Thread: Truck question
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Old 08-11-2017, 07:57 PM   #34
Desert185
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Location: Nevada
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeepshots View Post
Cheryl, the M mode for the transmission is a manual mode. You're setting the highest possible gear that the transmission is allowed to use when you jump into the M numbers. So, M3 means the transmission can only shift as high as 3rd gear. Going up hill, you want the engine in the power band (range of RPMs) and that's usually pretty high. The transmission wants to shift to keep the engine in the low RPMs. By restricting it to M3, it has to stay in 3rd gear (or lower, depending on speed). If you select M5, that means fifth gear is the highest it'll shift to. It's really just a gear limiter - can't shift higher than whatever M number you've set it to. So you use it to keep the engine RPMs up high. This gives you some braking assistance going down hill, and power going up hill. Just gotta go slower, that's all.

Second thing - the reason they wanted to install the brake controller down under the dash is that the controller needs to be flat, so it can feel the acceleration/deceleration, hills and what not. My blind suggestion (because I don't know the inside of your truck) is to locate a place on the dash that's flat, and relocate the brake controller there. In my Durango, I mounted the controller between the driver's A-pillar and the instrument cluster hump of the dash. there was just enough room and it was flat enough to work. I bought some industrial velcro, and used that. Ran the wires down beside the dash. That way, i could unplug it, rip it off the dash and store it in the glove box when i wasn't towing. But it was easy to hook back up when i needed it. Chuckster and the others are spot on - the controller must be moved to where you can manipulate the controls while you're driving. Might be worth taking it back to the installer (if possible) and having them move it. They just took the easy way out. If there's no other possible place, look at changing controllers. That manufacturer (I can't spell it and am too lazy to look it up) makes one that can mount in just about any orientation, as long as it's facing forwards in some manner. And that means it can be higher up the dash towards you since it opens up mounting options. That's the one I had...
The P2 that she has doesn't need to be mounted flat. It self compensates.
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Desert185 🇺🇸 (Retired Chemtrail vendor)
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