Get off my LAWN! "Grumpy Old Farts"

[Al Kraft]

I'm considering getting something new. If it does that crap here in S. FL, I ain't buyin'. Addendum: The one I'm looking at has P,R,N,D,M(?). Wuzzat?(Haven't been to dealer yet, I suppose they would know)

Typically M is for manual control where you can push a button/paddle/the shift lever to a +/- to control what gear you're in. Now the transmission/power-train control logic will not allow the downshift if you would over-speed the engine and it will force an up-shift once you get to (or close to) red line in any gear to prevent an over-speed condition.

For folks who live in snow areas some of the newer transmissions (like the old Ford Cruise-o-matics used to) may actually allow you to start off in second gear rather than first. However, I suspect the engineers are letting traction control systems handle those conditions automatically these days.

 

[BassmanPaul]

I have two of those Makita drills, a third right angle fixed speed unit and a jigsaw. They are nice tools.

Thanks for the temperature settings. It confirms my Dorothy's thought.

She’s a bit down ATM cos yesterday we went to our Dermatologist who confirmed a growth on her hand was a benign cancer. Right there and then he cut the thing off and told us there’s only a 10% chance of it coming back. I pray he’s right.

 

[SoulReflection]

I considered that but I pick many other body parts much better than the bass

Sorry.

 

[Al Kraft]

Passenger vehicles will all be doing that within a could of years. Maybe it is something that you get used to. Driving habbits have to be adjusted.

From a safety point of view, what happens when you have a bad battery or the engine doesn’t start quickly.

Downtown driving sometimes requires that you move quickly. If I’m at a light and a bus is next to me on the right, public transport always has the right of way. It’s better to take off quickly to get past the bus. Not as easy now.

Some of the newer GM cars are now incorporating a button to disable the feature, although it probably resets itself each time the vehicle is restarted. I mean there is usually a button to disable stability and traction control systems so one can get out of deep snow or prevent themselves from getting stuck to begin with.

For those of us who grew up learning to actually drive a vehicle (from setting a choke properly to start it, to selecting and shifting gears manually, and so forth) many of the technologies are useful conveniences, but others are simply there so "drivers" can concentrate more on operating satellite and digital entertainment systems, managing cell calls, etc. than actually driving IMO.

 

[SoulReflection]

Some of the newer GM cars are now incorporating a button to disable the feature, although it probably resets itself each tine the vehicle is restarted. I mean there is usually a button to disable stability and traction control systems so one can get out of deep snow or prevent themselves from getting stuck to begin with.

For those of us who grew up learning to actually drive a vehicle (from setting a choke properly to start it, to selecting and shifting gears manually, and so forth) many of the technologies are useful conveniences, but others are simply there so "drivers" can concentrate more on operating satellite and digital entertainment systems, managing cell calls, etc. than actually driving IMO.

My pet peeve is ABS (automatic braking system). Designed to prevent locking brakes and skidding, this POS has actually caused me two rear-enders on dry pavement. Rather than lock the brakes and stop (I learned how to control skids a long time ago), this ABS pulses the brakes, resulting in longer stopping distances.... Took me twice to appreciate this "improvement".

 

[alaskaleftybass]

Some of the newer GM cars are now incorporating a button to disable the feature, although it probably resets itself each tine the vehicle is restarted. I mean there is usually a button to disable stability and traction control systems so one can get out of deep snow or prevent themselves from getting stuck to begin with.

For those of us who grew up learning to actually drive a vehicle (from setting a choke properly to start it, to selecting and shifting gears manually, and so forth) many of the technologies are useful conveniences, but others are simply there so "drivers" can concentrate more on operating satellite and digital entertainment systems, managing cell calls, etc. than actually driving IMO.

I agree. The more we discuss this the more I like the idea of the self driving car. Let the Millennials go to work in a self-driving vehicle while they text and watch Ant-Man on their cellphones. leave the driving to the rest of us who actually do it right.. Harumph... all kidding aside, I do see a real need for self driving cars in the future. I don't ever expect them to catch on in rural areas, but in the cities and crowded freeways is where we have the highest concentration of fatalities and accidents. Just my 2 cents...

 

[Al Kraft]

Does anyone know for sure if it's safe for the automatic transmission to shift to neutral while coasting? I never got int he habit of that for fear of damaging it.

