While I was dropping off the car another Landcruiser owner was having the same work done along with an ECU/transmission remap. Of course, I had heard about having this done but wasn't completely sure about the benefits.
Stephan explained in simple terms what these were and said that if I was interested in having both done together we would reduce the transmission remap by $400.
This was only possible because we had already installed a larger aftermarket exhaust. The rest is history.....
After the installation, Stephan took us for a test run where he explained the use of the switches.
The auto lockup master switch on the left remains on at all times and the right switch locks the torque converter at around 75 km/h. The converter remains locked until slowing to below the unlock speed of just under 75 km/h. As a result, our new fourth gear is now fifth which reduces rpm and a slight decrease in fuel consumption of around 3 l/100km.
To activate the low-speed lockup press the right button which will illuminate the switch showing that it is active. The torque converter will automatically lock at 35 km/h and the unlock below 30 km/h. When the low-speed lockup is active then gears are also reduced as if you are driving a manual.
This will be very helpful when we are towing our van over dirt roads with corrugations, where in the past we have seen our auto transmission temperatures increase considerably sometimes reaching as much as 120 degrees.
Our auto transmission temperatures since having the work completed have stayed around the 66-degree mark and the 4wd is a completely different vehicle to now drive.
We are currently camped at Frogs Hollow at Lake Cargelligo. Its a ten-minute walk from town but space here is quite limited. There is an area for probably three vans where they could park right on the lake but after recent rains it's very muddy. The remainder of the foreshore has large gum trees lining the lake and one would have to be either stupid or very game to camp under these. So we are camped against the fence but still with a view of the lake.
After three days camped here and spending money in the local IGA buying food and alcohol to help support the town for providing this free camp, we were heading north.
Today's drive of 92 km will take us to Condobolin. We found the road to be very rough, narrow and with broken edges on the bitumen helping to make some parts of the road even narrower. I pulled over for many B doubles coming towards us to ensure we weren't showered with stones as they passed.
We are just over 3 km west of town and camped at Gum Bend Lake. It's a man-made lake, built to commemorate Australia's bicentenary and when full has a depth of 1.75 metres. A gold coin donation is appreciated for camping here and we are more than happy to donate as we filled our tanks with their water.
There are hot showers and flushing toilets but we prefer using our own. Unlike Lake Cargelligo, there are no views of the lake from the camping area. We enjoyed a few beers and lunch at the local RSL yesterday after purchasing some groceries at the local IGA. Its quite a large town with a population of 3,800 people. Our plan was to stay for three days but no matter what repellent we used on ourselves we couldn't keep the flies at bay.
As we were heading for Dubbo we thought we may be able to break the drive so checked Wiki Camps and came up with Bogan Weir 6 km west of Peak Hill. When we arrived, there were five other vans camped here and another arrived after dark.
It's a large area probably the size of two football fields with just rubbish bins and phone coverage.
Just a short drive of 75 km today towards Dubbo. We are staying at the Red Earth Winery just south of town and on the southern border of the Western Plains Zoo. Camping fees are $15 per night for power and water or just $5 without power but you can still fill your tanks.
On our second day we visited the zoo and spent the day pedalling our bikes around the different enclosures. No visit to any zoo would be complete without spending a good amount of time with the amazing meerkats.
Did you get the transmission and ECU remap Ross?
ReplyDeleteThe TC lock up kit is a great modification, it makes the 200 a nicer vehicle to drive. I’m still undecided about the ecu remap, more the issue of who to get to do it.
Because we were passing through Murray Bridge we decided to ring Richards Auto Electrical. We saved $400 by having the ECU remap and lockup kits installed at the same time. Every happy with the outcome and gear changes are now much crisper. We now tow in 5th unless going through towns or hilly country then its back to fourth or lower
ReplyDeleteAhhhhh, see my OldTimers kicked in and id forgotten id asked you about this. haha
ReplyDeleteI have the Stocklock dual speed and love it, the company that fitted it stuffed up big time and it took some time before i could get it re done by the maker Matt Stockwell. The remap was also shocking and it took two more attempts to get it to behave and not go into limp mode. NOW its all sorted by G Turbo, a mob in Perth and i am very happy with the way it drives and tows.