Allison 3000 Shifting Problems

[RobRV]

Today I needed to move my 1998 Dutch Star a short distance and it had the dreaded No Shifting issue. it’s an Allison 3000 series transmission with the standard shift pad that only indicates R N D and has the Eco Mode plus up and down Arrows for manual downshifts . Long story short we eventually were able to get the rig rolling but in order to shift from D to R I had to shut it off restart and stab the shift pad. And then only by having my son pull then replace the 10 amp fuse .

I’m asking anyone who has had this issue to offer advice on what parts may need to be changed in order to correct the issue!

[Skip426]

Have to ask ; What Chassis is your DSDP on , Freightliner or Spartan ?

Was the 10 amp fuse in a module like the first or second picture below ?

Have you located the Allison ECU ( Electronic Control Unit ) ? In the third picture which module do you have ?

[wolfe10]

What are the DIAGNOSTIC CODES (accessible from the shift pad)?


And voltage (chassis battery) is 12+ VDC when this happened?



And we are assuming that engine idle speed was not too high (which would cause the D and R to flash and not go into gear.

[RobRV]

I’ll try to answer both questions at once .BTW I have been able to get it to shift into D. 6 and R as well as Nuetral. So all seems to be normal.
The only Code that was registered was d1 350. I kid you not that’s all that is in there!

Now it is a DSDP on a Spartan Chassis with a C8.3 Cummins 38 Foot model 3883 .
So far I have not found the Control module so I can’t say which one it is.the 10 amp fuse was in the compartment just ahead of the Batteries. There is a fairly large Panel with several relays none of which are marked Trans! The Fuse labelled trans had not blown !


What seems to have solved the problem at least for now and it likely needs further treatments is this!

I read somewhere on line that the keypads respond to being rubbed with the clickey end of a ball point pen . So thinking what the heck heck I gave that a try! With the engine off and key out of the ignition I carefully rubbed each key with firm pressure. Then started the engine and like magic she went into drive then neutral and finally into Reverse! I have repeated going up and down as well as directly from D to R !

I will come back to this posting from time to time to report how long this cure lasts or if it fails !

I will be looking on line for a replacement keypad from a salvage yard that I can take apart and examine. As far as I can tell it’s not made much different from a television remote control or any other momentary switching device. They all get dirty and can usually be disassembled components cleaned then popped back together.

[RKins]

Rob, you may want to send your shifter (mine has the control module inside the shifter) to Transmission Instruments and get it rebuilt. They rebuilt mine and it was like a new one when I got it back - John is the owner and knows his stuff.
https://www.transmissioninstruments.com/

[RobRV]

That is certainly an option . The problem with doing that for me is that I live in Canada . Shipping items back and forth across the border is not an easy task at the best of times and with the current situation It’s nigh on impossible .
I discovered that there may be a repair kit available through a local Allison Shop so am researching that option as well.
I did manage to get my rig moved and have been able to shift it several times with no problems but obviously need to be prepared for an eventual further issue.
Thank you for your response. I will keep the lines of communication open!

[RKins]

Your tranny relies on a fully charged Chassis battery bank to operate normally. You might want to check that.

[Ray,IN]

The ECM and TCM must be installed by the MH mfgr. because mine are located above the engine on the hatch framework below the bed.