Vehicle: 2002 E320 Wagon, 88 Saab 900T convertible, 86 Toyota MR-2
Location: Southeastern, VA
Posts: 64
Shifting out of park on a slope is stiff
When the car is parked on a bit of a slope and has been parked by simply putting the car in park without using the brake the shift lever will be a bit stiff as you pull it out of park and the tranny will make a bit of a clunk.
If I park on the same slope and set the brake before putting the car in park and then release the brake after moving the lever out of park everything is a smooth as it would be when on level ground.
Is this normal? Also, is it ok to park it on a slope and simply put the car in park without the brake?
I am still not totally used to automatics so if this is a newbe type thing then forgive me.
The car now has 75K on it and I just ordered a tranny filter kit and will be changing the fluid very soon.
will load the bands and you will notice a slight difference in shifting out of park when using the e brake vs not using it.On level ground I use park only on hills e brake and release with foot on pedal to stop that slight roll out.Others do differently,this just seems to work for me and I keep doing it
You might want to log onto the City of San Francisco site for instructions how to park the car on slopes. The city has unique law about turning the front wheels toward the curb. It is common for tourists in the city that they need a push/pull from tow truck to shift the transmission off Park.
Vehicle: 2002 E320 Wagon, 88 Saab 900T convertible, 86 Toyota MR-2
Location: Southeastern, VA
Posts: 64
Quote:
Originally Posted by ohlord
On level ground I use park only on hills e brake and release with foot on pedal to stop that slight roll out.
That is exactly what I started doing once I noticed this. We live in an area that is pretty flat so I had not noticed it until this past week when we were on vacation.
As long as it is not really hurting anything when I forget to use the parking brake method I am happy.
On all of my manual tranny cars I don't even use the parking brake. I just leave it in gear. It is a habit holdover from my Saab's where you can't take the key out unless it is in reverse.
Vehicle: 2001 E320 - Brilliant Silver/Ash: MBCA member
Location: The Mountain State
Posts: 6,381
I think the best procedure is to put the trans in neutral, set the parking brake, then switch to park. I only sometimes do this on level ground, but I always do if there is any sort of incline.
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There are so many hills around me I've gotten into the habit of always applying the parking brake before shifting into park. Nothing wrong with it except you get to replace the parking brake cable sooner.
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The only time that I do not use the parking brake is when parking in my (level) garage. The car often sits all week, and I don't want the shoes to stick.
Vehicle: 2001 E320 - Brilliant Silver/Ash: MBCA member
Location: The Mountain State
Posts: 6,381
I hadn't thought of that Greg, but I cannot remember ever having to replace one. I've thought of that too Matt, and I think it's a definite possibility under those conditions.
Than we are spoiled with dry weather in California.
When living in 4-seasons I never applied parking brake, unless I was on extreme slope. Doing so in the winter brought the danger of cable freezing in the sheeting. Waiting till the spring for the brakes to let go wasn't my favorite.
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