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transmission shifting up itself (downhill)

Discussion in 'Trucks [ Eighteen Wheelers ]' started by fdaauto, May 10, 2015.

  1. May 10, 2015 #1
    fdaauto

    fdaauto Bobtail Member

    4
    0
    Apr 27, 2015
    0
    I have 2002 freightliner with eaton autoshift transmission. 750k miles on it . .I ve had never any problem with transmission .. it works well except one thing.. last week , I was on I 77 north carolina . 7 miles downhill with curves..I used to , take trasnmission manuel , 9th gear and engine brake , couple times touch the brake pedals and that was it . this time I put the 8th gear , engine brake .. at the beginning everything was ok.I was not even touching the brake pedal , ofcourse engine was making more noise to slow me down and then all of a sudden transmission went up to 10th gear ..thank god 7 miles downhill was almost done .. the question is why ? why my trasnmission is shifting up ? it was on manuel mode . its supposed to stay in the 8th gear ? I have manuel auto switch ..it was on manuel ..this makes me sick .. now how am I gonna trust this truck ? whats gonna happen in utah or arizona ? pls , has anyone ever heard something like this ? I bought this truck a month ago , everything seems fine , but this issue..
     
    fdaauto, May 10, 2015
    fdaauto, May 10, 2015
    #1
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  3. May 10, 2015 #2
    Wokman

    Wokman Bobtail Member

    4
    2
    May 6, 2015
    Pacific Northwest
    0
    From the manual: "If the vehicle is being back driven (vehicle coasting and being pushed by the trailer) and the engine is approaching a higher than normal level (approximately 300 RPM above rated speed), the AutoShift overrides the Manual position and performs an upshift to prevent engine damage."

    Were your RPMs going too high?
     
    Wokman, May 10, 2015
    Wokman, May 10, 2015
    #2
  4. May 10, 2015 #3
    fdaauto

    fdaauto Bobtail Member

    4
    0
    Apr 27, 2015
    0
    yes my rpm was high .. definitely high.. engine was making noise , yelling . she was crying, I knew that .. but I thought , no matter what happens , auto shift could not override the manuel.. obviosuly I was wrong.. so it was that the reason that gear went up ? so I got to push the brakes sometimes ? I am new .. a rookie.. if you have 7 miles downhill , what should you do ? push the brakes like around 50 mpg ? 55 mpg ? any suggestion ? this is the reason I hate automatic transmission , you have no much control when you drive down hill..
     
    fdaauto, May 10, 2015
    fdaauto, May 10, 2015
    #3
  5. May 10, 2015 #4
    Wokman

    Wokman Bobtail Member

    4
    2
    May 6, 2015
    Pacific Northwest
    0
    Yeah, you might have to use the brakes, jake brake, approach slower, etc. It's good it shifted up otherwise you could have damaged the engine.
     
    Wokman, May 10, 2015
    Wokman, May 10, 2015
    #4
    flood Thanks this.
  7. May 10, 2015 #5
    flood

    flood Road Train Member

    4,160
    4,029
    Dec 25, 2010
    0
    GO SLOWER..... that was ez
    you know you were going to fast for the gear you had it in....."she was crying, I knew that"
     
    flood, May 10, 2015
    flood, May 10, 2015
    #5
  8. May 10, 2015 #6
    fdaauto

    fdaauto Bobtail Member

    4
    0
    Apr 27, 2015
    0
    I was not fast.. not speeding.. I just tried to undrstand , if the truck was capable to slow down itself without using air brake system.. obviously not..can someone explain , how long can I apply air brakes a friend of mine at salt lake city utah made 18 wheels smokes .. he was gonna fired the rig .. he almost shut down I 80 because of smoke came out of from his tires..I was sitting right next to him.... thats a nightmare for me. I dont wanna see any smoke around my tire , thats the reason I am scaring to apply air brakes longer than it needs. but how long ? if you have 80 000 lbs , and you go down hill , like 10 percent , how often you should apply air brakes..that I dont know , thats the reason I dont go california or arizona .. which is bad.. unfortunately any cdl school around new york , they dont explain how often you should use your air brakes .
     
    fdaauto, May 10, 2015
    fdaauto, May 10, 2015
    #6
  9. May 10, 2015 #7
    Bakerman

    Bakerman Road Train Member

    4,663
    8,812
    Jan 27, 2013
    Phoenix, AZ
    0
    Like they say, you will only go down a hill too fast one time. You should stab the brakes periodically to keep the rpm's in the 1500 range, but do not ride the brakes all the way down. I'm assuming that is what your friend did to smoke the brakes.
     
    Bakerman, May 10, 2015
    Bakerman, May 10, 2015
    #7
    Dye Guardian Thanks this.
  10. May 10, 2015 #8
    Dye Guardian

    Dye Guardian Road Train Member

    1,329
    12,583
    Jan 10, 2015
    North
    0
    You should be snub braking downhill. Firmly apply the brakes for approximately 3 seconds dropping about 5-7mph, then let off the brakes again. Repeat after you gain back that 5-7mph in speed. Never ride your brakes down a hill. If you need to use your brakes down hill, use them, but use the snubbing method.
     
    Dye Guardian, May 10, 2015
    Dye Guardian, May 10, 2015
    #8
    flood Thanks this.
  11. May 10, 2015 #9
    fdaauto

    fdaauto Bobtail Member

    4
    0
    Apr 27, 2015
    0
    thank you guys for all answers , I really appreciated..
     
    fdaauto, May 10, 2015
    fdaauto, May 10, 2015
    #9
  12. May 10, 2015 #10
    DetroitSpecial

    DetroitSpecial Light Load Member

    76
    31
    Mar 18, 2015
    0
    80,000? Loaded or empty,before entering or exiting a hill or a sharp turn,you SHOULD/MUST ALWAYS BE IN CONTROL of that Truck,(((ALWAYS))) DO NOT RELY ON WHAT MAN MADE TO SAVE YOU,TRUST IS ONE THING,BUT BEING STUPID IS ANOTHER,LOL i TRUST my old lady,but will be STUPID and let her know how much MONEY I HAVE IN THE BANK IS ANPTHER? U get my drift ,its a GOLDEN RULE:ANYTHING MAN MAKES IS DESTROYABLE,meaning dont rely on technology,rely on your skill,be AWARE,STAY AWARE at all times,i understand you are new to driving but you must always,always,always,and I DO MEAN ALWAYS HAVE CONTROL OF THAT TRUCK, JOHNNY LAW/D.O.T. could CARE LESS if the jakes or transmission malfunctioned or didnt perform according to what you supposedly (THOUGHT) it would do,chalk it up as a lesson learned,BTW them little run off hills you see on side of the hills and mountains,they will slow yo truck down and stop it,BUT BOY YOU NOT GUNNA WANT THEM TICKETS,FINES,POINTS ON LICENSE FOR LOOSING CONTROL,OH BTW YOU WILL HAVE TO PAY TO REFIX THE RUN OFF RAMP,so just slow yo roll and youll be fine,Wish you the best driver.
     
    DetroitSpecial, May 10, 2015
    DetroitSpecial, May 10, 2015
    #10
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