Former Allison Transmission Fluids Engineer

[hzjcm8]

Originally Posted by MO Fred

Tom.... I recently had my MT 643 trans fluid changed. They put in Archer Synthetic Multi-Vehicle ATF. Have you any experience with that?

Sorry. No. I have no data on this product. Many of these products are rebranded from products manufactured by bigger companies such as Shell, Mobil, Castrol, Chevron, etc. Rebranding means that the product is exactly the same but in a different vendor's container. Most of the time they are all blended at the same facilities. These smaller oil companies are referred to in the industry as "mom and pops". Some of these small mom and pops are members of ILMA (Independent Lubricant Manufacturers Association) but not all of them. So, I'd be leary of the quality and whether or not it's had any testing. My recommendation is to get a fluid analysis once every 6 months or so. It's what I'd refer to as the Ronald Reagan approach .... "trust but verify".

Bottom Line: Their website shows no credentials for the fluid. If you've got the can then you can check for a GM DEXRON or Ford MERCON license number but I'm betting you won't find one. It should have "tracability" back to some licensed product.

I always recommend an Allison TES-295 approved fluid. You'll find a list at On-Highway Fluids

Hope this helps !!!

[MO Fred]

Originally Posted by hzjcm8

Sorry. No. I have no data on this product. Many of these products are rebranded from products manufactured by bigger companies such as Shell, Mobil, Castrol, Chevron, etc. Rebranding means that the product is exactly the same but in a different vendor's container. Most of the time they are all blended at the same facilities. These smaller oil companies are referred to in the industry as "mom and pops". Some of these small mom and pops are members of ILMA (Independent Lubricant Manufacturers Association) but not all of them. So, I'd be leary of the quality and whether or not it's had any testing. My recommendation is to get a fluid analysis once every 6 months or so. It's what I'd refer to as the Ronald Reagan approach .... "trust but verify".

Bottom Line: Their website shows no credentials for the fluid. If you've got the can then you can check for a GM DEXRON or Ford MERCON license number but I'm betting you won't find one. It should have "tracability" back to some licensed product.

I always recommend an Allison TES-295 approved fluid. You'll find a list at On-Highway Fluids

Hope this helps !!!

Thanks Tom. This really helps. I have decided to change it out to be safe. Fred

[Old Scout]

Evening Tom,


Quick question regarding JG Lab report on my 2003 era Allison 3000 tranny. Ref report DA-47986, sample -H397364 on Comp 4755T Sev.2....Over the last two years an approx. 25k miles the lead criteria on three reports has gone from 34 PPM, to 43, and most recently 50. Tranny has about 165k total miles, and this change of Transyd is going on 6 years and 60k miles. Remarks on the last report suggest I drive 2500 more miles and sample again. At this point, I'd be more incline to just change fluid/filters now vs going only 2500 more miles and sampling again. What am I missing with regard to a fluid change; and is the trend for increasing lead in my tranny a near-term issue?

[hzjcm8]

Originally Posted by Old Scout

Evening Tom,


Quick question regarding JG Lab report on my 2003 era Allison 3000 tranny. Ref report DA-47986, sample -H397364 on Comp 4755T Sev.2....Over the last two years an approx. 25k miles the lead criteria on three reports has gone from 34 PPM, to 43, and most recently 50. Tranny has about 165k total miles, and this change of Transyd is going on 6 years and 60k miles. Remarks on the last report suggest I drive 2500 more miles and sample again. At this point, I'd be more incline to just change fluid/filters now vs going only 2500 more miles and sampling again. What am I missing with regard to a fluid change; and is the trend for increasing lead in my tranny a near-term issue?

Old Scout,
Don't worry about checking the fluid again until next year and don't change it either. Just continue to check the transmission fluid annually. I see nothing in the report that tells me otherwise. Our computer algorithms are very conservative since TranSynd can stay in service in an Allison transmission for such long periods of time and RV service typically varies significantly from one individual to another. So, 2500 miles could be 2-3 years for some owners who don't use their RVs as much. Consider that the lead has only gone up 16 ppm (parts per million) over the last 15,000 miles. The lead is no doubt coming from the bushing but there are no signs of any excessive wear.

