Question for Anyone with Southwind Ford V10

The engine is lugging trying to maintain set speed up the hill, IDK if it is hurting the engine but it would probably be best to take off the CC on big hills and pedal up the hill (losing a little speed but keeping the RPM at a lower level)
JMHO.

I disable the cruize on up-hill for this very reason. The cruize attempts to keep the speed uo to wherever it has been set, but when you hit a hill and speed falls off the cruize control essentually floors it resulting in downshift and high RPMs. It's trying to keep the speed to whatever it is set at, which it can't. Best to disable it before this occurrs.

X2 I turn off the cruise on steep hills and try to keep the RPM's under 4500.

jns wrote:


We are worried that it is hurting the engine.

jns

It won't hurt the engine. Sometimes it sounds frightening, but gas engines can rev high, the computer will prevent it from over-revving.

Don't push it but remember the V-10 has the best torque at a high rpm. I use to do what ever I could to prevent the high RPM but after reading about it here I let the RPM's work and noticed a little improvement to the fuel mileage.

I turn off the CC when going up hills and, no, you won't hurt the engine. It's working as designed.

If you read an owners manual for a car or motorhome, it tells you NOT to use cruise on hilly or mountainous roads or heavy traffic. It's purpose is for long,basically flat expressway type roads where you drive for miles and miles.

bass n bob wrote:
X2 I turn off the cruise on steep hills and try to keep the RPM's under 4500.

X3 or 4 or 5 :B
Pretty loud at that high RPM

It is normal, if you are trying to climb the hill without losing speed, which is what cruise control is trying to do. It is flooring the pedal until it regains the lost speed. If it can't maintain the speed that way, cruise will drop out, and you will have to do your own driving.

Your car will do the same thing on grades, in cruise. But your car may have enough excess power that it does not need full throttle, for as a long a time, to regain lost speed on a grade.

Running at 5400 RPM, even all day, will not hurt that engine, but it will use a lot more gas than a more reasonable approach to the hill. I prefer to tackle grades with my motorhome at a speed I can maintain in a gear that lets me run 3000-4000 RPM.

x?? above.

Hitting RESUME will suspend the CC and then when back on level ground hit RESUME to go back into CC.

My RESUME button gets a lot of use.:B