trouble on I-5

Topic: trouble on I-5 (Read 1127 times) previous topic - next topic

trouble on I-5

October 24, 2015, 08:44:24 pm

we have a new owner that needs help. big dog aka jerry just picked up his new to
him coach in canada today. he pulled into a rest area near mount vernon wa. on i-5.
he then could not get the shift pad into gear. he has been there a few hours and of
course it is saturday afternoon. he has no internet but his cell is five 0 nine 956 8371.
if any body can solve this problem, please give him a call. the coach is a 1998 u320.
he has coach net, but maybe somebody here can help. I know the coach well and this
is something that has not happened in the past. he also stated that the retarder was
working sometime but not others. I hope there is somebody with an answer.

Re: trouble on I-5

Reply #1 – October 24, 2015, 08:58:43 pm

searching this forum I found this

From a Google search:

"The Allison shift controls have what we call "Shift inhibits", These are circumstances when the transmission ECU prevents the transmission from going into gear to prevent damage. The most common one is the engine RPM is to high and we inhibit range to prevent shock loading the transmission when it goes into gear. So your transmission is working as designed, anything over 900 RPM can cause the inhibit. The way to tell when this is happening is the keypad digit will flash."
For sure too high idle and too low battery voltage will prevent proper transmission operation.

Re: trouble on I-5

Reply #2 – October 24, 2015, 09:25:34 pm

What year is the coach and does it have slides. There is a bypass for this but it depends on the year.

Re: trouble on I-5

Reply #3 – October 24, 2015, 09:43:19 pm

Quote from: John S – October 24, 2015, 09:25:34 pm

What year is the coach and does it have slides. There is a bypass for this but it depends on the year.

I checked Big Dog's posts - 1998, so no slides Off to Canada

Re: trouble on I-5

Reply #4 – October 24, 2015, 10:00:02 pm

If you have a big silver box underneath the coach in your storage bay on the ceiling with a metal cover. Take the cover off and look and see if you have a switch in the corner. That will defeat the transmission interlock if it is a hwh issue.

Re: trouble on I-5

Reply #5 – October 24, 2015, 11:03:51 pm

Quote from: Wayne Macauley – October 24, 2015, 08:44:24 pm

..............the coach is a 1998 u320.
he has coach net, but maybe somebody here can help. I know the coach well and this
is something that has not happened in the past. he also stated that the retarder was
working sometime but not others...........................

With age, '98 Era coaches are notorious for developing sluggish shift pads. Where the coach is new to the owner, it may be well to just push the shift pad button long and hard to see if it will eventually shift. I know ours (before disassembling and cleaning the shift pad) would sometimes appear unresponsive to my wife, when all it was asking for was a "strong, insistent finger." I got accustomed to it but she eventually lacked the "firm-attention-convincer" to make it shift.
Just a thought,
Neal

Re: trouble on I-5

Reply #6 – October 25, 2015, 02:50:39 am

Thanks for all the suggestions. We have finally arrived in Mt. Vernon. Coach net had made arrangements with Valley Freightliner. The recovery driver was nice enough take us into town to a hotel.

The HWH is in travel mode, engine idle is 725, the wife did have a hair dryer and I ran it on the key pad for quite sometime (to no avail) unfortunately, as we flew into nanaimo via float plane. We packed very light and I only brought along a few of the manuals. The Allison manual wasn't one of them. No tools either. One member had me start the engine and push the drive button just as the engine fired up, this resulted in the trans finally going into drive. But I thought about it and figured that it was late and I didn't want to chance it and opted to wait for the tow. I did get a code readout. It was L-50 with a smaller o (the bottom half of the number eight) so I'm not sure if that is to be read as a 0. But looks to be a low rpm code.

When we first took off I did use the retarder on one occasion and it worked fine. But from then on the retarder did nothing when I had it switched on and pulled the lever. The trans/shift pad was acting up from the get go, and got worse as the day progressed. But while driving the trans shifted up & down very smoothly and crisply. As we were cruising at 62 with a very empty coach and no toad the trans temp was barely registering.

Of course the wife is now looking at me in that certain way that says. Why did you buy a lemon instead of a small camper trailer. Not the auspicious start we were hoping for.

On a good note. The border agents barely looked at the coach and we were in and out of there in less than 30 minutes with our importation papers.

Re: trouble on I-5

Reply #7 – October 25, 2015, 04:28:36 am

" As we were cruising at 62 with a very empty coach and no toad the trans temp was barely registering."

This condition would NOT be normal.

Re: trouble on I-5

Reply #8 – October 25, 2015, 06:36:12 am

Hi Bigdog,
Good to meet you last week and sorry to hear of your problems. Sounds like the shifter pad?? Hope it soon gets fixed and you are on the way home.
I can just imagine that "wife look"!!!
Brian.

Re: trouble on I-5

Reply #9 – October 25, 2015, 06:43:19 am

Quote from: bigdog – October 25, 2015, 02:50:39 am

I did get a code readout. It was L-50 with a smaller o (the bottom half of the number eight) so I'm not sure if that is to be read as a 0. But looks to be a low rpm code.

So only a code on the oil level check, nothing on the diagnostic code check? (These are barely different procedures; diagnostic code check should be pressing up/down simultaneously TWICE then display; oil level is pressing them just once.)

Allison Transmission Codes Manual

Re: trouble on I-5

Reply #10 – October 25, 2015, 08:02:28 am

Just a thought,have you manually checked trans level with the dipstick.