[samschudi]

Hello Tom,
Looks like you staying very busy with all these questions, but your services are very much appreciated. I do have a question though.
Just had my 3000 serviced with new fluid and filters at a local Allison service center. Their technician tested and checked the fluid level, was too high so they removed some oil and rechecked the levels. Second time the levels were correct.
I doubt they run it up to 140 degs, so how would they get s cold or sub 140 fluid level? The dip stick shows the cold level is well below the ADD mark, It shifts and runs perfect. Is there a may to get a trusted COLD Level fluid level, other than the dip stick that really can't be proven accurate?

Thanks for any help you may have,
Sam

[AKIQPilot]

I finally got my tranny fluid sample in to JG Lubricants for testing. Testing and turn around time was nearly instant. Maybe 24 hours to complete the lab work on my transmission fluid.

Well there is nothing but good news. The fluid in the Adventurers Allison MH2100 shows no abnormal findings. There is a slight amount of iron, lead and copper but these must be well within the expected limits.

I do have a couple of questions. The lab would like to know some followup info so they can accurately compile the data on my fluid and transmission.

1. What type of filter do I have? It's the original 2006 filter from when the transmission was made.
2. What is the micron rating of this filter?
3. Who is the product manufacturer of the fluid?
4. What is the product name?
5. What is the product grade?

Hoping Tom can shed some light on these questions. My sample tracking number is 17111V03535 if that helps at all.

Thanks again for the super quick turn around and all the info you provide to the forum.

[RayJr]

Tom, I don't know if I asked you this already? CRS! I have a 2003 Winnebago Journey on a Freightliner pusher chassis with a C7 Cat and Allison 3000 trans. I found antifreeze in the Allison 3000 and trans fluid in the radiator expansion tank. Apparently the cooler/heat exchanger sprung a leak and now the question is how much trouble am I in with the Allison?? The motor flush is rather straight forward but the trans is the big question. Thanks Ray

[hzjcm8]

Originally Posted by samschudi

Hello Tom,
Looks like you staying very busy with all these questions, but your services are very much appreciated. I do have a question though.
Just had my 3000 serviced with new fluid and filters at a local Allison service center. Their technician tested and checked the fluid level, was too high so they removed some oil and rechecked the levels. Second time the levels were correct.
I doubt they run it up to 140 degs, so how would they get s cold or sub 140 fluid level? The dip stick shows the cold level is well below the ADD mark, It shifts and runs perfect. Is there a may to get a trusted COLD Level fluid level, other than the dip stick that really can't be proven accurate?

Thanks for any help you may have,
Sam

My recommendation would be to use the dipstick as it should be the most accurate. RV should be on a level surface with engine running and transmission in neutral (wheels chocked) or park. This will give you the "dynamic fluid level" or the level where the fluid is maintained while pumping and circulating through the transmission and cooler circuit. Static fluid level (engine not running) could give a false indication.

[hzjcm8]

Originally Posted by AKIQPilot

I finally got my tranny fluid sample in to JG Lubricants for testing. Testing and turn around time was nearly instant. Maybe 24 hours to complete the lab work on my transmission fluid.

Well there is nothing but good news. The fluid in the Adventurers Allison MH2100 shows no abnormal findings. There is a slight amount of iron, lead and copper but these must be well within the expected limits.

I do have a couple of questions. The lab would like to know some followup info so they can accurately compile the data on my fluid and transmission.

1. What type of filter do I have? It's the original 2006 filter from when the transmission was made.
2. What is the micron rating of this filter?
3. Who is the product manufacturer of the fluid?
4. What is the product name?
5. What is the product grade?

Hoping Tom can shed some light on these questions. My sample tracking number is 17111V03535 if that helps at all.

Thanks again for the super quick turn around and all the info you provide to the forum.

