Forgive me if this is answered elsewhere in the forum...
I've searched everywhere and can't find an answer.

When I drive my automatic MC down a steep hill and do NOT apply
the brake or the gas, my MINI kicks into some kind of weird mode
in which the engine gets louder, a strange pulling sensation can be felt
and the car vibrates slightly.

Also, I just noticed that the rpm's go nuts (past 4) even though I'm not
going that fast.

I recognize the fact that I am a numbskull when it comes to mechanics,
so please be kind.

Cheers!

 

Sounds like the transmission is gearing the car down to keep the speed from increasing due to coasting. Like you would be doing if you shifted to a lower gear......only it's doing this for you.


I could be wrong because I'm no mechanic........but I have stayed at a Holiday Inn Express. :smile:

R.E.

 

Wow...that's pretty great! Thanks for the info!

 

My 2002 CVT doesnt do this. You might try email ZF to see what is up and if it is programmed into their chip.

 

Just how steep is this hill? Seriously... is it one of the 5%-7% grades with the truck run-off ramps? Or steeper? We have some steep hills here in Jersey (Atlantic Highlands)... I've driven them but don't recall any wierdness with the CVT... will keep an eye/ear on it next time. Any case, it does sound like the car is downshifting for you...engine breaking...to keep it from speeding up too fast down the hill... must be a REALLY STEEP hill you're on...

 

"...engine breaking..."

That could be a problem...

 

ahahaha very good catch 911fan! Are you a proofreader by profession?

I meant... "engine braking"

Rock On,

-Joe

 

"Are you a proofreader by profession?"

No, I just get a kick out of common misspellings...

btw, enormous tensile loads are applied to connecting rods during engine braking. So much so that racing engines which have extremely light con rods and operate at very high RPMs can fly apart during engine braking (the con rods fail).

So engine braking can lead to engine breaking!

Fortunately, most street cars have sufficiently strong con rods and operate at lower RPMs, so this isn't a problem for the rest of us.

 

My 2002 CVT does this as well. It's just automatically engine braking for you. You can use the manual shift mode to get a little better controll over it. I use it all the time when I motor in the mountains.