[SimonB]

If you don't mind spending serious moolah, you can get an extra low low range gear set from Australia for the Gen 2 and Gen 3. This will increase engine braking hugely.

Last price I got on this was 11 grand excluding shipping and import duties.

[Cas]

Nico,

Nico, when you idle in normal "drive" mode on a slight uphill, do you find that the car remains stationary, or do you need to use the hand brake? If you need hand brake, then maybe the "friction or force or drive" of the torque converter is not up to standard any more. Then an oil change of the auto box could make a difference.

Roelf

Just as a matter of interest,my Paj does need a slight touch of the loud pedal to lock up. without a slight touch,it rolls back on a hill.

Should I start worrying??

[Blister]

No, the SA spec Gen 2s unfortunately never had a TIptronic type autobox. This means that you can not lock the box inot first gear, only second. In this respect the Gen 3s with Tiptronic are better. If you don't mind spending serious moolah, you can get an extra low low range gear set from Australia for the Gen 2 and Gen 3. This will increase engine braking hugely.

At the risk of sounding as if I am contradicting (Jammer, Gerrit!), but mine (1998 Blister Fender) does lock in 1st gear with the "hold" button in 4LLC. Recently did Matroosberg and with a light tap on the brakes, it did the job pefectly

[tonton]

Just as a matter of interest,my Paj does need a slight touch of the loud pedal to lock up. without a slight touch,it rolls back on a hill.

Should I start worrying??

I do not think so. Check your transmission oil and transfer box oil and practice in a safe place. Try out the "HOLD" - button as Blister explained. Most of the older cars (Gen 1's & 2's) roll back slightly, and a slight tap on the brake sorts that out. The newer boxes are much more complex in design and therefore more effective on roll-back. The last weapon against descend is speed... LOW speed. The slower you crawl down a descend, the lower the risk of slipping, and the lower the friction on your brakes when you apply them. You don't want to see who gets down fastest in any case!

The older boxes are great, and you seldom hear of problems there. I have never heard about a Gen 2's torque converter failing, but I guess it can happen?

Anton

[digger]

My selector shows D/2/L.Have always selected L/hold on switch.No problems(yet).But reverse gear on my 33s can be scary.Rather face downhill.

[tonton]

My selector shows D/2/L.Have always selected L/hold on switch.No problems(yet).But reverse gear on my 33s can be scary.Rather face downhill.

Reversing downhill is always risky, as the turning wheels are on the "wrong" side. Many flips/roll-overs resulted from reversing.

Good idea to always face the descend and keep the front wheels on track.

Anton


BTW what is a 33s?

[Blister]

33" tyres?

[Gerrit Loubser]

At the risk of sounding as if I am contradicting (Jammer, Gerrit!), but mine (1998 Blister Fender) does lock in 1st gear with the "hold" button in 4LLC. Recently did Matroosberg and with a light tap on the brakes, it did the job pefectly

My selector shows D/2/L.Have always selected L/hold on switch.No problems(yet).But reverse gear on my 33s can be scary.Rather face downhill.

You guys are correct, Selecting L will indeed lock the transmission in first gear. The HOLD button has nothing to do with it, however. That button is used to pull away in second gear in situations where the uderfoot conditions are very slippery (e.g. on snow/ice) and a second gear start is preferable from the point of view of limiting wheel slip.

The crawler gear ratio (first gear ratio x low range ratio x final drive ratio) is lower on the Gen 3 than on the Gen 2, though.

Depending on engine and transmission model, the crawler gear ratio for the automatic Gen 2 varies between 19.63:1 and 26.52:1. The later automatic models such as the 3.5 V6 and 2.8 TD, that also run on 265/75R15 tyres (nominal size 30.65") have the poorer 19.63:1 crawler gear ratio.

The Gen 3 DiD auto has a crawler gear ratio of 28.19:1 and the 3.5 V6 auto's ratio is 30.96:1. The Gen 3's standard tyre size (265/70R16) has a nominal size (30.61") very close to that of the Gen 2s mentioned above, so that aspect can be eliminated from the discussion. This means that a Gen 3 3.5 has a crawling ratio that is almost 60% lower than that of a Gen 2 3.5. This alone will make a marked difference in terms of downhill engine braking.

[tonton]

33" tyres?

Apparently, yes. Wonder whether they'll fit standard? I guess they'll need some lift...

Anton