We're one week into a 2 week family roadtrip and this issue pops up yesterday. Coach is a 2011 Tiffin Allegro 35QBA. It is on the WH W22 chassis with the GM 8.1L engine and I think it's the Allison 1000MH trans (6 speed).
We arrived here at the Streetsboro KOA and were idling in the entrance line, I went into the office to check in and then went back to the coach to pull forward. Foot on brake, release parking brake, into D, stall. Then the brake pedal makes this funky buzzing noise (looking later I think this had something to do with a brake booster if the engine loses power).
Tried reverse, and same stall. Engine restarts fine each time and will idle and rev fine in Park.
I disconnected the toad and then sat there dead in the entrance line for awhile trying to figure things out(people could get around me).
I thought the parking brake was sticking (I think on the WH it actually immobilises the driveshaft). But even with that the torque converter should slip and allow me to be in gear with the brake on but still running. After some fooling around I realized I could keep in in D for about a second or two (where initially it would just stall).
I got the park staff to hold the gate open and I started the coach up and got to my site by bumping from N to D and back again. Actually, it was about 1000ft to get to the site, and halfway there since I wasn't holding anyone up anymore I tried just stopping in D with my foot on the brake and it didn't stall. I drove the rest of the way to our site in D up a gentle hill, using a little gas to keep about 5pmh and no stalling. Didn't stall in Reverse either while backing into the site. It pretty much drove normal once I got moving.
I'm stumped. I have no dash lights (I'm expecting a check engine or check trans light, or any number of the warning indicators I've just read about in the owners manual like "range inhibited" or something like that). I have a ScanGuage 2 and it tells me no codes found.
The time from the issue arose to when I finally got to the site was about 2 hours. I wonder if a sensor didn't like idling and the heat generated (on the way to the KOA it was a slow drive through Peninsula and Hudson) but it wasn't an especially hot day, not like the 100deg we left behind in SC. But a clue is that it allowed me to stay in D longer and longer until at the very end when it seemed to "go away".
During this time I was on the phone twice with an Allison service center (WW Williams) near Cleveland and the service guy was stumped too at the lack of dash error lights. We had planned to leave Sunday but I got our site for another day so we could try to get somewhere Monday to look at it. I had half a mind to drive it to the Allison service center (45 minutes) but I think I'm going to try Good Sam ERS monday and see where they'll tow me. Although I'll admit I'm batting about 50/50 on my satisfaction level with GS ERS.
My hunch is that something is telling the torque converter to lock at idle, which is like dumping the clutch on a manual trans car - instant stall. Guessing that a bad sensor can cause this, but don't know which one. I thought there may be a VSS on the rear diff to tell the trans what the speed is, but if that's going bad I was expecting a code to be thrown.
I'll update with what we do Monday. If anyone knows about the shops in this area I'm all ears.
2011 Tiffin Allegro 35QBA (Mack); 2015 VW GTI (Lightning - toad); 2008 Acura MDX SH-AWD (Sally).
Any opinions are my own and not my employer's.
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Good luck and let us know how it works out.
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midnightsadie wrote:
try a google search, I have no idea ,
try a google search, I have no idea ,
Wow, best answer
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DownTheAvenue wrote:
Really tough to have these problems away from home. I hope this works out easy for you. I can just about guarantee "Good" Sam ERS will NOT tow you to the Allison Service Center 45 minutes away, but will tow you to Bubba's Shade Tree Mechanic Garage and Catfish Pond which they consider the nearest qualified service center.
Good luck and let us know how it works out.
Really tough to have these problems away from home. I hope this works out easy for you. I can just about guarantee "Good" Sam ERS will NOT tow you to the Allison Service Center 45 minutes away, but will tow you to Bubba's Shade Tree Mechanic Garage and Catfish Pond which they consider the nearest qualified service center.
Good luck and let us know how it works out.
Yeah that's what I'm afraid of with GS ERS. I'm leaning towards trying to drive it Monday morning - or at least see if I can drive the campground loop and then decide.
#40Fan wrote:
Did it feel like a manual when you dump the clutch? Lurches forwards for a split second and then dies?
Or does it just die?
Did it feel like a manual when you dump the clutch? Lurches forwards for a split second and then dies?
Or does it just die?
Yup feels just like a manual - like those times when I've forgotten I was still in gear and lifted the clutch pedal. Lurch and stall.
I've read some more (google search thank you very much) and there was at least one report about a torque converter solenoid bad which would keep it locked. But it threw a specific P code, and I have none. Although maybe my Scangauge won't read the trans codes?
Based on the symptoms the next logical thing seems to be the transmission related. The Allison transmission uses a separate computer from the engine, so it is likely your scan gauge won't read the transmission codes.
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When vehicle gets up to speed the convertor is locked so it is like a direct drive transmission. Not using fluid to drive the transmission reduces the friction, sending more power to the driveline.
When the switch fails the convertor stays locked up and acts just like a manual transmission.
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beemerphile1 wrote:
Sounds like the torque converter is locked. It may be able to get unlocked by unplugging the electrical connector.
Sounds like the torque converter is locked. It may be able to get unlocked by unplugging the electrical connector.
I did just that on a Buick we had. I was close to the house and it stalled, converter locked up. A neighbor came by. I ran it in neutral while she pushed me with her little Toyota (!) up to 10-mph or so. Put it in drive and made it home. When I got there and stopped, the converter didn't happen to be locked. I pulled the lockup connector off and never looked back. We drove it tens of thousands more miles.
This Allison is far more sophisticated than that old TH-125. Computer controlled. But the Buick stayed locked at random. If you COULD ID the lockup control and disconnect it temporarily, you might catch the converter unlocked and could keep it unlocked to go for help. That said, there's a very real risk the transmission could overheat, running with the converter in constant slippage.
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The mechanic ran all sorts of scans / tests and found no stored codes and couldn't repeat the problem. He drove it around for 32 miles and had no issues. So we got back on the road and had no troubles for the rest of our stops, and got home yesterday.
Still scratching my head but for now I'm not letting it idle for awhile in Park. When I get it to storage I'm going to let it set in idle and see if I can repeat it that way. Otherwise maybe that was a freak thing...
TriumphGuy wrote:
...The mechanic...drove it around for 32 miles and had no issues...maybe that was a freak thing.
...The mechanic...drove it around for 32 miles and had no issues...maybe that was a freak thing.
Unfortunately freak things tend to repeat themselves at the most inopportune times. Hopefully it won't happen again.
Randy