An Innovative new torque converter lock-up kit

[old Jack]

No training required. Just turn it on and leave it on. Mines been faultless since I installed it months ago.

Yes, turn ON and forget, this was the design criteria for Auto Mate!

OJ.

[Poita]

I fitted mine on the weekend. Agree with what's been said so far. Nice kit but wires to resistor need a bit more length.
Gear changes a little rougher and at times tries to hold fifth for a bit long, you can feel the drive train groaning a little bit.
But super easy to use, love the double push to set 4th as top gear when towing. And no more trying to stall at the lights as it automatically disengages!!!
Biggest temp I've seen so far (no towing yet) is 65 degrees, so working brilliantly.

Hopefully installing the paddles this weekend.

[Andythiing]

Installed mine and have just left Adelaide today for first outing towing the van - left late at 6pm so just stopped at Tooleybuc - happy with performance this far - do I need to lock in 4th only option for flat towing or is it ok to leave with 5th if it seems to be locking up fine?

[old Jack]

Hi Andy,

You will only need to lock it into 4th if you find Auto Mate is shuffling between 4th and 5th gears too regularly. This is most likely to happen if you have a head wind or are going up gradual inclines where you need a little more accelerator to maintain speed. More likely to happen if you are using cruise control rather than foot control. Also dependent on the speed you are traveling at, weight of what you are towing and the frontal area of what you are towing.

Auto Mate Mate can only respond to the electronic inputs it gets from the vehicle, it cannot see down the road. For example if you are approaching an incline and are driving a manual transmission car you have 2 options, you either apply some more accelerator in advance to get a little speed and momentum up or you change down a gear to get the engine rpm up before you get to the incline. Like Cruise Control or a normal Automatic transmission control, Auto Mate does not respond in advance but waits until it detects a change in vehicle speed, a change in engine load, a change in accelerator input by either your foot or by the cruise control, and then it changes down a gear. Like wise Auto Mate can not see the incline is going to getting steeper so if all parameters are correct it can change up a gear when, if you were driving a manual transmission or or auto manual mode you would not change up, but hold the gear and the higher engine RPMs until the road incline reduced again.

Hope that helps. Safe travels.

OJ.

[dreamerman]

I think that the wires from the gold resistor could be a little longer, maybe 30mm, as it would be easier to keep them away from the sharp edges of the ECR cover

Hi Marshall, will it be ok to cut and extend (solder) the wires? Will that cause any warranty issues? I have not installed it but trying to learn as much as I can first. Thanks

[jkwpajero]

I have been out continuing testing the Automate in undulating country and what a difference it has made. My experience so far is an improvement in fuel consumption as well as lower ATF temps. The only time I have seen 8.5 liters per 100 ks prior is cruising on the freeways on a light throttle, never in undulating country at 100kph. My Pajero has been lifted and runs AT tyres, which contribute to extra fuel being used by way of aerodynamic changes and extra rolling resistance. The torque converter used to unlock at the hint of a rise in the road and that is much decreased now. I tried the 5th gear lockout and that is all operating. The down changes are a little more harsh, more like changing down in a manual gearbox. Overall I am very impressed and can't wait to hitch up our lard arsed camper for a six week trip at the end of August. Just a couple of observations in regards to fitting. I think it would be possible to mount the resistor under the transmission ECU mounting plate, as there is room. It would just require setscrews and nylocks to hold it in place. I used conductive paste under the resistor as well when I mounted it as per the instructions. I sacrificed a thin neoprene stubby holder to give some vibration protection to the control module when mounting that. Just underneath and the side of it. I hope this helps anyone contemplating adding an Automate to their vehicle.


James

[m_and_m]

Hi Marshall, will it be ok to cut and extend (solder) the wires? Will that cause any warranty issues? I have not installed it but trying to learn as much as I can first. Thanks

That I fine so long as the additional wire gauge is equal to or larger - 5 amp rating.

You shouldn't need to cut wires, rather you'd solder an extension onto the end of the wires you want longer. Suggest you check first whether or not you need to make them longer. I recently started making them a bit longer and your cable may be ok.

I makes sense to protect the wires with some insulation tape too.

[dreamerman]

Cheers Marshall

[Andythiing]

Hi Andy,

You will only need to lock it into 4th if you find Auto Mate is shuffling between 4th and 5th gears too regularly. This is most likely to happen if you have a head wind or are going up gradual inclines where you need a little more accelerator to maintain speed. More likely to happen if you are using cruise control rather than foot control. Also dependent on the speed you are traveling at, weight of what you are towing and the frontal area of what you are towing.

