we recently got a 2004 forester xs.

the anti-rollback clutch/brake interlock is really annoying -- if i didn't know how to drive a stick, i would have bought an automatic. i'm tired of dragging the brakes when i back out of my driveway.

is there an easy way to disable this feature? pull a fuse? have the dealer reprogram?

paul

 

I hated the Hill-Holder for the first several months. Peaty has photographs that will help you locate the adjuster for the hill holder. You have to remove the washer-fluid bottle to reach it. There is a threaded adjuster on the end of the actuating cable. Backing off on the adjuster (counter-clockwise) reduces the hill-holder effect however much you wish.

Check with Peaty for more details.

In the meantime, a few HH tips that you might not yet have discovered might be helpful.

1. The HH brakeforce is a direct function of how hard you're pressing on the brake pedal at the instant that your wheels stop turning - OR at anytime after that, prior to starting up again. So, the less brake pressure you apply as your car is just reaching a stop, the less the hill holder will interfere with your next startup.

2. I often use the opportunity, while sitting at a red light, to shift in my seat for a more comfortable position. If you're still in gear with clutch and brake pedals depressed while doing this, it can result in inadvertently applying a LOT more brakeforce, which sets the hill-holder with so much brake pressure that getting the car started again became very difficult. So: At the very end of each approach to a stoplight or stopsign, use as little brake pressure as possible and then make sure you don't apply more anytime during the stop. Then, lightly-set the hill holder will release much more easily.

3. I've now developed the habit of stopping at a light, then setting the handbrake, shifting to neutral, and releasing the clutch and footbrake while I wait for the light to go green. Then I shift back into gear, release the handbrake, and drive away. When this procedure is used, the hill-holder doesn't engage at all and thus won't interfere with getting rolling again.

You might try experimenting with these approaches to reduce the negative effects of the hill holder. Or you might prefer to just back off on its adjuster to defeat it entirely. Again, Peaty can supply those details.

 

great stuff -- thanks.

since i'm really not interested in changing the way i drive in this car, simply to have it screw up my driving in others, i'll look into figuring out how to back off the adjustment. thanks for the tip.

who, or what, is "Peaty"? (i'm new around here. :-)

 

pleased to meet you, peaty. :-)

thanks for those pictures and info. good stuff.

i'll have to decide whether our hill holder is simply
out of adjustment, or whether i want it gone
altogether. i agree with whoever said the hill angle
for engagement should be adjustable -- a 3
degree slope is way too shallow.

thanks again...