Final Trip Tomorrow

Topic: Final Trip Tomorrow (Read 2125 times) previous topic - next topic

Re: Final Trip Tomorrow

Reply #25 – May 02, 2019, 07:41:44 am

I know when motor homes break down away from home that options a person has are reduced but a class 8 truck dealership shop management has the conscience of a drunk congressman. I've been in more of them than the average joe and feel safer wandering into a camp of Columbian Rebels hiking in Columbia.

Re: Final Trip Tomorrow

Reply #26 – May 02, 2019, 08:03:30 am

Or at least give it to someone who will fix it themselves, It's a shame to just junk it.

Re: Final Trip Tomorrow

Reply #27 – May 02, 2019, 10:09:38 am

If cash flow is an issue salvage yard transmission are available. So is shopping around for an independent mechanic.

Once upon a time, when I was young a friend was showing me the accumulated repair invoices for his 1949 Oldsmobile 88 convertible, and he was complaining about having to replace wear parts for the second time. That's what happens when you use something.

You know the condition of the rest of the coach. My not so humble opinion, my two cents worth, is to rent storage space at a storage facility for a month or two and pay to have your coach towed there. This is too big a decision to make without getting some distance from the gut blow and catching your wind.

Re: Final Trip Tomorrow

Reply #28 – May 02, 2019, 10:28:50 am

Reading OP's previous posts shows he has already bought a 2002 42' U320 with slides. Probably has no interest in the coach at this time. If the salvage money plus the repair cost is more than the coach is worth I could see his point.

Re: Final Trip Tomorrow

Reply #29 – May 02, 2019, 10:39:25 am

Several Allison shops across the border in Mexico. One member had their Allison overhauled at a factory shop for just over $4000. Think it was in Hermosillo. Less at local truck shops. Nice coach so take a deep breath before writing it off. Lots of ways to get things done.

Link to Allison shops here. Click on locations to see what transmissions they service and overhaul. One shop in TJ another big shop here where they do all service, overhaul, new transmissions:
D Diesel Servicios Y Refacciones
ALLISON DEALER
Ferrocarrileros No. 178
Hermosillo, Sonora 83290
662 312 4169

Map for ALL Allison locations here: Sales + Service Locator

Pierce

Re: Final Trip Tomorrow

Reply #30 – May 02, 2019, 10:44:42 am

A local International/Allison dealer in Houston just billed $8500 to completely replace the transmission in a late-model Freightliner. I know it's not the same as yours, but that's just a point of reference.

Chris

Re: Final Trip Tomorrow

Reply #31 – May 02, 2019, 11:14:20 am

I paid $8347.00 out the door for I State Truck (Allison dealer)in Missoula Mt to R/R a remanufactured transmission in my U295. This included diagnosis. $16 thousand is high.

Re: Final Trip Tomorrow

Reply #32 – May 02, 2019, 11:44:11 am

Sad state of affairs: curious WHAT exactly went wrong?

Re: Final Trip Tomorrow

Reply #33 – May 02, 2019, 12:33:55 pm

Quote from: mike leary – May 02, 2019, 11:44:11 am

Sad state of affairs: curious WHAT exactly went wrong?

I remember reading about part of the problem but not the whole story. There is a lesson to be learned from it...
Busted Tranny Housing

Re: Final Trip Tomorrow

Reply #34 – May 02, 2019, 01:17:11 pm

Larry, Hope you are not trying to punish Freightliner.

Why not have your tow truck take your precious hurting Foretravel to Allison's ONLY distributor in Phoenix, for a free estimate on replacing the end of the transmission bearing assembly or whatever.

At least you would have good information before shooting your coach in the foot...

Looks like you were fighting an uphill battle by first going to an RV dealer with a transmission problem and then to Freightliner who specializes in Freightliner chassis and has no love for an RV manufacturer that did not build your coach on a Freightliner chassis.

Why not turn around and gently slide down the other side of your uphill to Williams on 19^th Ave. Understand that time may be one of the triggers for your giving up, but this deserves the time to follow a healing path.

Phoenix's only Allison Distributor:

The W.W. Williams Company

2602 S. 19th Ave.

Phoenix, AZ 85009

602-257-0561

We wish you better luck in the future. . .

Re: Final Trip Tomorrow

Reply #35 – May 02, 2019, 02:44:05 pm

If the coach is in decent shape, sell it for $5000 and let someone replace the transmission, don't just dump it.
Think I read it had a full paint job which makes me think it was looked after.
Just saying.

Re: Final Trip Tomorrow

Reply #36 – May 02, 2019, 03:51:47 pm

Have an auction on the Forum,make Nitehawk the auctioneer.

