[Fridgy69]

Hi all,

I have found a manual GU I want to buy but have read a few comments on the forum where owners rave about autos. Could some who own manuals please comment on whether they are prone to have more problems or not. It's a ZD30 I'm looking at buying.

Regards

 

[Flarra]

Hey mate,

was in a position where I wanted an auto ,mainly for smoothe gear changes through the sand.Having said that in the end I went for a manual 2nd hand with a lot of fruit and I have to say having the manual is a treat.Its all about control and with the manual....for me at least I change when I want to and have no issues with upshifting or down shifting as some have had.What ever way you go both are good,had some fun in mine and intend of having more.

ps

roll start is always a plus

2004 Gu ST-S Patrol
2in lift
33s
turbo timer
dawes valve
egt and boost guages
and more


Flarra

 

[dlp81]

stick with buying an auto, really nice to drive and makes 4x4'ing a piece of cake

 

[lg 91]

what dlp81 said i love my auto in the bush

 

[pommienick]

Mines a manual, my mates is an auto. I noticed on the beach he was coping much easier than me. The loss of momentum while changing gear was the issue but you get used to it and its not a big problem.

 

[GU Col]

Gudday mate, whilst i love my auto I guess i would sum it up like this:

General 4x4ing, bush and city driving....great
Sand driving........great
Engine braking down [email protected]

My 2 cents

 

[GU Duke]

My choice - manual all the way; but then I live in Vic and do a lot of steep stuff where the engine braking is a big factor. I also prefer manuals in 'cars' as I like to feel like I'm actually driving!!! I prefer the control.

Autos are on there own though for beach / sand (as already pointed out) And for really slow rock crawling where youll be riding the clutch and wishing you had a 3rd foot in a manual.

Must say though - I drive a TD42T, so turbo lag isn't much of an issue. Having a torque converter to mask Turbo lag might make an auto ZD30 much easier to drive than a manual??? Try to test drive both and make up your own mind on this one.

 

[bennoGU28]

Must say though - I drive a TD42T, so turbo lag isn't much of an issue.

Its on 3.9s, dont kid ya self.

 

[GU Duke]

Its on 3.9s, dont kid ya self.

Hey, I never claimed it's fast!!! Just that turbo lag isn't much of an issue. Have driven in convoy with ZD30s that were constantly hunting between 2nd and 3rd to keep it moving on the windy hills, when I just left it in 3rd.

How do you expect diff ratios to change turbo lag anyway????

 

[Graham99]

Hi there

I currently have a manual 3L. I'm surprised when people tell me they have to slip the clutch to get it off the line. I dont really need to slip the clutch to get moving, the only time is when I want to take off quickly, which is really a waste of time because the 1st - 2nd gear change usually cant be raced.

If I was buying again, however, I think that I would go for the auto. Benefits are on road performance, cruise control, and I think the auto would be better for slow technical 4wd stuff, where the manual is a PITA. The other way out would be a 43% reduction gearset for the transfer case, so I can drive along in 1st low at walking pace or slower.

 

[Robin Miller]

No bias here fridgy69 as I have one of each (4800's ) - see thread below , many good comments there.


http://www.patrol4x4.com/forum/general-patrol-discussion-17/how-good-autos-63033/

Robin Miller

 

[Joeker]

I was always a manual man (if that makes sense?), but when we found our current Troll it had the auto and the leather seats that SWMBO preferred, so we bought it.

I have to say that I am now a convert. The auto allows the engine to slip up to effective revs when taking off and keeps things spinning along. Initially I didn't like the fact that the torque converter didn't lock up until it was over 80kph, but with all the troubles that ZD30s seem to have, keeping it spinning and keeping the cooling effect of all that air blowing through the engine seems to be a good thing.

On top of that, the slow off road and all sand work is much easier.

I'd recommend the auto.

 

[fnqcairns]

It to be brutally honest we are all individuals with differing past experience and interests so the choice depends on whether if you can actually drive a manual well if you can then it's the most cost effective choice over the life of the vehicle, just spend a few hours at a boat ramp to see the gross range of manual skill levels I am talking about here.

