auto gearbox question

[petefrost]

Hi
I have never driven an auto before.
"D" Drive is obvious, but I am not sure what "S2" and L1" mean. I gather they are low gears so that you can go up and down steep hills without the continual fluctuation while in "D".......and i guess that S2 means that it maintains second gear, while L1 maintains 1st gear??? Any thoughts?

many thanks

Pete at [email protected]

[kelv]

I don't know what they mean either, but have driven autmatics for many years and never felt the need to use anything other than D N and P
Not towed with an auto, so maybe it's more relevant for towing ?
If you have a handbook, bet it will tell you in there, or someone with a more specific ( and probaby more useful) answer wil be along shortly

[westonwarrior]

basicly you are correct they are just low gears

[Rhod]

Mostly useful in snow/ice, when you can lock the box in 2nd for pulling away, or lock it in 1st for steep snowy descents. The owners manual explains all.

[mulshy]

you can use them like a manual gearbox.
L1 to pull away
up into S2 then D for improved acceleration if needed.
all clutchless changes of course.

[MountainGoat]

It is amazing how many people do not get arround to buying the bongo owners hand book until they run into a problem. The book which is available from either the club shop or sometimes on ebay has the answers to an awful lot of questions that pop up in the techie section these days. Perhaps we should make the handbooks existance more prominent somewhere on the forum and not just in the Bongo Shop section since the as bongo is a second hand vehihle it does not come with a handbook as do new ones do.

[moonshine]

I don't know what they mean either, but have driven autmatics for many years and never felt the need to use anything other than D N and P
Not towed with an auto, so maybe it's more relevant for towing ?

I have owned and driven autos for the past 30 odd years, and for 90% of the time I don't use anything other than D, R , and P either. The ability to use the lower gears manually makes the auto much more versatile than a manual though as you can drive an auto manually, but you can't drive a manual automatically. Those lower gears can come in handy at times for additional engine braking, or pulling away in second on a slippery surface, but most of the time they simply aren't needed. Handy to have though, on the basis that it's preferable to have and not need rather than need and not have.

As regards towing, for many years I towed a fairly large caravan with a Mk 2 Cortina automatic and had no problems whatsoever. We went all around Devon and Cornwall, as well as the Lake District, and I only occasionally used a lower gear when decending a particularly steep hill with the 'van on the back.

[mister munkey]

D (Drive) Will give standard automatic changes through all the gears.

S (Slow) Locks out top gear, giving better engine braking downhill. I often leave mine in S trundling around 30 mph zones, easier to keep the speed down that way.

L (Low) Keeps the transmission in low gear for steep descents or when you need low speed throttle control.

The numbers (1, 2 & 3) indicate the gear locked into if the HOLD button is on.

Bash the Hold button in D3 then try to pull away fast, you'll notice by the slow build up thet you're pulling away in 3rd gear.

Play about with it, it soon makes sense.