Re: trouble on I-5

Reply #11 – October 25, 2015, 08:26:20 am

Dog, suggest getting a can of Deoxit D5, starting at back of shiftpad, unplug connections, apply the cleaner per inst. and reassemble. Sure sounds like an hinky connection to me. The plug on back of shiftpad has been known to work itself loose over time also. There are numerous other connections that could probably use the same treatment. There are some long wire runs, low signal voltages, and if the coach has been sitting for a while a bit of oxidation can spoil the party.

Is the retarder switch on and did it light up when the retarder worked? If the switch is on, and the light works, it should light up when you step on brakes. Was that happening? I've found the joystick to occasionally be reluctant to work until the retarder is cycled on with the foot brake.

Re: trouble on I-5

Reply #12 – October 25, 2015, 09:36:14 am

Do you know if the coach sat around for a long while before you picked it up? If so, you may encounter a lot of these hibernating coach issues. These are all minor and require cleaning/exercising before all gets back to normal operating condition.

Re: trouble on I-5

Reply #13 – October 25, 2015, 09:39:53 am

Quote from: Peter & Beth – October 25, 2015, 09:36:14 am

Do you know if the coach sat around for a long while before you picked it up?

Let's try to stay on-topic and help Big Dog solve his current technical issue.

(we've had an ever-increasing number of complaints about technical topics going astray and it will screw up search results in the future)

Re: trouble on I-5

Reply #14 – October 25, 2015, 10:35:05 am

The coach is at the shop. Just talked to the service folks (yes they are open today) he said the rpm to low could be a loose speed sensor on the trans. But as I have ZERO tools at hand and no toad to use. I'm as they say, up the creek without a paddle.

I'll report back once all as been sorted. I suspect that it's just a simple thing such as the aforementioned loose connection or programming issue. I do know the trans isn't kaput.

The coach ( while very well cared for ) did sit mostly unused for two years. Perhaps two or three hours in that time. So it's a bit stiff from having been in bed for far too long.

Re: trouble on I-5

Reply #15 – October 25, 2015, 11:10:07 am

Sorry your first trip has had a bump in the road. We all hope that it gets sorted out, and you get back on the road.

My wife and I always smile and say "The adventure begins when our plans fall apart".

Re: trouble on I-5

Reply #16 – October 25, 2015, 11:12:40 am

I'm less than an hour from you and could bring you tools or anything else you need to get you going again if that would be helpful. I have used Valley Freightliner in Mt Vernon in the past and they are very good.

Mike

Re: trouble on I-5

Reply #17 – October 25, 2015, 11:13:54 am

Quote from: Michelle – October 25, 2015, 09:39:53 am

Let's try to stay on-topic and help Big Dog solve his current technical issue.

(we've had an ever-increasing number of complaints about technical topics going astray and it will screw up search results in the future)

this is on topic. If a coach sits around unused for long periods, electrical connections are the first to fail as well as seals, etc. I'm sorry you disagree. Just trying to shed some light on the issues.

Re: trouble on I-5

Reply #18 – October 25, 2015, 11:21:30 am

Hi Bigdog,
May your troubles be simple and cheap!!
As for your transmission temperature you have seen our coach and as you know we had no Toad on this trip as well. We may be a bit heavier as we are a little longer and fully equipped, but my transmission temperature was at 178deg most of the time and increased to 183deg over the mountain passes on the way home. This Silverleaf digital read-out is great, but maybe tells me too much!!! I love the detail as temps and pressures are the life of anything mechanical.
I hope you are back on the road home by now??
Brian.

Re: trouble on I-5

Reply #19 – October 25, 2015, 12:00:10 pm

Good luck, you guys, we're wishing you safe (and fun) travels back to Wally World!

Re: trouble on I-5

Reply #20 – October 25, 2015, 12:55:11 pm

In My discussions with transmission specialist he mentioned unplugging and replugging the connectors ten times. Pins get corrosion.

Early parts could have the hairdryer affect things. Not a 98.

Re: trouble on I-5

Reply #21 – October 25, 2015, 06:48:44 pm

I'm one of the guys who called you last night, hopefully one of many. Sorry to find out my to high of an idle speed was of no help. I hope you are able to get back on the road soon and the rest of your trip is smooth, Mark

Re: trouble on I-5

Reply #22 – October 25, 2015, 07:52:43 pm

Quote from: mark f – October 25, 2015, 06:48:44 pm

I'm one of the guys who called you last night, hopefully one of many. Sorry to find out my to high of an idle speed was of no help. I hope you are able to get back on the road soon and the rest of your trip is smooth, Mark

The tech said that the code that was pulled up is a low rpm. But that is on the output shaft of the trans. Not sure how the rpm can be "to low" when it's in neutral. I would think that the output shaft rpm would be ZERO while in neutral. But what do I know.

No up dates as of yet. The coach was finally pushed into the bay at 3PM. While it's there and the drive line is apart. I'm having the u-joints replaced and doing an engine oil fuel filter change, as well as a chassis lube.

Re: trouble on I-5

Reply #23 – October 25, 2015, 08:05:14 pm

Just a reminder about greasing the calipers, make sure that they do not grease the calipers if they do not know how to deal with these air disc brakes

Re: trouble on I-5

Reply #24 – October 25, 2015, 08:47:10 pm

Big dog, glad to see your getting help, hope it's a simple fix. I know to well the wife look, have had a couple of those over the years. Where are you guys headed for ?
Regards,Irwin

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