In general unless you know the specifics about your transmission's design, coasting in neutral with an automatic is not a good idea and has more potential down than up sides. On newer vehicles the powertrain management systems take care of getting any possible efficiency out of a coasting car - you putting it in neutral won't help a bit IMO. Now if you're in hot weather and sitting in traffic at a stop for minutes at a time, moving the gear selector to neutral while you wait might help keep heat down (and that is a good thing).

Decades ago (in the primarily rear wheel drive days) there were some transmissions that required the input shaft to be turning to power the internal pump that circulated transmission fluid to output shaft bearings. Obviously putting that transmission in neutral any time the rear wheels were turning wasn't a good idea. Some owner's manuals actually cautioned against towing on rear wheels in neutral at speeds over 50 MPH and for over 50 miles, and to only do it at all if it was not possible to tow on front wheels (assuming a rear wheel drive vehicle in this example).

The other issue with coasting in neutral is that you cause clutches to engage at speeds and in a way they were not designed to. Depending on how that engagement function was managed within in a particular transmission design it may or may not have tended to cause abnormal wear. Once again neutral was for prolonged idling when stopped and for starting the vehicle. It's always a crap shoot when you operate something in a way that's different than the engineer had in mind when it was designed.

 

[GonePlaid]

Some of the newer GM cars are now incorporating a button to disable the feature, although it probably resets itself each tine the vehicle is restarted. I mean there is usually a button to disable stability and traction control systems so one can get out of deep snow or prevent themselves from getting stuck to begin with.

For those of us who grew up learning to actually drive a vehicle (from setting a choke properly to start it, to selecting and shifting gears manually, and so forth) many of the technologies are useful conveniences, but others are simply there so "drivers" can concentrate more on operating satellite and digital entertainment systems, managing cell calls, etc. than actually driving IMO.

Actual driving has become tertiary.

 

[RandM]

Up at 4:30AM Saturday ready to hit the road.

Bought my wife’s 2019 Chevy Equinox yesterday. New cars are light years ahead of our 15 year old car. The engine compartment is packed. Can barely get my hands into spaces, let alone a wrench. They must do it all from the bottom. Comes with synthetic oil which is a plus.

The transmission doesn’t come with a dipstick which is a first for me. The manual says that the fluid is not intended to be changed. Never changed or even needed to top up the transmission fluid in my previous vehicles so I guess I was ahead of my time on that one.

It’s going to take some time to figure out the computer and infortainment system. Have so far not been able to have it read a SSD drive with music on it.

Helm does not have the shop manuals available yet.

The one niggle is that when you stop, the engine turns off. I hate that. Seems that the government is requiring this environmental feature. Comming into the city we were stuck in rush hour traffic, the highway was a parking lot, getting to inch up for an hour. The engine shutting down drove me nuts. It is supposed to be adaptive and not turn off so often under certain conditions but I didn’t see that. From what I can tell, there isn’t a way to disable it or fine tune the delays. Even more motivation to move to the country. Wouldn’t it be nice to see the stars at night?

We have a "you never have to change, you beaut, lifetime synthetic oiled Porche Tiptronic Trans in our car ........ and I'd advise you to not believe it for a minute.
That advice came from my son, who's a
GM Tech.

Maurie.

 

[beans-on-toast]

Some of the newer GM cars are now incorporating a button to disable the feature, although it probably resets itself each tine the vehicle is restarted. I mean there is usually a button to disable stability and traction control systems so one can get out of deep snow or prevent themselves from getting stuck to begin with.

For those of us who grew up learning to actually drive a vehicle (from setting a choke properly to start it, to selecting and shifting gears manually, and so forth) many of the technologies are useful conveniences, but others are simply there so "drivers" can concentrate more on operating satellite and digital entertainment systems, managing cell calls, etc. than actually driving IMO.

I checked, no disable in the 2019 setup screens for the Equinox. The dealer said that GM has this built in for environmental reasons. The government sets emissions standards that the auto makers have to meet. This is one small way of helping to acheive them. A lot of companies have adopted this.

Yes the traction and stability can be turned off.

My hope is that the engineers have left a back door open. Maybe a key sequence. There are usually undocumented features.

 

[Al Kraft]

Actual driving has become tertiary.

On a good day, with the more attentive drivers!

 

[Al Kraft]

I checked, no disable in the 2019 setup screens for the Equinox. The dealer said that GM has this built in for environmental reasons. The government sets emissions standards that the auto makers have to meet. This is one small way of helping to acheive them. A lot of companies have adopted this.

