Starved vehicle for fluids on hill climb?

[LckydevL]

Yesterday, I am cruising in the mountains and decide to stay at this lodge in a state park known for its million dollar mountain view (yes, it was beautiful). After crawling up the mountain to the lodge and parking. I noticed a very burnt smell coming from the engine compartment. I couldn't identify if it was oil or transmission fluid but again it was very, very strong.

From the entrance of the state park to the top of the mountain where the lodge is located was approximately 1 mile and it is a 26% incline grade. The road was a perfectly smooth and well maintained asphalt road. I was in a 2011 Honda Civic LX with the R18 motor with 4spd automatic trans. Trans and engine fluids were checked a week before and upon returning home from the trip. Fluids were at the correct level.

My speed was about 10-15mph in 2nd gear and I never turned more than 3k rpms the whole way up the mountain. Water temp was normal and the outside temps were around 50*.

Is it possible I starved the motor or transmission of fluid on this hill climb and if so which one? I have been up this mountain with other vehicles and never experienced this burnt smell before. So I am concerned if this a design issue or if this a component failure of some sort.

 

[Klutch9]

I wouldn't worry at all. Where I live, it's very hilly. Many people have driveways that are way more inclined than the road you were on, and I have idled my car for quite awhile on those driveways and have never had an issue. I always have that thought in the back of my mind; that I am somehow going to starve the engine of oil. But I have never noticed anything odd happen, and the oil pressure light has never come on.

 

[fsskier]

The smell could also be a hot catalytic converter, or a hot exhaust manifold but.....

You were going 10 to 15 mph in second gear at less than 3,000 rpm???
Why not low gear? With the engine at that rpm at that low of speed you would be slipping the torque converter a LOT. That makes tons of heat.... the reason that it is so easy to burn up a transmission at very low speeds under heavy load. Use low gear.... the rpm will likely hardly rise but the mechanical gear reduction creates almost no heat, compared to the heat produced by your wildly slipping converter.

Ever notice the Tow/haul switch in a pickup?? in the towing position it downshifts earlier and upshifts later. A transmission temperature gauge shows the huge advantage of having the torque converter turning faster and using gears for your speed reduction.

 

[friendly_jacek]

Originally Posted By: LckydevL

approximately 1 mile and it is a 26% incline grade.


Sounds like torture for a car. Overheated transmission? Was the dipstick smoking?

 

[Papa Bear]

Originally Posted By: friendly_jacek
Originally Posted By: LckydevL

approximately 1 mile and it is a 26% incline grade.


Sounds like torture for a car. Overheated transmission? Was the dipstick smoking?


+1

 

[LckydevL]

Originally Posted By: fsskier
The smell could also be a hot catalytic converter, or a hot exhaust manifold but.....

You were going 10 to 15 mph in second gear at less than 3,000 rpm???
Why not low gear? With the engine at that rpm at that low of speed you would be slipping the torque converter a LOT.



The way the car is geared, 3k rpm at that speed is when the engine was just starting to wind up. In no way was I lugging the motor going up that incline. Low gear would have had the car screaming up the hill at that speed and was not necessary.

I have been around and have smelled burnt transmission fluid and motor oil before. It wasn't one of those I am sure. Your guess of a catalytic converter or manifold is a good possibility. We were cruising for most of the day, about 5hrs or so and then decided to stay at the mountain top. So the vehicle was definitely running at full temp for awhile and then I beat on it some more at the end of the trip.

 

[eljefino]

Were you in manual 2nd or did it choose it for you? If you choose manual 2nd, does it lock out 1st or can it drop to first if it needs to?

 

[artificialist]

For all I know, you got a plastic bag stuck to the exhaust system. That will always stink.

I highly doubt that your car was damaged by the climb, have you seen the torture test track that new cars are driven on?

 

[fsskier]

ummmmm no, your engine will not be screaming at 15 mph in first gear. That is definitely the proper gear for this application. Likely a speed of 20 mph or more would also be much better if the road is safe at that speed. If you just stopped on this upgrade and held the car in place by applying throttle you would VERY quickly burn up the transmission...at that point the converter is converting 100 percent of the applied power into heat. When driving At say 3500 rpm your torgue converter is slipping less than 10 percent, and likely less than 5 percent....a HUGE reduction in heat. Note, this is not theory but well established fact.

A torque converter reaches effective lockup.....even without the lockup clutch....by keeping it above 3,000 rpm. Both simple physics and experience shows that conventional torque converters get very hot with heavy loads and rpms below 3,000. And, sadly I do not believe the lockup clutch engages in any vehicle in the bottom couple of gears.

As I am involved in a large scale towing operation, I have often shown our drivers that incorrect gear selection will increase the transmission temperature nearly 100 degrees on a steep hill....compared to one gear lower.


As stated earlier, this smell may be other things. Still, no reason to torture the transmission fluid.