James Heyser Posted June 9, 2016 Share Posted June 9, 2016 I LOVE my new Dolphin, but something is a little off. Actually two things, possibly related so I guess I should list them both... It idles smooth, gets decent mileage (13-15 mpg), but it can't always maintain 55 in 4th gear (OD) on level ground. If it had just 5-10% more HP... Also, on steep grades I have to shift into second and I prefer to drive 45, it will stay in 2nd up to 55 floored but that seems like excessive RPM's (no gauge), so I downshift and stay at 45. If I let the tranny decide, I am constantly slowing down in 3rd or accelerating in 2nd. The second issue is that the tranny temp light comes on frequently, only at times when there might be cause (a moderate grade on a moderately hot day), but more than I would expect. Even on a moderately hot day in 4th (OD) without a grade. I'm talking high 80's, not crazy hot. The motor temp gauge was a little hot on the grade, too, but nothing extreme, and even without that slight motor temp spike the tranny temp light came on a couple of times. It has 105,000 miles, I feel like if I had 5-10% more power and a little more cooling capacity I'd be in heaven, but both are just a bit off. Advice? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homer Posted June 10, 2016 Share Posted June 10, 2016 James: I have read and been told that the best way for the transmission to keep cool is to stay out of overdrive. I just use OD going down mtns. and flat land. The former owner of ours told me it would get hot going up small hills if in overdrive. I have 3 Mountains to cross to go camping. It gets down to 20 MPH on a 2 lane road and I just chug along riding in the emergency lane with flashers on, some vehicles pass others don't. Ours is a 86 Sunland Express with a 4 cyl. 22 RE. one of the best motors built at that time for reliability. It only has 28,000 miles on it now being 30 yrs old! The 4 cyl. toy homes are a SLOW mover on hills and mountains. That way you can enjoy the scenery and views more !. Hope you can try this out and if it don't work have a reputable radiator person check the radiator out. Your Transmission might need an auxiliary oil cooler mounted in front of radiator. Mine has a small one. Hope this helps you. "homer" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted June 10, 2016 Share Posted June 10, 2016 Normal. It's a tiny engine pulling 6000# All though the transmission will drop to a lower gear as needed OD should be left off if it does that until you are on level ground.Your closest competition in a drag race would be a fully loaded log truck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero Posted June 13, 2016 Share Posted June 13, 2016 On 6/9/2016 at 1:26 AM, James Heyser said: I LOVE my new Dolphin, but something is a little off. Actually two things, possibly related so I guess I should list them both... It idles smooth, gets decent mileage (13-15 mpg), but it can't always maintain 55 in 4th gear (OD) on level ground. If it had just 5-10% more HP... You need a 4.56 ratio rear-axle instead of the 4.10 if you want to use OD. Keep in mind there is no lock-up converter so when you force it to go in 4th OD, you cause a lot of converter slippage and excess heat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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