Some people do manuals very easy in the bush some (dare I say most today?) make it a difficult exercise.

Categorize yourself honestly and the choice will be clear, even in the roughest of terrain this still holds true.

Simple skills like heel-toeing help but mostly driving a manual is a skill that needs to be learnt through practice, anyone can drive an auto 'well enough' pretty easily.

 

[the evil twin]

Confining my comments to ZD30's as per the OP

Biggest mechanical issues with the manuals...
Dual Mass Flywheels
Clutch wear and failures

Biggest mechanical issues with the Auto's...
... uuummm... none?

Mines a Manual but the Auto ZD30's go very nicely indeed as the Auto box suits the somewhat peaky torque of the engines, yes, they do hunt a little but so what, thats because they want to stay on that torque curve.

I have absolutely no issues recommending the Auto ZD30 over the Manual in general but up to the user and what they want to do.

My manual truck has a few performance mods to increase torque and flatten the curve so I don't do quite as much pedal work as a stock Manual. Clutch is nice and light and the missus drives the vehicle a lot and has minimal negative comments and she has to put up with the continual stop start of city driving.

FWIW very few threads on here about Auto mechanical issues but a higher percentage with Flywheel and Clutch issues.

 

[Bruza 2]

Confining my comments to ZD30's as per the OP

Biggest mechanical issues with the manuals...
Dual Mass Flywheels
Clutch wear and failures

Biggest mechanical issues with the Auto's...
... uuummm... none?

Mines a Manual but the Auto ZD30's go very nicely indeed as the Auto box suits the somewhat peaky torque of the engines, yes, they do hunt a little but so what, thats because they want to stay on that torque curve.

I have absolutely no issues recommending the Auto ZD30 over the Manual in general but up to the user and what they want to do.

My manual truck has a few performance mods to increase torque and flatten the curve so I don't do quite as much pedal work as a stock Manual. Clutch is nice and light and the missus drives the vehicle a lot and has minimal negative comments and she has to put up with the continual stop start of city driving.

FWIW very few threads on here about Auto mechanical issues but a higher percentage with Flywheel and Clutch issues.

Pleased to see your comments are related to the ZD30, as with the highlighted paragraph it is becoming more apparent that this does apply to the smaller engines, and not the larger capacity ones.

It seems the smaller capacity diesels are more suited to auto, as with the peaky torque, and off boost they lack power, the torque converter makes up for this and masks turbo lag on the small engine.

So yes, because of the engine power, clutches would suffer.

Unfortunately for the OP, tangibly, the auto would be better.

Never thought I would utter (print) those words. (Having a benno moment)

 

[Graham99]

The discussion on autos will always be based around the ZD30 in the diesels as the slug doesnt come in an auto version, and I dont think that putting an auto on the back of a TD42 is easy, as there is not enough sensing off the motor for the auto to work.

 

[peterowensbabs]

Never had an auto before in my life but Im sold on the auto in my rig (4.8L) - love it.

 

[Jezza944]

The Patrol was my first Auto after many manuals. I can't recommend enough that you get an Auto with the ZD30, they go really well togther. The only problem area is very steep downhill offroad sections, and that can be easily fixed with a set of Marks 43 or 85% low range gears. Just use the cash you won't have to spend on clutch and dual mass flywheel replacements.

 

[Nutta]

Chuck 2 1/2 tonne on the back of a manual and try a steep hill start, if you can.

That may help in a decision.

Good luck either way.

 

[geordie4x4]

Chuck 2 1/2 tonne on the back of a manual and try a steep hill start, if you can.

That may help in a decision.

Good luck either way.

Agree with that,
I used a (cough cough) Land Cruiser 100 GXL 4.2 turbo for a long time as a work vehicle to tow a 2.5 tonn boat all over WA. The manual Cruiser pulled it bloody well but was always a struggle on steep beach or boat ramp takeoffs.

I have since towed the same weight of boat with my auto Patrol and the little ZD30 with auto just crawls it up the boat ramp with no wheel spin, no clutch slip and cant stall.