Yes the traction and stability can be turned off.

My hope is that the engineers have left a back door open. Maybe a key sequence. There are usually undocumented features.

Next time you start the vehicle try putting it in M, toggle up through all gears (6 or 9 I suspect) while you still have your foot on tn brake - leave it in that top gear, then start to drive. Don't worry, you won't start in the high gear, you have simply told the computer not to allow a shift beyond that gear. The computer will honor that command for any gear choice you make until you get too much RPM and then it will force a shift to the next appropriate higher gear. In your case you told it top gear is the upper limit and it will act as an automatic transmission up to that gear.

This logic loop-hole may have been closed by the engineers after 2018, but in any case no dealer will tell you about it. My info came from a friend who runs a transmission shop that specializes in warranty repairs for dealers of high end cars when they get in over their heads and trans replacement is not economically in their best interest. It works on many Chevy models, but they don't all have the same power-train control module or shift logic, that is usually tailored to a specific vehicles. I hope it works for you!

 

[beans-on-toast]

Actual driving has become tertiary.

Modern vehicles have at least one camera (for backing up). I think that people rely on the cameras too much when driving. Drivers don’t look out the window. Some have warnings that come up if something suddenly appears in the way.

There are warnings that tell you if you change lanes without signalling. Some cars even will turn the wheel back into the lane. What if you were reacting to someone cutting you off.

They have vehicles that brake if an accident is about to occur.

Then there are self parking vehicles. I suppose that they will drop parallel parking as part of a drivers test.

 

[BadExample]

Some owner's manuals actually cautioned against towing on rear wheels in neutral at speeds over 50 MPH and for over 50 miles, and to only do it at all if it was not possible to tow on front wheels (assuming a rear wheel drive vehicle in this example).

I remember those days. This Jeep is my first with a juicebox. We have a really good transmission shop in town I take it to every few years for service. Just did that last winter and they said it's still like new. It sure shifts nice and at the right time. They know more than the dealers. Except for a few cases (I think known POS transmissions) they refuse to sell you a rebuilt. They want to rebuild it themselves to find out why it failed. They are not cheap. I have them do some other work too. I'm just getting used to the idea of having someone else getting into my vehicle's innards. I know I'll never touch another juicebox again. I used to service my own, but they do it for $125 with a full diagnosis of everything and give me a list of what needs attention.

 

[Al Kraft]

My pet peeve is ABS (automatic braking system). Designed to prevent locking brakes and skidding, this POS has actually caused me two rear-enders on dry pavement. Rather than lock the brakes and stop (I learned how to control skids a long time ago), this ABS pulses the brakes, resulting in longer stopping distances.... Took me twice to appreciate this "improvement".

Many people have made this same complaint and for those professional drivers who know how to control a skid and use some fancy tricks (if traffic and road conditions allow) to scrub off more energy than straight braking alone ABS isn't always the best solution. It works for us in aircraft because skidding is not a good thing (for many reasons) and an aircraft needs to stay on that center-line if taxiing to the gate immediately after stopping the aircraft is a priority.

If you stomp hard and stay on the pedal hard in ABS equipped cars (and for many that is counter-intuitive once they feel the hard pedal pulsing and weird noises start), and the system is properly designed and working properly, in most cases the majority of people would be unable to stop faster in most conditions than they will with ABS. Me personally, I like to have a choice, but I grew up learning to work on and drive everything from cars to trucks to wreckers to big rigs.

 

[BadExample]

I have two of those Makita drills, a third right angle fixed speed unit and a jigsaw. They are nice tools.

Thanks for the temperature settings. It confirms my Dorothy's thought.

She’s a bit down ATM cos yesterday we went to our Dermatologist who confirmed a growth on her hand was a benign cancer. Right there and then he cut the thing off and told us there’s only a 10% chance of it coming back. I pray he’s right.

Sorry to hear about that, Paul. I think the doctor didn't describe her condition well. There are tumors, caused when cell reproduction goes out of control. They multiply to fast (actually they divide... divide in two). A benign tumor is not cancerous. It can continue to grow until it's removed and even cause some problems depending where it is located, but it does not spread. A malignant tumor is cancer. It spreads. The very name comes from the crab like legs that spread out. Her tumor won't spread if it's benign. It could "come back" if they didn't remove it all. Then it wouldn't really come back, it would just continue to grow from what was left behind.

