Trans question

i have a 1995 4 door, I-6, 5 speed. on the way home through some kinda heavy traffic today i noticed that the trans was gettin really hot. i could feel it in the cab and it was too the point where it was like it was too much heat, so it was pretty hot. is that normal?? i was downshifting a lot instead of shifting to neutral and just braking so i thought maybe that could have been it. just figured i would ask in case anyone knew something i did not. thanks for any help.

i was downshifting a lot instead of shifting to neutral

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It could be your CAT burning the extra fuel.

Hey Mud,

It sounds normal. Manual trans get pretty hot.. I had a 91 YJ with a manual trans and the floor board would get so hot that I could sometimes feel it through my shoes and never had a problem with it.

Were you down-shifting to help stop better or just in slow & go traffic??

Elias

langer, would that be a prblem with the CAT or just normal??

Iceman, downshifting for both but mainly stop and go. but it wasnt burning my feet hot but i could feel it liek i had the heat on full blast

thanks for the help guys

I think you're ok Mud.. It's considered normal for it to heat up more than normal with those conditions.

The cat is heated up by the exhaust from your engine.. And it makes sense that your engine is getting hotter by the down shifting, as long as it's not over-heating. Just keep an eye on the temp gauge the next few times you drive it.

Side Note:
I use to decelerate all the time by down shifting and using the brake until I went through a motorcycle safty course. They put it like this - your intent is to slow down or stop, but when you down shift, you still have power turning the wheels. Then you apply the brakes. Now you have the wheels turning from the engine's power and the brakes trying to stop/slow that power. It's counter productive and does not provide the best stopping power. Just apply the brake, the clutch.. about the same time

I think you're cat is ok unless you are losing power or mpgs.

Elias

thanks for ur help guys. as u can see by the user name, i like playin in the mud, i was just worried it was a tranny problem. didnt wanna be in the middle of a puddle or a pit when i had to power out and have the tranny fail. thanks again for your help.

I have a 96 XJ 4.0 with the 5 speed (AX15) and have never noticed the tranny creating a lot of extra heat, even when pulling a 3500 lb boat. I would recomend checking you fluid and consider changing it. I also used to have a problem with my transmission shifting hard in the cold. I switched fuilds to GM Syncromesh (not sure on the spelling). Fix the shifting in cold weather problem and never noticed any extra heat. Good Luck

Adam

just got it recently so i doubt the fluid has been changed in a while, i will defintely do that. thought about even running a trans cooler because it gets beat pretty bad when i am out playin. any input on that? thanks again guys

play_in_the_mud said:

just got it recently so i doubt the fluid has been changed in a while, i will defintely do that. thought about even running a trans cooler because it gets beat pretty bad when i am out playin. any input on that? thanks again guys

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Manual transmissions don't have coolers.

IceMan11 said:

I used to decelerate all the time by down shifting and using the brake until I went through a motorcycle safty course. They put it like this - your intent is to slow down or stop, but when you down shift, you still have power turning the wheels. Then you apply the brakes. Now you have the wheels turning from the engine's power and the brakes trying to stop/slow that power. It's counter productive and does not provide the best stopping power. Just apply the brake, the clutch.. about the same time

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'Scuse me?

The compression of the engine SLOWS DOWN the vehicle. You're not downshifting and stabbing the gas while trying to stop!!

What WILL be counterproductive, is if you remain in a HIGH gear while stopping... to the point where the engine begins to fight it's way back UP to idle RPM.

Anybody who's driven a stick for more than a day knows this! (except the "safety" instructor, I guess. I had problems with a brake caliper that would seize up when hot... and I drove from Savannah GA to Pittsburgh PA (800 miles?) using only engine braking whenever possible. I only touched (lightly) the brakes SEVEN times on that trip. And not once in the state of South Carolina....

Den

Yes it does slow the vehicle by downshifting. But if you are trying to stop or slow down considerably, downshifting does not slow as fast as brakes do. If you down shift, then apply the brake, you have the brakes trying to stop the wheels while the engine still trying to propel the wheels. Either way, you have the engine propelling the wheels. It's not rocket science.

Elias

I just wanted to weigh in one more time about engine braking. Engine braking is something that is not neccesary. The only time i engine brake is when i'm pulling a trailer. Other than that I let the brakes do the work. Why put extra wear and tear on your drivetrain when brake parts are a lot cheaper to replace that drivetrain parts. Sorry for getting off the subject alittle just had to vent. I still recommend the trans fluid change and go from there. Good Luck.

Adam

a_tittman said:

I just wanted to weigh in one more time about engine braking. Engine braking is something that is not neccesary. The only time i engine brake is when i'm pulling a trailer. Other than that I let the brakes do the work. Why put extra wear and tear on your drivetrain when brake parts are a lot cheaper to replace that drivetrain parts. Sorry for getting off the subject alittle just had to vent. I still recommend the trans fluid change and go from there. Good Luck.

Adam

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I guess it depends on how you were borught up, so to speak. I grew up with stick shifts and engine braking. In fact, the first Jeep I drove, a 58 CJ5, had numerous admonitions in its owner's manual to "use the engine as a brake." Of course, if you've ever actually used the brakes on a 58 CJ5, you might guess that this was a copout so they wouldn't have to say "if you want actually to slow down, don't expect the brakes to do it."

Nonetheless, I still engine brake, and shift down on the way to any stop that isn't a panic. My drivetrains do not wear out very fast, nor do my engines, nor do my brakes. Your mileage may vary, but my XJ is still going strong at 248+ K miles on both original clutch and brake rotors.

I do agree with the motorcycle instructor where sudden stops are concerned. Forget the downshifts and just drop the anchor. This may be more to the point with a motorcycle, too, since rear wheel lockup can be a dangerous issue there.

I'm new here, so I don't want to step on any toes, but the renix FSM states that the ECU will cut the fuel to the injectors when it senses a deceleration state. So the engine doesn't make any power.

thank all u guys for all ur help, and sorry for starting so many arguments, lol