seem to recall reading something, somewhere (on here?) to that effect.
Ron.
Proper Stall Test procedure here ..
http://etereman.com/blog/transmission-care/transmission-troubleshooting-techniques-properly-perform-a-stall-test
or
http://www.freeasestudyguides.com/torque-converter-stall-test.html
but NEVER exceed 5 seconds ....
A stall test is different from what frostbite was describing. I've notice what frostbite has noticed, it feels as though the fly-by-wire throttle is turned off if you press the brake enough for the brake lights to come on for more than a few seconds
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I have often wondered how long one should leave an automatic Omega in drive for when its standing in traffic?
Do you simply put your car in drive in the morning and leave it there all day sort of thing, or what?
Also what actually is happening wear wise, in the gearbox when its left in drive ?
:) :)
Mine stays in D once I'm underway - it the TC slipping and compared to the energy and heat it has to dissipate when you floor it sitting still is nothing. I do however use the handbrake so as not to blind those behind me.
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Yep, DBW cars cut the power if you have both throttle and brake applied for more than a couple of seconds.
I would say take it out of drive in any circumstances where you'd take a manual out of gear. Mechanically, it matters little. Clutches in an auto box are either fully engaged or not. They die very quickly if they "slip". The torque converter is the component that takes up the drive and that is not a wear item. It will heat up the fluid rapidly if you use it to hold the car on an incline, mind, so best to use the brakes until you have to move away.
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Yep, DBW cars cut the power if you have both throttle and brake applied for more than a couple of seconds.
As my Omega is a manual then there is no problem :D
However, the wife's car, new VW Touran 2.0 TDi DSG Auto definitely cuts the drive power if you stop and press brake pedal down. Slight drop in rpm and stops creeping. The moment you even think of coming of the brake and slightest release of pressure on brake pedal then it increases revs ever so slightly and if on a hill automatically holds it until you press the loud pedal, to which slightest press and pulls of nice and easy with no roll and a definite feel of it being held at the rear on the brakes. All cleverer stuff and improvement on the previous DSG we had which rolled back slightly just before transmission wound itself up !! Goes like a stabbed rat and has same bhp as my 2.5 V6 Omega :)