Community Forums

monarchman53 · 05-26-2011, 04:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DAN L

do you store your moho in the winter?
i left my moho sit unstarted for a couple of months. most of the torque converter oil drained into the transmission pan.
my alli 1000 transmission holds 14.1 quarts. i drained 13.5 quarts including the filter. i refilled with 13.5 quarts of amsoil tes 295 fluid. that is a 95.7% fluid change which is good enough for me.

if you were to drain 10 qts, refill with tes 295 fluid, then drain again imho you would have 71% the first time and about a 95% fluid change the second time at considerable more expense.

don't forget to take the magnet off of the old filter and reinstall it on the new filter.

So you're saying that if I drain it in the spring I'll get most of the fluid in one shot? How big a deal is it to run say 20% Dex 3 with 80% synthetic for one season and then do a second change the next?
thanks,
Rod

DAN L · 05-26-2011, 07:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by monarchman53

So you're saying that if I drain it in the spring I'll get most of the fluid in one shot? How big a deal is it to run say 20% Dex 3 with 80% synthetic for one season and then do a second change the next?
thanks,
Rod

imho, no big deal, just more expensive.

i would recommend changing the filter both times.

hzjcm8 · 05-26-2011, 07:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AFChap

My records say 2 year change interval (anywhere from 8-22k miles) at cost $240-$290. I am not doing any oil analysys.

My '02 Spartan chassis came with DexronIII. If it came with Transynd I most likely would be using it. As indicated before, my experience with synthetics (very limited, yes) has not been good. On the other hand, dino oils have served me very well.

AFChap,

I'm not buying or selling .... just trying to help. As an engineer, I'd want to see the failed parts from your differential to determine the failure mode. I wouldn't just toss out synthetics because you had a bad experience .... could be it wasn't oil related at all. Anyway, to each his own. If you like the mineral based oils, then keep using them.

PS: I'm guessing from your "handle" that you may be an Air Force Chaplain. Is this correct? If so, great. I'm a Christian and an Air Force veteran ('68 - '72).

Hope I can convince you back to synthetics sometime. But, I can tell you that all synthetics are not created equal. There's a lot of variation in synthetics. Some sheardown and lose viscosity and some are only partial synthetics. The name "synthetic" has been convoluted since Castrol won a law suit that allowed them to call Group III base oils synthetics. I my mind, a true synthetic is made from PAO base oils only. TranSynd is only Group IV PAO (polyalphaolefin).

hzjcm8 · 05-26-2011, 07:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by monarchman53

My '03 Allison 1000 has 25000 miles on it and I would like to change it over to TranSynd. I keep hearing about "the two change change". I understand the principal but am not sure of the process. How far do I need to drive it after the initial change before draining and filling the second time. Also do I need to use two filters (one for each change) or one? If one, do I change at first or second fill?
Thanks,
Rod

Monarchman53,

Drive it around for maybe 1/2 hour just to be sure it's shifted through all the gears and warmed up. You just want to circulate it through the torque converter and cooling system. You don't need to wait any longer than that before doing the second drain and refill. I don't believe it matters much on the filter but, to make it easy, just change it before the second refill. That should do it for another 150,000 miles.

Happy Motoring !!!

hzjcm8 · 05-26-2011, 07:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DAN L

do you store your moho in the winter?
i left my moho sit unstarted for a couple of months. most of the torque converter oil drained into the transmission pan.
my alli 1000 transmission holds 14.1 quarts. i drained 13.5 quarts including the filter. i refilled with 13.5 quarts of amsoil tes 295 fluid. that is a 95.7% fluid change which is good enough for me.

if you were to drain 10 qts, refill with tes 295 fluid, then drain again imho you would have 71% the first time and about a 95% fluid change the second time at considerable more expense.

don't forget to take the magnet off of the old filter and reinstall it on the new filter.

Dan L,

When did Amsoil get their TES-295 approval?

DAN L · 05-26-2011, 08:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hzjcm8

Dan L,

When did Amsoil get their TES-295 approval?

to my knowledge amsoil never applied to allison for tes-295 approval because amsoil is manufactured to exceed tes-295 standards and amsoil is free to improve the formulation constantly.
the allison approval process is onerous and expensive for a manufacturer.

all amsoil fluids are covered by the amsoil warranty.

the amsoil torque-shift warranty is not just for x amount of miles or time. this is very important for me because my allison is 9 years old and out of warranty by allison even if i had transyd in it.
please see this website for more info and comparison between transyd and amsoil torque-shift.

https://www.amsoil.com/storefront/atd.aspx

hzjcm8 · 05-28-2011, 06:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DAN L

to my knowledge amsoil never applied to allison for tes-295 approval because amsoil is manufactured to exceed tes-295 standards and amsoil is free to improve the formulation constantly.
the allison approval process is onerous and expensive for a manufacturer.

all amsoil fluids are covered by the amsoil warranty.

the amsoil torque-shift warranty is not just for x amount of miles or time. this is very important for me because my allison is 9 years old and out of warranty by allison even if i had transyd in it.
please see this website for more info and comparison between transyd and amsoil torque-shift.

https://www.amsoil.com/storefront/atd.aspx

Dan L,

I see no performance or durability test data here; only physical and chemical comparisons. I'm not trying to be annoying but you have to understand that tests are required by any OEM in order to pass their specifications. I'm not even interested in the durability test that Amsoil always claims they couldn't run because Allison tore down the stand. That test is now obsolete so it's no longer a factor. But, I can tell you that when a few of the major oil companies began to ask how they could test against the sprecification, I personally sent copies of the TES-295 specifications to both Independent Test Laboratories (Southwest Research Institute and Intertek Automotive Research) so that any oil company could run all the tests and get qualified. It's a very expensive proposition for an oil company but the spec was made available to anyone interested.