Re: Final Trip Tomorrow

Reply #37 – May 02, 2019, 04:46:41 pm

Well, there does come a time, when one just has to cut your losses. Sorry for the problems that you have had. Faced with having to R&R a transmission, I would not replace the retarder. It's nice to have but Foretravels are about the only coaches with them. Talking to a Allison factory tech, he said the retarder does cause a small loss in MPG.

Re: Final Trip Tomorrow

Reply #38 – May 02, 2019, 05:26:10 pm

I still wonder what caused the destruction of the transmission? Bulkhead, axle bolts, and so on. Still seems like a shame to just scrap it.

Re: Final Trip Tomorrow

Reply #39 – May 02, 2019, 07:06:35 pm

Quote from: bbeane – May 02, 2019, 05:26:10 pm

I still wonder what caused the destruction of the transmission? Bulkhead, axle bolts, and so on. Still seems like a shame to just scrap it.

Quote" Heading west on I-10, our coach (U295) wouldn't move after spending the night at a truck stop about 30 miles east of Los Cruces, NM. After checking things over and finding the tranny roughly one gallon low of fluid, we resumed west. By the time we reached Tucson, we had added about 6 more gallons in order to keep limping along. By the time we reached Phoenix, the transmission gave it up."

Unfortunately, this gentleman drove his coach over 400 miles further than it should have been driven.

Re: Final Trip Tomorrow

Reply #40 – May 02, 2019, 07:33:32 pm

Quote from: U295 Owner – May 01, 2019, 08:17:23 pm

Freightliner (in Phoenix) threw a $16K estimate at us for the R&R of a remanufactured MD3060R transmission

Wondering if the $16K included a lot more than just the tranny?

PIerce

Re: Final Trip Tomorrow

Reply #41 – May 02, 2019, 08:44:19 pm

Quote from: bbeane – May 02, 2019, 05:26:10 pm

I still wonder what caused the destruction of the transmission? Bulkhead, axle bolts, and so on. Still seems like a shame to just scrap it.

Without having had hands and eyes on the situation, the simplest reasons are bad or broken motor mounts. Next in order would be backing the engine into something solid. But this is all speculation. My opinion however is that the quoted repair price is a "We really don't want to do this, but if you pay us this much money we will grudgingly undertake the task."

Re: Final Trip Tomorrow

Reply #42 – May 02, 2019, 08:57:21 pm

I wrote this on his other post,the "motor mounts" are long bolts with big rubber washers,they are not like a car,maybe a weld could
crack,if one of those bolts ever came loose or broke I don't think you would get very far and a leaking trans would be the least of your problems.

Re: Final Trip Tomorrow

Reply #43 – May 02, 2019, 10:53:53 pm

Someone with a better memory than me, was there not a coach about four weeks ago that the owners decided to scrap, they were having numerous problems, it was drivable,
Would it be possible their thread could be found and the transmission from this one that was going to be junked be used in this one that is on its way to be junked.
Someone else may remember who that was, I think they were going to buy another coach, anyone remember who they were?

Re: Final Trip Tomorrow

Reply #44 – May 02, 2019, 11:17:59 pm

Quote from: Pierce & Gaylie Stewart – May 02, 2019, 07:33:32 pm

Wondering if the $16K included a lot more than just the tranny?

PIerce

I inquired about a coach NE of the Denver area and that coach had a very similar failure and a 15k repair bill prior to the owner deciding to selling it. I passed on that one.

Re: Final Trip Tomorrow

Reply #45 – May 02, 2019, 11:31:52 pm

Quote from: John44 – May 02, 2019, 08:57:21 pm

I wrote this on his other post,the "motor mounts" are long bolts with big rubber washers,they are not like a car,maybe a weld could
crack,if one of those bolts ever came loose or broke I don't think you would get very far and a leaking trans would be the least of your problems.

Most motor mounts have retainers, so be if they fail the motor doesn't keep working or fall out but they can severely missalign other components..

Re: Final Trip Tomorrow

Reply #46 – May 03, 2019, 12:07:34 am

I know someone that took out his transmission on his Foretravel going over the railroad tracks and his insurance covered it.
John M.

Re: Final Trip Tomorrow

Reply #47 – May 03, 2019, 11:39:06 am

Anyone ever have a motor/engine mount failure that could not feel the metal to metal vibrations instantly?

Pierce

Re: Final Trip Tomorrow

Reply #48 – May 03, 2019, 12:34:53 pm

That's what I'm trying to say,there is no part called a motor mount they are fine thread shoulder bolts with the retaining nuts using
large rubber discs made by a company called Lord.If that breaks you will not get 4 miles let alone 400.

Re: Final Trip Tomorrow

Reply #49 – May 03, 2019, 04:14:51 pm

what happened to OP?

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