I wouldn't say there is no chance of cancer developing in that area, but she is way better off with it being benign. Just keep an eye on it. A common mole is a benign tumor. She might get some comfort if you go the mayo clinic website and read some of the information on benign skin tumors. Causes, prevention and risks. She probably should get a head to toe inspection every few years, but otherwise plan on a cancer free life. I know skin cancer is one of the easiest to treat/cure when detected early, mainly because it's visible. If you would like, I will look up some articles for you.

 

[Bflat]

so for self driving car lovers, my son a brilliant software engineer explained to me that imagine a whole city full of self driving cars that are programmed to obey all traffic laws.....limited to speed limits, no entering an intersection on yellow. no crossing yellow lines to turn left, leaving the proper space between cars when driving, I could go on for a long time....It would be instant grid lock and total chaos......the only reason traffic works is because humans take advantage of the little things that speed up traffic....would you really want to go 25 miles an hour for miles or would 30 do like most of us drive......think of the effect of obeying all traffic laws with every car on the road........butterfly effect

 

[Al Kraft]

Sorry to hear about that, Paul. I think the doctor didn't describe her condition well. There are tumors, caused when cell reproduction goes out of control. They multiply to fast (actually they divide... divide in two). A benign tumor is not cancerous. It can continue to grow until it's removed and even cause some problems depending where it is located, but it does not spread. A malignant tumor is cancer. It spreads. The very name comes from the crab like legs that spread out. Her tumor won't spread if it's benign. It could "come back" if they didn't remove it all. Then it wouldn't really come back, it would just continue to grow from what was left behind.

I wouldn't say there is no chance of cancer developing in that area, but she is way better off with it being benign. Just keep an eye on it. A common mole is a benign tumor. She might get some comfort if you go the mayo clinic website and read some of the information on benign skin tumors. Causes, prevention and risks. She probably should get a head to toe inspection every few years, but otherwise plan on a cancer free life. I know skin cancer is one of the easiest to treat/cure when detected early, mainly because it's visible. If you would like, I will look up some articles for you.

+1 Will. I've actually had a small "less serious variety" cancerous tumor (not benign) removed from near my eye where clean margins were tough to achieve and have had no problems with that in the years since. Other benign skin tumors from too much time at the pool in the sun as a youngster have been removed with no issues or problems at all. Be glad she had it removed before it had an opportunity to become something more serious - benign means you guys can rest easy on this one! A quick yearly visit for the doc to do a complete scan of the skin is probably a good idea for most people.

 

[beans-on-toast]

I agree. The more we discuss this the more I like the idea of the self driving car. Let the Millennials go to work in a self-driving vehicle while they text and watch Ant-Man on their cellphones. leave the driving to the rest of us who actually do it right.. Harumph... all kidding aside, I do see a real need for self driving cars in the future. I don't ever expect them to catch on in rural areas, but in the cities and crowded freeways is where we have the highest concentration of fatalities and accidents. Just my 2 cents...

No doubt, in the future people will no longer have the need to drive vehicles.

People in my neighborhood order groceries on the web and a guy delivers them. The next natural step is to have a self driving car delivering them.

More and more “children” are not getting their licenses. They rely on their parents to cater to them or use Uber type services.

 

[beans-on-toast]

Next time you start the vehicle try putting it in M, toggle up through all gears (6 or 9 I suspect) while you still have your foot on tn brake - leave it in that top gear, then start to drive. Don't worry, you won't start in the high gear, you have simply told the computer not to allow a shift beyond that gear. The computer will honor that command for any gear choice you make until you get too much RPM and then it will force a shift to the next appropriate higher gear. In your case you told it top gear is the upper limit and it will act as an automatic transmission up to that gear.

This logic loop-hole may have been closed by the engineers after 2018, but in any case no dealer will tell you about it. My info came from a friend who runs a transmission shop that specializes in warranty repairs for dealers of high end cars when they get in over their heads and trans replacement is not economically in their best interest. It works on many Chevy models, but they don't all have the same power-train control module or shift logic, that is usually tailored to a specific vehicles. I hope it works for you!

After reading your description, I consulted the manual. It is as you described. They present it in the context of towing where you want to set the highest gear for towing power.

In the old days, you had a selectable low 1, 2, 3, and drive on a four speed automatic transmission. The driver served as the computer and directly controlled the mechanical links.