1999 Ult Adv/38

As some of you know, because you have helped me with some previous questions, I am new to the MH world but slowly learning.  I notice more details each time I drive or work with the MH.  I think I have worked out most of the initial problems and most of them were not real problems.  To bring things up to date:  -I got the water connected back up to the ice maker.  The previous owner had disconnected the tubing (without marking it) for winterization.  Finally found it.  -The radio was disconnected or something because the previous owner had installed a Norwood unit that does so many things that I will probably never figure them all out.  It is a radio, CD player, navigation unit, and the monitor for the rear view camera.  -I think I have now located most if not all of the switches for the lights but I still have to hunt for the one I want.  How long does it take to get to where you remember which switch works which light.  I still have a couple of non-critical item that someone might be able help me with.

There is a radio and CD player in the bedroom.  The both work but the volume on the CD player is much less than for the radio by itself.  The volume adjustment on the radio does affect the CD volume but it never gets loud enough to hear from more that a few feet away.
The indicatator on the transmission does not match the manual.  The manual shows 2 section 'Select' and 'Monitor'.  When in drive a 6 shows up on my indicator, however, I can't tell what gear the transmission is actually in unless I push the down arrow and then it shows the gear that it shifts to (i.e. 5).  I have been thinking ahead to long downgrades where I will need to use the exhaust brake.  I have read that I should use the same gear used to go up the grade, or one lower, for the down grade.  It is not clear to me that I will be able to see the actual gear used on the upgrade.  Just like on some of the other issues I am probably missing something very obvious.  However, I want to make sure that I can handle the step grades before I get into that situation.
Thanks again for all the previous help.

Paul will undoubtedly join in, but I'll add a couple of comments.

My Allison transmission indicator will always show "6" which is the selected gear (or normal.)  If I manually downshift, then it will indicate the selected gear, but not necessarily the attained gear (if I remember this correctly.)  My Allison 3000MH will not allow the operator to do something that would cause it to self-destruct.  You could be rolling along at 70 MPH and select second gear (or reverse) and the transmission controller is smart enough to know this would be a very bad thing to attempt, and it will politely ignore your silly request.

I have a Jake (or compression brake) and it is always on unless the roads are wet or it is snowing.  Using the Jake or exhaust brake will save your service brakes.

The typical Interstate highway grades are not much to be concerned with going down - even the seven and eight percent down grades unless they are miles long with a sharp radius curve aren't a big deal.  Your coach has a lot of wind and rolling resistance, so there isn't a huge buildup of speed.  We (like the truckers) like to use the downgrade to actually build speed (unless there is a sharp curve) and it is interesting to note speed buildup happens fairly slowly.

It is an entirely different matter when it is a very long downgrade (like 7-8%) and it is raining and you are on a secondary road.  Then you need to be in maybe third/fourth gear and on the brakes for a few seconds, then off the brakes for as long as possible, then repeat.  Being in the right gear is extremely helpful for controlling your speed.  The right gear limits the speed to whatever feels comfortable/prudent for the driver.

You are asking the right questions!

Hi Ellis ...glad you are enjoying learning the UA, and are getting some of the kinks out. 

The answers to your tranny questions will become a little more obvious after you do it a few times. Besically, when you are in steep enough climbs to be concerned about descent in the same gear you went up, you will be needing to manually downshift on the upgrade also.  In mountain terrain, you want to keep the engine RPM up to 2k or so while climbing. If you don't, the engine heat will start creeping up as the engine will be lugging. I watch the temp, and try to avoid the engine temp going much over 200, definitely not more than halfway between 200 & the next mark which would be 225.  After the first downshift automatically, mine will tend to begin shifting at a little lower RPM than desired to keep momentum & RPM up. Once the transmission has downshifited once into 5th, I downshift manually at no lower than 17k RPM when climbing. You'll learn as you do it a few times about what speed/RPM you can do a downshift, particually from 4th to 3rd and maybe even to 2nd. Shifting into 3rd or 2nd may in fact require you to slow down just a bit on the ascent, but you do what is required to gear down early enough to keep the RPMs up to prevent overheating the engine. A few times in the NW corner of the country I have been in 2nd on some pretty steep climbs and descents, and many, many times have been in 3rd. On those kind of descents it may occasionally be necessary to press firmly on the brakes to bring the speed down and then get off the brakes, but if you have selected the right gear and are content to slowly ride it down you will be fine. NOTE TOO that the Allison tranny will NOT make any shift it cannot handle it, regardless of what you select. It will not shift into a lower gear if the engine RPM is too high to do that, and even if you accidentally hit reverse it will not shift until it can be done without damaging the tranny/engine. In such cases, often the display with be flashing the gear you selected without making the selected shift. The tranny is ALMOST dummy proof. ;D

