driving down steep down hill

[william husband]

hi everyone just joined and loving the motorhome way of life i have a fiat ductao 1.9td auto roller 4 berth
one question when driving down steep hills rather than breaking all the time would second gear be ok or any tips you could help me with
going uphill fine nice and slow not over doing then engine.
thanks william.

 

[funflair]

I really fancy a Telma retarder on our next van

Martin

 

[MHdreaming]

I often wonder about this. On my motorbikes the brake fluid is kept between an expandable diaphram / rubber seal on the top of the master cylinder and the pipes & slave cylinders.

Where on earth is moisture going to get in?

I think most car systems are the same.

 

[TheAleMan]

I really fancy a Telma retarder on our next van

Martin

Yep, me too.

 

[Hymer Life]

I really fancy a Telma retarder on our next van

Martin

I fancy having one retro-fitted to our Morelo. I'm just looking into it now as it happens; you just know when you need a little extra to help with the braking and I thought that from the first time we travelled in "running order". I don't know why the manufacturers don't fit them as standard on the larger vehicles.

ZF makes a hydraulic retarder which I'm just looking at too; that bolts onto the back of the gearbox so may be easier / quicker to fit.

It seems there are only two places in the UK fitting the Telma according to their website
Take a look at this link to see a Telma Retarder + motorhome

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[funflair]

I fancy having one retro-fitted to our Morelo. I'm just looking into it now as it happens; you just know when you need a little extra to help with the braking and I thought that from the first time we travelled in "running order". I don't know why the manufacturers don't fit them as standard on the larger vehicles.

ZF makes a hydraulic retarder which I'm just looking at too; that bolts onto the back of the gearbox so may be easier / quicker to fit.

It seems there are only two places in the UK fitting the Telma according to their website
Take a look at this link to see a Telma Retarder + motorhome

I didn't know about the ZF hydraulic retarder but I don't think it will fit on the ZF 8 speed according to the blurb I have read, our local North East Truck and Van at Stockton have a special engineering division and they will fit Telma as an upgrade I believe.

Martin

 

[Southdowners]

We had an issue with our brakes in Norway last year. We were coming down a very steep descent with hairpin bends which went on for miles. We were flagged down as smoke was pouring out of one of the rear wheel arches. We had been using our gears as well as our brakes so were surprised.

We got the vehicle into a Fiat garage and they checked the brakes and everything was OK. They said their 12 tonne hydraulic lift could cope with the weight of the vehicle and that we were overweight but we knew we weren’t as we’d visited the
Weighbridge before we left the UK. The paperwork they gave us confirmed our actual weight and we were underweight.

Given that nothing was wrong with the vehicle we decided to do pull over on long descents to cool down.

 

[Guigsy]

Stay in a low gear. On steeper descents, you'll still build speed. Don't trail the brakes, instead brake stiffly periodically. Keep the speed low. The longer you take to descend, the more heat you can radiate off.

 

[Jake Royd]

Just an additional comment about the water content in your brake fluid.
Yes, it makes sense to change it, probably not at a 2 year interval which could well be 'money making' for the garages.

You can have the content checked with a small device at the garage or you can buy these relatively cheaply.
Devices like these:-
Amazon product ASIN
You can argue that this is not as safe as changing the fluid and you would be in all probability correct but it's a useful second.

It also seems plausible that the bit of fluid that you can get to in the reservoir is the bit with the highest content?

 

[Jake Royd]

Ooo er, sorry about the amazon link.

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[Hymer Life]

I didn't know about the ZF hydraulic retarder but I don't think it will fit on the ZF 8 speed according to the blurb I have read, our local North East Truck and Van at Stockton have a special engineering division and they will fit Telma as an upgrade I believe.

Martin

Hi Martin,

It seems they are into the larger trucks and busses but I have just emailed ZF to find out if it is available as an aftermarket upgrade for the Iveco Daily (likely not though). Let's see.

I emailed Telma about this a month ago and they didn't reply. There are two Telma dealers in the UK from what I can see on their dealer network site. And you are correct, North East Truck and Van are one of them.

They do make one for the Iveco Daily - the A50-90, I believe. I'll give them a ring to find out more.