3000 transmission shifting

[mhughes]

On my way back home from the 419th Holiday Rambler Maintenance session in Goshen IN and presently parked at at KOA in Ely NV.

Noticed yesterday, after leaving Odgen UT that the transmission shifts are now slow, meaning the engine revs slightly between shifts. Feels like it is releasing one set of bands or clutches before it engages another.

Checked fluid level with the shift pad and it shows "OK". No codes.

Coach has 66k miles with Transynd.

Comments, suggestions or advice would be welcomed.

[Skip426]

Do you notice any slight lack of power from the engine?

Partialy plugged , fuel or air filters , can effect engine power , and that will effect trans performance.
If you noticed the issue , within hours of a fuel up , changing the engine fuel filters would be the first step.

[mhughes]

No noticeable change in engine performance or power.



Noticed it at the end of driving about 650 miles on a tank. On the way to the fuel station I stomped the throttle and it seemed to shift normally and seemed improved for a short while.

[onechaddude]

Originally Posted by mhughes

No noticeable change in engine performance or power.



Noticed it at the end of driving about 650 miles on a tank. On the way to the fuel station I stomped the throttle and it seemed to shift normally and seemed improved for a short while.

Mike, just a wild thought here so may or may not be relevant. Did you by chance unhook or disconnect the trans control module or batteries at the MS? They say if the TCM is unhooked from power it can take several hundred miles for the trans to "relearn" how you drive. Just came to me as a possibility. If this is not the case then I'm at a loss for possibilities. Sorry I can't help further.

Chad

[10Boomer]

Mike same thought, I recently had all batteries disconnected for a day. I had a similar issue when driving back to base. Seem like the trans wasn’t sure what to do immediately, driving it to Sacramento later this week, I’ll let you know if I have the same issue still after trip. Hope you find it too.

[96 Wideglide]

Not related to Mike's problem, but I just wanted to mention, If you ever get caught in stop & go traffic, in one of these side rad coaches, keep a close eye on your trans temp.
I was recently in a very slow moving line at a border, and found my trans temp had climbed to over 130 deg !!

Need to shift into neutral as often as possible in these slow creeping lineups.

[10Boomer]

Originally Posted by 96 Wideglide

Not related to Mike's problem, but I just wanted to mention, If you ever get caught in stop & go traffic, in one of these side rad coaches, keep a close eye on your trans temp.

I was recently in a very slow moving line at a border, and found my trans temp had climbed to over 130 deg !!



Need to shift into neutral as often as possible in these slow creeping lineups.

130? Mine is pretty close to engine operating temperature after a few hours of driving, sometimes less. I average 190-195 normal operating temperature in summer, 185 ish winter. The 130 has me scratchen my head![emoji848]

[CountryB]

Ben may be relying on the dash gauge - which are notoriously inaccurate. If you have an Aladdin or ScanGauge or other engine scan/monitoring tool, use that to determine the true temp.

On my Allison, I replaced the temp sending unit for dash. My old sending unit (for dash gauge) was at least 100 degrees too low.

[Rustygold]

Originally Posted by 10Boomer

130? Mine is pretty close to engine operating temperature after a few hours of driving, sometimes less. I average 190-195 normal operating temperature in summer, 185 ish winter. The 130 has me scratchen my head![emoji848]

Mine too. 180 -190 range. 130 seems really low and might mean the gauge is misreading the true temps.

[windsorbill]

could be a typo at 230. My fat fingers do that all the time.

[mhughes]

I haven't disconnected the batteries or ECM/TCM. In the final stages of our 6000 miles trip.

I first noticed something odd when pulling into a rest area while traveling from West Yellowstone to Ogden. Very hard downshift into first just as I stopped. Thought the toad had come off and hit the back of the coach.

Trans seemed OK until I got to Ogden then noticed the soft shifting (engine RPM increase between gears). This continued as I went on to Ely NV.

I have about 500 miles to go before getting home. We'll see how it goes.

Is it possible the trans has learned to shift like this due to the long downhill ride from Yellowstone?

[mhughes]

Shifting is still odd after another 250 miles. Worst is the shift from 3rd to 4th.
Usually soft and slow with an rpm increase during the transition but sometimes it is perfectly normal. During the climb over some 6500ft passes it shifted normally, although sometimes harsh.

Pressing the economy button causes all shifts to be extremely harsh, both up and down.

Going to disconnect the batteries and reconnect. Perhaps the ECM/TCM simply need rebooting.

[CountryB]

Before disconnecting batteries and possibly erasing any clues (codes) see if you can pull stored codes. Perhaps your "transmission warming light" is not working or there are codes stored but not serious enough to illuminate the warning light.

I have an Allison Diagnostic manual but it is too large to attach here (its 650KB). PM me with your e-mail if you want a copy.

[sjholt]

You might check the alternator voltage output.
Skip H.