Another OD Question(s)

[Deleted User]

How do I use the OD without the Free Wheeling mode but still have OD?

Is there a procedure to use the OD like a real 4th gear without damaging the unit? By this I mean, drive in town toward the highway, get on highway, shifting up into 3rd then at 45pmh, push in OD knob?

[Deleted User]

There is no reason you cant push the knob in at 45 mph and and all else being active ,you should have access to overdrive. Let off gas and a shift should take place,
Roger

[Deleted User]

Thank you, Roger.

Now is there a way to NOT have the Free Wheeling or is this a by-product of the OD design?

Park_W

You can rig a switch to keep it in OD all the time, but you'd have to turn it off to put the tranny in reverse. A bit of an irritant. A milder but maybe satisfactory approach would be to tweak the governor so it would allow the OD to engage at a lower speed, so you'd be in OD most of the time.

[Deleted User]

I am just trying to understand the system and proper operation without damaging the unit.

So far it seems to be working. I just have to get used to the free wheeling when I lift of the gas in traffic on the highway.

Park_W

PM500, if it's free-wheeling "on the highway," it's not going into OD at a normal speed. How fast do you have to be going before the OD will engage when you release the gas pedal?

Geoff

You can't really damage anything using it the way it is designed. Get used to the fact that it free wheels under cut-in speed, and only then.

Jon B

You're only free-wheeling when OD is enabled (knob pushed in) but you haven't engaged OD yet -- which means you're under maybe 30 mph. This generally isn't a problem because it means you're still at slow speed and your brakes can bring you to a stop safely.

It's a temporary condition, in other words.

The nightmare scenario is when you encounter a steep hill (going down), your OD knob is pushed in (enabled), but you're below OD cut-in speed. You are in free-wheeling without the braking benefits of direct drive, and your brakes could overheat on the long downhill.

In that case you need to get into direct drive really quickly.

Since you're now below OD cut-in speed, it should be possible to temporarily hit the gas and ease the OD knob out (thus disabling OD and putting you back into direct drive. It can be a tricky maneuver so you might want to try it sometime before you need to!

I was just informed that I made a mistake in the first paragraph, and I've changed it. The knob is pushed IN to enable the use of overdrive, not pulled out (as I had written it). Thanks