Car off coasting theory questions
 

Did a bit of this yesterday and I must say it was quite exhilirating, I must say. However, I only did it on my way to a complete stop because I've got a few questions.

How does this junk work with an auto?

And, do the people who do this usually do it to a long light or just down a hill or what. I'm planning on turning the car off at some of these lights I hit now, and was thinking this stuff would be good to combine.

Dont do it with an 'auto' ..
 

Dont do it with an 'auto' .. pump not running will cause catastrophic failure.

careful about making blanket
 

please be careful about making blanket statements.

some saturn automatics are perfectly OK coasting with engine off - it's why they're such popular tow-behinds for RVs. it may be bad for many/most automatics, but not necessarily for all. you need to know your particular vehicle's specifics.

nevertheless - if your 'auto' is a non-coaster SVOboy, just coast to the stop with the engine idling. the torque converter is still spinning, so lubrication isn't an issue, and it's still more efficient than coasting down in gear, because there's no engine braking, and injectors are pulsing at a lower rpm. plus you retain power steering, and have more than "reserve" vacuum for braking (compared to engine off).

as for "does this junk work with an auto", yes, absolutely. have a look in the pulse & glide thread (long). one of my last comments is about a driver who is getting phenomenal mileage coasting in neutral with his accord automatic non-hybrid.

thread link

my auto coasts very good in
 

my auto coasts very good in neutral, the hassle is the brakes don't work and the power steering. Not to mention if I want to start the car back up it has to be a complete stop or in Neutral.

Quote:plus you retain power
 

I have no power steering, power steering = sucks. Also, I've got no power brakes either (think the bb is busted), so yeah.

Pulse and glide will not work for me, I can't shift into neutral becaause shifting back into gear while moving won't work. The newer honda autos have seemless shifting while driving, but I don't. When I swap to manual it won't be an issue, I should say.

Re: Quote:plus you retain power
 

You should be able to shift while in motion. Maybe something is wrong with your tranny?

Re: Quote:plus you retain power
 

sure it will - just not at higher speeds. coasting up to a stop in neutral counts as "gliding".

10 minutes ago, i drove through a typical subdivision where there's a stop sign on each corner. i accelerated about 30% of the way down the block, then shifted to neutral to coast the rest of the way to the next intersection. that's pulse and glide. some people call it porpoising.

the technique isn't exclusively for higher speeds. it can be applied in lots of situations.

Quote:sure it will - just
 

Ah, okay, I do that, I meant the 15 second/15 second cycle thing by pulse and glide, I coast plenty as it is, :), sorry for the confusion.

Quote:You should be able to
 

I can shift, but in motion (25 mph +) shifting from neutral into drive I get lots of engine braking because the tranny doesn't gear/rev match.

Quote:And, do the people who
 

I normally do this when I'm coming to a stop sign. It's kind of tricky to do it at lights unless you know the light really well. A lot of our lights in my area are based on traffic flow so they change whenever a car approaches. This can be a pain if they come from out of nowhere and you don't have time to coast to a stop. If you have an automatic you have to keep in mind that if you shut the engine off, you are going to put more wear and tear on your starter. I generally pop the clutch(usually in 4th gear at around 15 mph) just before I get completely stopped so I don't have to use my starter as much. I don't have power steering so I don't have to worry about loss of handling. I haven't noticed any problem with braking either.

double clutch
 

In the old days you would have to double clutch to get the clutch up to speed or down in speed before shifting into the next gear. ON an automatic at higher speed you need to give it a little gas while dropping it into drive - easy if you have a tach - if not then just rev the engine a little while shifting it - ther still is a clutch that engauges and a little help by getting the engine up to speed helps.

Re: Quote:You should be able to
 

I just pump the gas to get about the righ rpm's and then put it back in, the tranny figures it out, and better to rev high and let the tranny go down than the other way around, at least for me.

I've tried giving it gas,
 

I've tried giving it gas, but as yet it hasn't helped the issue, I'll try again tomorrow.

Automatics DANGER!!
 

Hey guys my brother almost started screeming when I asked him about coasting with the engine off with an automatic. Seems I was right the for more reasons than I thought. FIRST DON"T DO IT!! Keep the engine running. It turns out the transmission is not splash or oil bath lubricated it is fed oil by the pump run by the input shaft connected to the engine. The first thing that goes at speeds over 20mph within minutes are the SEALS!!! As indicated by a puff a smoke out the filler dipstick pipe. Once the seals go all hell can break loose as hydralic valving will start to fail. So you don't do any mechanical gear damage right away just cook the seals. On some transmissions there are three diagnostic plugs on the side that are the high pressure oil from the internal pump, the regulated pressure from the pump regulator and sometimes the govenor oil pressure feed that determines shift points. If you really want to coast with the engine off, add a pump to feed pressure to the first fitting to lubricate the tranny. Better to just keep the engine running.