I have read many threads as well as web pages that talk about the Allison shift modes. They always mention regular or economy mode as a possibility. I have seen pictures of the shift control panel that have the word "economy" above the mode button. I have read and understand Brett Wolfe's excellent article on the economy mode versus regular. No problem there... What confuses me is that on the shift control panel on our 99' U270, the label above the mode button says "power", not "economy". I understand from reading various articles by and about Allison transmissions that these transmissions are capable of being programmed to suit the end user requirements. My question is this, does the label above the mode button on our coach mean that perhaps Foretravel customizes shift modes to suit customer requests? Does the label on ours mean some other shift pattern is programmed into the ECU than the usual "economy" setting?
Just curious as it will be awhile before we will be on the road where I can test the differences between the two mode options...
Thanks!
Don
Don,
My '99 U320 shift panel is labelled ECONOMY. They can be set up so either position is default.
Don,
Best answer is to PROVE how yours was programmed because as you say it could be programmed either way, though virtually all RV's have Power Mode as the default mode. So you need to push the Mode Button each time the engine is started to run in Economy Mode.
On your next trip, after the engine is warmed up, do a 0-50 MPH at WOT (Wide Open Throttle) with mode OFF and then repeat with ON.
Note highest RPM in each gear before each upshift. RPM before upshift will be lower in Economy Mode.
Brett
Thanks Brett. I guess that is the only way to know for sure... Looking forward to trying it! It seems common sensical to me that the mode light comes on when you push the mode button and that the label above, in our case "power" would indicate indicate the shift mode now chosen. So my theory to be tested, is that our default mode is economy and that the mode light on indicator means it is in power mode only when you push the mode button after start up.
Don
There used to be a video (VCR tape) you could get for free from Allison which covered the 3000MH and 4000MH transmissions and mode button use. It's not available anymore BUT... we just happen to have a copy AND Steve knows how to pull video off VCR tapes and compress the data down so it can fit on the forum. It's in the files section.
Warning - this is a LONG video, almost 19 minutes, and over 80 MB (for those with bandwidth concerns)
http://www.foreforums.com/index.php?action=media;sa=item;in=1829 (http://www.foreforums.com/index.php?action=media;sa=item;in=1829)
Michelle
Don,
I have a 99 U270 and my transmission console is labeled power. It defaults to the economy mode on startup. Power mode must be selected.
Mark Z
Yes, Allison can program either as the default mode. The VAST majority of motorhomes have Power as the default and Economy as the "push button to select".
Irrespective of labeling, I would do the 0-50 test I suggested above to verify that the label agrees with the ECM programming (they are two different pieces of hardware).
My 97U270 display only says "Mode On". And when the "Mode On" displays, the transmission is in Economy mode.
Peter
I'm using Firefox on Windows 7 and cannot get the video to play.
Peter