Auto Mate Mate can only respond to the electronic inputs it gets from the vehicle, it cannot see down the road. For example if you are approaching an incline and are driving a manual transmission car you have 2 options, you either apply some more accelerator in advance to get a little speed and momentum up or you change down a gear to get the engine rpm up before you get to the incline. Like Cruise Control or a normal Automatic transmission control, Auto Mate does not respond in advance but waits until it detects a change in vehicle speed, a change in engine load, a change in accelerator input by either your foot or by the cruise control, and then it changes down a gear. Like wise Auto Mate can not see the incline is going to getting steeper so if all parameters are correct it can change up a gear when, if you were driving a manual transmission or or auto manual mode you would not change up, but hold the gear and the higher engine RPMs until the road incline reduced again.

Hope that helps. Safe travels.

OJ.

Thanks OJ - just arrived on goldcoast 🥃 automate was excellent - only just read your post which made lots of sense and is basically what I ended up working out on trip 👍cheers Andy

[ant_schomacker]

Installed mine the other day with no real issues (I did break the drill bit halfway through the second hole though).

A couple of pairs of medical forceps with a kink (google magills forceps) that I borrowed from work made very light work of the plugs under the transmission tunnel.

Early days yet, but it looks like between 2.5 (highway) and 4 (back dirt roads) l/100 improvement in the fuel economy which I’m most impressed with.

I’m off to cairns next week so I’ll compare on / off with an almost 1200km round trip (head down off & back with it on).

[Dicko1]

Installed mine the other day with no real issues (I did break the drill bit halfway through the second hole though).

A couple of pairs of medical forceps with a kink (google magills forceps) that I borrowed from work made very light work of the plugs under the transmission tunnel.

Early days yet, but it looks like between 2.5 (highway) and 4 (back dirt roads) l/100 improvement in the fuel economy which I’m most impressed with.

I’m off to cairns next week so I’ll compare on / off with an almost 1200km round trip (head down off & back with it on).

You getting the ecu remapped?

[ant_schomacker]

You getting the ecu remapped?

It’s on the books when I have enough money for it. I found a place in Cairns that will do the remap (egr delete to be confirmed) and dyno before and after for $1100.

[4ePikanini]

I wanted automate but for my NS only lockup mate is available.

Ordered and paid. Hoping the fuel savings will pay for itself over the next year or three across the pond in South Africa. I should be able to extend the ATF change intervals as well which is another saving as the DIA Queen fluid is pricey.

Sent from my S60 Lite using Tapatalk

[old Jack]

I wanted automate but for my NS only lockup mate is available.

Ordered and paid. Hoping the fuel savings will pay for itself over the next year or three across the pond in South Africa. I should be able to extend the ATF change intervals as well which is another saving as the DIA Queen fluid is pricey.

Sent from my S60 Lite using Tapatalk

Fuel savings?
If fuel is $1.50 a litre and LM8 or AM8 saves 1 litre per 100 kms and you only travel 15,000 a year this is a $225 a year saving so even with low kms travelled and low savings it will pay for itself in less than 3 years.

On my Challenger, I had the tested the first Lockup Mate for 10,000km and have now had Auto Mate Serial No 1installed for just over 20,000kms. Fuel savings are between 5% and 25%, it really depends on the where you are driving, what loads you are carrying/towing and how you drive. Both LM8 and AM8 keep ATF temps under control so even under hard conditions 90C is rarely reached and if so it is only for very short periods, without the TC locked 115C to 120C were common peak temperatures when the vehicle was working hard. Byproduct of lower ATF's is lower engine coolant and engine air intake temperatures as the engine doesn't need to work as hard for a given level of performance, NO TC slip = More usable power!

For me the biggest gain has been the driving experience of being reconnected to the vehicle, LM8 and manual mode of AM8 turn the slow rubbery slush box into a clutchless manual so driving hilly terrain and fast dirt is far more satisfying.

OJ.

[Andythiing]

Agree with OJ - I have only had automate installed for a short time but used on my recent trip to Qld - 5000km over 4 weeks - I’m estimating at least 10% fuel savings but more importantly for me the driving experience and towing was so much better - I don’t have ability to monitor temps but trust the experience of others that it’s protecting my AT as well