Allison Transmission Tech Advice

[silverman]

It Was a friend.
I did not had $2500 that AMCCO Was asking for.
All the clutches were replaced along with a rebuild valve body.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Sounds like the friend came up short in the skills department. Hope the $2500 doesn't turn out to have been the less expensive option. 

 

[silverman]

All I did was ask in this forum as to what may be wrong.
It makes no difference who did the transmission! If you don't have anything Good to say just don't say anything at all.
I don't need remarks like that. Just looking for a solution to the problem.

 

[Wizard46]

Sorry if I came on wrong. Was going to suggest that if it was AAMCO or similar that I would contact them first.

Maybe allison man will answer soon and have some advise.

 

[Smitty77]

Allisonman,

I've been researching the ability to add a bit more power to our coach. We have 2004 era Cummins ISL370. Our current max torque output is 1200, which I understand to be the Allison max torque of the 3000 MH.

I've been given 'free' advice (could be good, or could be worth what I paid for it!), that the 3000 MH will handle up to 1350-1375 pounds reasonably safely.

-Not from Allison, as I understand their cap
-I assume Allison added a safety fudge factor, engineers like to be cautious.

If I can find away to safely bump power, say to the 400-450HP/1325-1375 torque range. It would be primarily for 4th, 5th 6th gear usage. When in traffic passing situations, or hill climbing. (Ideally, it would be great if a Mod'd ECU Supplier, would have the program set to not kick in the extra power, unless in 4th, 5th 6th.). Sure not looking for 'light to light' or 'king of the hill' racing. (Heck, if they provided a driver seat control for when the ECU mod was activated, I would probably leave it off the bulk of the time.)

Looking for opinions on:

1) Are the above ranges, if watching temperatures, relatively safe for the 3000 MH?
2) If not, do you have a maximum recommended increase torque cap, above what Allison recommends.

I've enjoyed reading this thread, and learned much. Just flushed the 04 at 20K miles, and gave it a new batch of Transynd. Probably would not have flushed it, if it was not for some of the items I read in this thread. As it made me read the owners manual, which had the 'years' clause in it, in addition to 100K miles. I flushed based upon years.

Best to all, have fun, be safe,
Smitty

 

[34footer]

All the clutches were replaced along with a rebuild valve body.

Your problem may be in the valave body, unless an oil ring or seal was installed wrong. Your forward cluctch pack is not locking up. You should be able to the pressure at the forward clutch pressure point on the trans case. Also check the torque readings for the vavle body to case.
J

 

[BernieD]

Smitty

Not sure how, but the hp can be bumped to 400hp. The Allison MH3000 in 2004 was rated to 400h and 1200#' torque. Make sure your cooling system can handle the hp bump. I have the ISL 400 and the main difference is the engine compression brake rather than the exhaust brake on the 370. With the same 1200#', performance should be fairly close.

 

[Larry2896]

I have a 2002 Winnebago journey with 275hp cummins and 5 speed Allison 2000 series trans.
the Trans light came on today.  I noticed the tach needle "jumping up" and the trans acting like it was slipping.
In the past this has happened and I fixed by stopping, disconecting the battery and cleaning the cables and connections, but this is the first time the trans light has come on.
the fluid level is fine and does not smell burned.  Cleaning the battery ends did not fix the problem.
what should I do next?  thanks

 

[Smitty77]

Thanks Bernie - Ours is a 2 stage Jake compression brake. Cooling/temps are a concern, but I think with care and monitoring - we should not have a problem. If I can find a 'boost' in power, I'll add extra cooling if needed.
Best,
Smitty

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

The 3000 MH is now rated for 1250 lb-ft and 450 hp, up from the previous 1200/400. That is to accommodate the newer ISL engines that have a higher output.  Not sure if there was any change to the tranny to do that, but my guess is that they just changed the numbers and reduced their comfort factor a bit. Motorhomes aren't hard on trannies, which is why the MH is rated higher than the same physical tranny in city bus or dump truck.

Bernie - the ISL 370 is available with a 2 speed Jake too.  It's an option on the 370 but standard on the 400. I have an ISL 370 with the Jake, as does Smitty.

 

[Icemaker]

Hello Allison-Man,

My question is Will my 94 5.9 mated to  545 4-speed have any heating issues in a 32' M/H pulling  CRV and staying in the 60mph range. I'm trying to figure out the cruise control issue so I don't go from 50 to 70 all the time. It's my first experience w/a non-locking tyranny. The power train is stock, minus the muffler, and I can't see a benefit to changing those because the fuel savings would not recover the cost.

George

 

[Bagginz130]

I have a 1994 FL70 with a 6 speed pushbutton trans. The trans decided that it likes to shift when it wants to and randomly downshift we think it's low on trans fluid and is throwing it out of wack. How many quarts of trans fluid does it hold do you know? Can get additional info if needed

 

[Ned]

If you have the electronic fluid level feature, you can read the level right on the shift pad.  Get the transmission up to operating temperature, park where the motorhome is level, and press the up and down arrow keys at the same time.  The display will read out the level, OK if it's find, or how many quarts high or low.  If you don't have that feature, then use the dipstick.  Check your Allison manual for the details.  It will also tell you how many quarts your transmission will hold.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

To get the fluid capacity, you need to know the transmission model, eg. 3000 or 4000, and whether it has a standard or extra-large sump (oil pan). Since this is in a truck rather than a motorhome, the transmission is likely from the Allison Highway Series, e.g. 3000 HS, rather than the Motorhome series (e.g. 3000MH). A call to Freightliner can get that info for you, if you do not have the Allison owner manual for your rig.

 

[msully52]

I have an 07 GMC with Allison trans. The other day at -38 degrees he truck had set for 3 hours, I started it and let run for 30 mins. It would not move in any gear. The message said  range shift inhibited. Any ideas?
Thanks

 

[Jim Godward]

In all likelyhood, you were at fast idle.  It does it to me whenever I forget to tap the brake and hold it before shifting when idle is at ~1000 RPM

 

[travelbum]

Hello all: I am new to this forum (and forums in general) so please forgive me if I mess up on any of the protocols I should be following! I have a 2000 Monaco Knight with a Cummins ISB260 and Allison 1000 transmission. My RV has about 73,000 miles on it now.  When the transmission is cold and particularly when I am parked sloping forward, I experience a temporary problem with engaging the transmission. The transmission initially engages, but with the slightest load, it shifts in and out of gear and clunks. This actually happened to me the last 2 days of cold starts on a 2500 mile RV trip.  After a few seconds, and when I can get some more load on it, it performs fine. My fluid level is fine and the fluid looks pink with no burnt odor. My idle rpm is about 600 and I am careful to let it idle for a few minutes before setting off. Other than this, it seems to perform flawlessly. we I've read through this forum and noted that it could be something to do with the torque converter draining tf.  Any advice or direction would be much appreciated!

 

[Utclmjmpr]

After you have let it idle "for a few minutes", try bringing the RPM up to 1000 for 10-15 seconds to fill the torque converter, then at idle slip it into gear.>>>Dan

 

[bm02tj]

I have a 1999 FL80 Freightliner with a 3126 Cat and a MD3060 trans to shift into 6th I Have to run it up to 70 mph in mode

this will cruise nicely at 60-65 mph on the flat in 6th

is there a way to get into 6th with out going up to 70mph

Thanks in advance  Bruce

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

My guess is that the transmission controller would have to be re-programmed to change the shift points. My 3000MH shifts at about 60-61 unless I have the pedal floored. 70 mph seems awful high - you might want to have yours checked at an Allison service center. What RPMs does it shift at?