Sunday, September 21, 2008 - 10:55 am, by: Ali Yazici(Wa_ali)
Guys/Girls,
Slight trivial dillemma that i have. My car was off the road for the past week or so, as I was in the process of swapping over a 1.5way to a Torsen (more about that later), and in the mean time I was driving my dads '01 Ford Fairlane GHIA.
When on the freeway, 1. Fairlane GHIA would idle just under 2000RPM at 100km/h. 2. Work car, a VE Omega, idles at 1650RPM at 100km/h. 3. My Car, idles at 2300RPM at 100km/h (even before the diff changeover)
My question is that the Fairlane has the same size engine but its a 6cyl, yet it idles at a lower range. The VE has a smaller engine 3.6/3.8 (not sure) and it idles at a lower range.
Is there something wrong with my car, or is that what everyone else is getting as well???
The Fairlane and the VE roll very smoothly whether it be in D or N, just like the way a car is supposed to be; when it goes down hill they speed up VERY rapidly and when going uphill, slow down very SLOWLY (not rapidly)
My car on the otherhand feels like its braking by itself, as in something is holding back and it wont roll smoothly. When going downhill; depending on the hill gradient; it will slow down SLOWLY or if its a steep hill it will pick up speed SLOWLY and when going up hill it will slow down RAPIDLY.
All the 3 cars weigh around the same margin. Maybe there's some connection between the concept of not free flowing to idling at high RPM's????
If anyone has any theories as to what could be causing it, it would be of great help.
P.S. i have just recently serviced the brakes, and its not the brakes that are holding on. The car has been doing the same thing since i bought it 2 years ago. Sometimes it will roll very smoothly, sometimes it wont
Sunday, September 21, 2008 - 02:14 pm, by: Mike Bradberry(Halflife)
Ali, there are a number of factors that can influence the way a particular vehicle will respond in a given situation. I find with mine that the V8 holds back nicely when going down hill and I always use the gears to hold back further on steeper slopes. The 10 to 1 compression will be partly the cause, the gears and diff ratio will be another, the relatively heavy body yet another. Even the rolling resistance of under inflated tyres can give the symptoms you describe. As you have eliminated the brakes (and their release) as a cause, then you may consider one or more of the above.