What is that mechanism??

[arnoldv]

What is the thing that holds you up when you're uphill?? You know when you're uphill and you let go of the brake, the car would still hold (auto)???

What is that????

 

[jimbo74]

um nothing.... it is being in gear at all... and you aretn supposed to do that.... it can screw up the tranny

 

[Alec]

It's being in a forward gear, the tranny is providing resistance to backwards movement.

Some high-end offroad vehicles do have an electronic "hill climber" clutch which can help you ascend and decend hills easier, but we don't.

 

[Stephen S]

It's the same as when you are sitting in gear on flat ground and you let off the brake and the truck rolls forward. If the uphill grade is just right, the truck will stay without holding the brake. If it is too steep, it will actually roll backwards, even if you are in Drive. It's just that the engine is spinning the torque converter just enough to keep the truck from moving up or down the hill.

 

[mosinman]

It is not bad at all for your tranny unless you do it for long periods of time on purpose. It is part of the normal operation of your auto tranny as explained in the above posts.

 

[JDraper]

Subaru has built in a "hillholder" for years. You pull up to a stop on a hill, press down the clutch and release the brake. The vehicle will not roll backwards, the clutch releasing is what releases the brake. It's kind of a clutch activated line lock.

 

[Maniak]

On the a4ld, in drive (or 1st).. you will roll backwards if the hill is steep enough.. In 2nd it doesn't roll back.. Someone (tranny shop) explained it to me.. because I thought something was broken.. but aparently this is normaly for the a4ld (unlike the c6 in the van which wont' roll backwards in 1 or 2)

~Mark