I've updated your record to show Castrol TranSynd fluid and 35 micron filter. The MH2100 has two filters. The one in the pan is simply a "rock catcher" and doesn't get changed out until overhaul. The spin-on filter delivers fluid to the "Control Main" circuit that feeds the control solenoids.

[hzjcm8]

Originally Posted by RayJr

Tom, I don't know if I asked you this already? CRS! I have a 2003 Winnebago Journey on a Freightliner pusher chassis with a C7 Cat and Allison 3000 trans. I found antifreeze in the Allison 3000 and trans fluid in the radiator expansion tank. Apparently the cooler/heat exchanger sprung a leak and now the question is how much trouble am I in with the Allison?? The motor flush is rather straight forward but the trans is the big question. Thanks Ray

Antifreeze in the transmission fluid can be bad news if there's alot and it's been in there for a long time. The coolant can attack the clutch plate material that bonds the friction surface to the steel friction plates. We always said "0" coolant in the tranny fluid. However, I'm not aware that we ever did experiments to see how much was too much. I would drain the fluid, change out the filters, install new fluid, drive it for around 1/2 hour, drain it again and fill it again with fresh fluid. Then, get the transmission fluid and engine coolant tested by JG Lubricant Services to confirm the transmission fluid and the coolant are now free from cross contamination.

For motorized RVs (especially Class A's), we recommend that the engine oil, transmission fluid, generator oil, and both coolants (main engine and generator) be tested annually to verify whether or not there are significant changes in physical and chemical properties, wear metals and contaminants. That will do a lot toward heading off problems and keeping the systems as reilable as possible. This might be good advice for all forum members.

[AKIQPilot]

Originally Posted by hzjcm8

I've updated your record to show Castrol TranSynd fluid and 35 micron filter. The MH2100 has two filters. The one in the pan is simply a "rock catcher" and doesn't get changed out until overhaul. The spin-on filter delivers fluid to the "Control Main" circuit that feeds the control solenoids.

Thank you Tom.

I will be sending in the transmission fluid sample from my SunCruiser early next week.

[ualdriver]

I have a new to me 2013 Fleetwood Excursion with about 19,000 miles on it. I have no maintenance records. The Oasis Freightliner dealership said not to bother changing the transmission fluid yet. I'll probably do the analysis in the next few months after the end of this camping season.

QUESTION: I read the Allison 2100 Manual, and it says to use, "Any Schedule 1 TES 389 or TES 295" transmission fluid. Also, the engineer who is nice enough to post on this thread I believe on another forum provided a link to Allison showing a list of fluids that meet these requirements:
On-Highway Fluids

I'm confused by the list of these different fluids. For now, I just want to know what kind of fluid I should buy now in case I need to "top off" the transmission fluid for whatever reason. When I read the bottom of the TES 389 and TES 295 tabs in the Allison link above, they seem like totally different fluids with different change intervals? Can I add either TES type to the fluid currently in the transmission now?

So what kind of fluid should I use "for now" just to keep a quart in the RV in case I need to replace fluid?

What kind of fluid should I use if a future fuid analysis or the maintenance schedule calls for fluid change?

As I look at the different brands that are in each of the TES 389 ad TES 295 tabs, is it basically a "Coke" or "Pepsi" argument where any of the brands will due, it's just a subjective personal preference?

Thanks.

[edgray]

I would not worry about needing to "top off" your tranny. I do believe in analyzing the existing fluid to make sure it is not contaminated, and that may also determine which ATF you have, however I believe you will find it is TES-295, which I believe is the best ATF available.

[ualdriver]

Originally Posted by edgray

I would not worry about needing to "top off" your tranny. I do believe in analyzing the existing fluid to make sure it is not contaminated, and that may also determine which ATF you have, however I believe you will find it is TES-295, which I believe is the best ATF available.

I'd still like to keep a quart or two in my kit, just in case.

And where do you even get this stuff????? I just spent 30 minutes checking Walmart, Amazon, Autozone, etc., on the web and none carry it? If someone just wants a quart or two where do you get the stuff?!?