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mikel4x4 · 08-04-2015, 07:44 PM

hello wise and skilled RV people. I am new to this forum. I recently acquired a 1994 southwind by Fleetwood diesel pusher class A motorhome. Its a model xln 34 foot. it wiring is by ford, freightliner chasis,Cummings diesel motor, Allison transmission and made by Oshkosh. Now here is my problem. The lady I bought it from drove it to California a month before I bought it. prior to that she drove it here in bullhead Arizona from Oklohoma. The mlage is 28,000 miles. it ran great when I bought it. here is my problem. I tried to move it from a lot to my storage lot. It started just fine transmission pad lit up ok shifted ok then as I was backing it into a stall it all went dead. trans lights went out and would not move engine on. I shut the engine off and looked over the wiring. I went back to start the engine and the tranny pad would light up for 8 seconds then go dead engine still running. I shut off engine started again, this time the engine would crank over 5 5 seconds then stop cranking. over and over again same thing. I had to remove the drive line to park it in the stall. I have had fleet services come out and check out my problem. the tech said he could not find anything wrong with the wiring $250.00 later no answers. I have replaced the two 6 volt batteries, new starter, new key ignition tumblers, new relays for the engine and Allison trans electric box. I checked all my grounds and chassis battery is good. still no engine start or trans pad light up. I can go to the starter direct and jump starter and run the engine just fine. I just can't get the ignition switch to start engine or send power to the transmission pad to shift tranny. prior to all this replacement parts I simply had a no shift light on the display. CAN ANYONE HELP ME OUT HERE. THANK YOU...MIKEL

Dtwallace · 08-04-2015, 09:22 PM

It sounds like you have a TCM (transmission control module) disconnect or failure issue.

I'm assuming you have already check your fluid level in the trans prior to moving it to get an idea of the fluid condition, (IE) no burning smells or moisture.

Normally if a trans component had failed, you would still have access to diagnostics at the pad. Your description therefore leads me to believe you have either a shift pad failure or disconnect, or as mentioned a (TCM) issue.

One question, why did you have to remove the drive shaft to move the coach?
Was it locked up at the trans?

Reason I ask, unless towing at over approximately 35 MPH for more than 1/4 mile, there would be no need to set up for long towing.

mikel4x4 · 08-05-2015, 08:00 PM

response to " why did I remove the drive line to move the motor home" the fleet services tech that checked it out removed it. Tech told us it would not move if trans was not operating properly. Do you have any suggestions on where or who to see to get TCM or touch pad at a reasonable price ???. I am located in BullHead city Arizona. That's across the river from Laughlin Nevada. 100 miles south of Las Vegas. Thank you for your knowledge. It is very helpful.

Greg2 · 08-05-2015, 09:23 PM

Mikel4x4....Slow down....I know not being able to move your coach when you want to or need to makes one anxious, I went thru that not long ago myself.
*My suggestion is to contact a Freightliner shop and have them check it out. In my case they sent a technician to my coach and got me working after an hour or two. YMMV.
*If you feel inclined, get some contact cleaner [CRC brand comes to mind, but any brand is fine] and remove, spray and reconnect any connector that appears to be transmission connected. Might fix it, might not but if it doesn't you can rest assured that you tried and the connectors are making good contact. Check any ground wire you find also.
*As far as the no start on the engine, if the engine computer does not sense the trans is in 'N' it will not crank over. Fix the trans pad problem and probably the engine will start.
*Good luck, and please post what you found to be the culprit for every ones benefit.
*As far as new parts, there is a company in Texas that will rebuild your bad part MUCH cheaper than buying new, or rebuilt as far as that goes. Use Google to find them.

Pexring · 08-05-2015, 10:16 PM

Yes please post how this was fixed.

johnhicks · 08-06-2015, 03:14 PM

Your TCM is probably attached to the backside of the touchpad. Reach up behind the pad and you should feel two big plugs plugged into the TCM. Wiggle them. If no difference, try to unplug them and plug them back in.

A source for rebuilt TCMs is Transmission Instruments

A new TCM is around $2500.

Greg2 · 08-08-2015, 01:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnhicks

Your TCM is probably attached to the backside of the touchpad. Reach up behind the pad and you should feel two big plugs plugged into the TCM. Wiggle them. If no difference, try to unplug them and plug them back in.

A source for rebuilt TCMs is Transmission Instruments

A new TCM is around $2500.

Yep. That's the company I was thinking about.

HarveyP · 08-09-2015, 09:23 PM

DISCONNECT the chassis battery BEFORE disconnecting or CONNECTING the wiring harness to your ECM at the transmission shift pad!!!!! As to the problem of no lights at the shifter and no start, I have had this happen. First let me say that Transmission Instruments is a very good company that I have used to rebuild a 1994 transmission shifter module after someone local ( I was trying to save money) really messed up. On the website, you will find a troubleshooting page that is great. Before you even try that, look near your battery for a fuse holder on a small wire. This is the wire that feeds power to the transmission "brain". My first experience was that the fuse was fine, but just a few feet forward of the fuse was a bad butt connection on the wire. Follow that wire and find it's companion wire which is the ground wire feeding the brain. Both will be directly connected to the battery. On mine, the last few feet leading to the battery were probably only #12 or even #14 gauge wires leading to the Allison supplied wires that are #10 gauge or larger. I have found in the past few years that both wires needed to have original crimp connections cut out because of corrosion and soldered back together properly. My repairs were within 10 feet of the battery connections. Our 1994 problems most often seem to be electrical in nature now, mostly because of corroded connections now. You can get this fixed, doing most of the work yourself. The man at transmissioninstruments.com is named John. Check my past posts for more details. Tell him Harvey from Kansas says hello.