We rarely have put a CD in the bedroom radio, but it sounds to me like something not right on that one. My OEM radio has only the speakers in the ceiling directly above the head of the bed, so isn't as strong when you are not lying down ...but I would think the CD would put out just as strong sound as the radio...

I really appreciate your comments.  I am not overly concerned about driving a 38' motohome but I do recognize that my reflex reactions are not as good as they were at one time.  Therefore, I spend more time thinking about possibilities ahead of time.  Your comments help.  My previous similar experience is towing a 30' TT with a Ford F250 deisel truck.  I always let the truck automatically downshift on grades.  I can understand that might not be the best idea with a MH.  I could always tell which gear the truck was in without really thinking about it (of course there was only 4 to chose from).  I think I will get to the same point with the MH over time.  It makes sense to me to watch the engine rpm and temperature and mannually shift at times.  Again I appreciate your taking the time to comment.

In 1999, Allison made a big booboo by changing to a single digit display. Prior models and starting again a year or two ago, there was/is a 2 digit window showing your desired gear and your actual gear. With your version you have to monitor the tach very closely to figure out what gear you are in. Sort of like your car with the transmission in "D".

I assume you have a PacBrake or Jake Exhaust brake on your engine. When you start the coach, leave the brake on for at least 20 minutes to dry out any overnite condensation. Then you can turn it off or leave it on at your preference. Since I drive mostly with my cruise control on, I usually turn off my engine brake while the cruise is on.

When in the mountains, I suggest using your cruise control (your engine will run cooler and use less fuel) when climbing. Increase your cruise speed about 5mph, turn off economy mode and manually downshift to 5th gear. This will reduce gear hunting which causes heat and is less efficient. When you crest the climb turn on the PacBrake, it will downshift the  tranny automatically when you start to speed up. You probably have a setting that the transmission will seek 2nd gear (it might be 4th, tho) and downshift itself as the brake slows you down, and speed permits, toward 2nd.

With the Allsion transmission and PacBrake, almost the whole procedure for climbing and descents are automated and the equipment does a very good job keeping you in the right gear, even if you don't know which gear it is .

When you crest the climb turn on the PacBrake, it will downshift the  tranny automatically when you start to speed up. You probably have a setting that the transmission will seek 2nd gear (it might be 4th, tho) and downshift itself

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My 2003 UA is set to seek 4th with the exhaust brake. That will NOT keep you at a safe speed on a steep descent (...and I have on a few occasions experienced an automatic upshift from 4th to 5th when speed increased enough while coasting down a mountain grade with the exhaust brake), thus the need to manually select 4th, 3rd or even 2nd manually as you start a steep descent. In most cases you are likely already in the required gear as you top the crest so rather than upshifting to gain speed as you go over the top you just ease off the accelerator and start coasting with the exhaust brake.

It is "interesting" sometimes to be descending slow enough to safely negotiate curves, etc and have other motorhomes, RV trailers, and/or rental trucks fly past with the very definite smell of burning brakes... That happened several times last year when we drove I-90 across Montana & Idaho, and then US20 across Washington state. I have rarely been passed by a professional trucker on those kind of descents ...they know better...