Please know that I can be convinced with data. If Amsoil would ever present performance data for each test in the Allison specification, and the tests passed, then I'm right there with you in Amsoil's defense. There's really no point in arguing about this since we have no performance data to view. Amsoil just needs to come out with a side by side performance comparison showing the data from their Frictional Properties Test, Wear Test, Foam Test, and Seals Compatibility Tests. Otherwise, it's only opinion and we're wasteing our time.

geodays1 · 06-01-2011, 01:42 PM

My 2001 Newmar came from factory with Dextron and have changed filters and fluid at recommended intervals! I now have 76K miles and considering change to Transsynd. Will I benefit from this change at this mileage since everything is working fine! your comment is appreciated.

hzjcm8 · 06-01-2011, 03:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by geodays1

My 2001 Newmar came from factory with Dextron and have changed filters and fluid at recommended intervals! I now have 76K miles and considering change to Transsynd. Will I benefit from this change at this mileage since everything is working fine! your comment is appreciated.

Geodays1,

Your motorhome's powertrain (engine, transmission, differential, and cooling system) is designed for at least 300,000 miles and will probably do more than that.

So, yes; in my opinion you would benefit from changing to TranSynd. Change the filters per Allison recommendations and "top off" the transmission fluid with TranSynd after each filter changes since you'll lose some fluid when you pull the filters.

You can "do the math". Let's say you have a 300,000 mile change interval on TranSynd vs. 25,000 mile change intervals with a DEXRON-III fluid (if you can find one). That's a total of (1) fluid change with TranSynd vs. (8) fluid changes with DEXRON-III. So, you've saved yourself (7) fluid changes over the life of the powertrain. Most of the money you pay when you get a transmission fluid change is for labor; therefore, by changing to TranSynd you can save whatever you're paying for labor times (7). At this rate, the cost of the TranSynd pays for itself. This is what New York City Metro found out when they changed to TranSynd and they have 4500 buses. They saved tens of millions of dollars on their fleet by switching to TranSynd a few years ago.

NOTE: Be sure the mechanic knows you're running TranSynd so he doesn't contaminate it by adding either DEXRON-III or DEXRON-VI. If you like, you could use oil analysis at each filter change to sample the used transmission fluid to verify that the TranSynd remains stable (no oxidation, no viscosity loss and no contamination) during the 300,000 miles without a fluid change.

Hope this helps !!!

Tom

RJohn · 06-07-2011, 02:39 PM

My 45' Monaco is shuttering when the RPM's drop to around 1300 waiting for a downshift. If I manually downshift it goes away. My question is, has anyone experienced this problem? Could it be a engine problem rather than the transmission? I have changed both fuel filters.

hzjcm8 · 06-07-2011, 06:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RJohn

My 45' Monaco is shuttering when the RPM's drop to around 1300 waiting for a downshift. If I manually downshift it goes away. My question is, has anyone experienced this problem? Could it be a engine problem rather than the transmission? I have changed both fuel filters.

RJohn,

Sounds like you're either not shifting at the correct output speeds or the lockup clutch is not releasing. I would have the shift linkage and the speed sensors checked.

docj · 06-16-2011, 08:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hzjcm8

Geodays1,
You can "do the math". Let's say you have a 300,000 mile change interval on TranSynd vs. 25,000 mile change intervals with a DEXRON-III fluid (if you can find one).

I'm late to this thread and I apologize if I missed something when I read through it.

You refer to the 300k change interval for TranSynd, but doesn't Allison still recommend a 3-4 yr change cycle? I'm not saying TranSynd isn't a good idea (I'm using it), but for MH use it won't provide as much of a cost savings as it does for bus fleets, etc, since we will end up changing on a time basis rather than mileage. We're new at FT RVing, but it looks like we're going to have <15,000 miles this year. At that rate I might have 50-60,000 after 4 years but nowhere near 300k.

hzjcm8 · 06-16-2011, 08:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by docj

I'm late to this thread and I apologize if I missed something when I read through it.

You refer to the 300k change interval for TranSynd, but doesn't Allison still recommend a 3-4 yr change cycle? I'm not saying TranSynd isn't a good idea (I'm using it), but for MH use it won't provide as much of a cost savings as it does for bus fleets, etc, since we will end up changing on a time basis rather than mileage. We're new at FT RVing, but it looks like we're going to have <15,000 miles this year. At that rate I might have 50-60,000 after 4 years but nowhere near 300k.

Docj,

If you do oil analysis, you can run until the analysis says an oil change is necessary. That's Allison policy but it's buried in the small print. Distance and time based changes don't apply if you do oil analysis. I wish the forum would just let me publish the oil analysis stuff but I'm obeying the rules.

TNStreamer · 06-29-2011, 08:54 AM

I have a 2009 Winnebago with the W22 Workhorse chassis and Allison 1000MH transmission with 3000 miles. Last week on a return trip on I26 from NC to TN there was a short period where the steep grade caused the transmission to shift to 2nd. The water temp went to 222 degrees and the RPMs were around 4000. The transmission apparently vented because my toad was lightly coated with trans fluid. I did a cold check of trans fluid level the next day and it showed to be about a half inch below the cold level mark. Is it normal for venting to occur in these conditions? The transmission had not previously leaked any fluid. Also, should I change the spin-on filter now rather than wait for the 5000 mile interval since the transmission was probably built in 2008?