We purchased a 1996 U295 a little over a year ago. Has barely 40,000 miles on it. Had a very destructive vibration which cracked the bellhousing and caused the starter to come out.....After $12,000 in repairs, there was still no improvement in the vibration. We took off the vibration dampner (sp) and low and behold the vibration ceased. But not before the new bell housing received some minor cracks around the bolts. Can this be repaired by welding? We've hardly used the coach and are excited to get her on the road. All advice is greatly appreciated.
The only things that can't be welded are a broken heart and the crack of dawn everything else is fixable including your bell housing. I have a feeling that when the damper was still on and causing a vibration then it was probably out of alignment. Does the torque converter have balance weights ?
The short answer is yes.
If the bell housing is detachable from the transmission it can be replaced with new, used or welded while detached.
Dampers are balanced when they are manufactured and are not "clocked" it shouldn't have caused the vibration. Was it the transmission damper on the 3000 series Allison? lots of issues with the P-3 bearing on them causing vibrations. Can you give more details as how you removed it and hooked up the driveshaft without it.
Most bells can be welded in place. If you can reach the cracks.
If removed to weld , it should be bolted to a flat plate or dummy engine to reduce the warping.
Any one competent to weld it should have the knowledge to increase its success.