This is for the FWIW dept.


My son is w/a local fire dept and spected out & acquired new ambulances for the dept last yr. They are dodges w/cummins mated up to the 1000 series Allison.


Told me today that there had been a couple of transmission failures altho less than a yr old and <10k miles. The mode of failure so far has been 'blown oil pump' which admittedly isn't very descriptive. However, the local Allison shop providing the warranty service told him that they are experiencing a higher failure rate than expected w/that series transmission.


Other that those general terms, we have no real specifics of this apparent trend ~ I thot a feature of the Allison mystique was in self protection. Still find it hard to believe. Until more information materializes ~ this is pretty much heresay at this point.Edited by: ShumDit

Heresay sums it up perfect ..... Ever get a peek into the main pump housing ?? First we've heard of this ....

Mac

The pump is built like a brick s*it house. The only way a pump got smoked is if it was assembled improperly at the factory and was not caught by assembly inspection.

The pump is built like a brick s*it house. The only way a pump got smoked is if it was assembled improperly at the factory and was not caught by assembly inspection.

Or foreign material ..... My point, it's stout ....

Mac http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Wink.gif

First of all you can't get a Dodge with an Allison transmission. I didn't know Dodge had an ambulance package either. http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Ermm.gif

We need A follow up on this one.

Alot of pump failures are a direct result of loose conv bolts.

First of all you can't get a Dodge with an Allison transmission. I didn't know Dodge had an ambulance package either. http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Ermm.gif


No necessarily so. For us perhaps but for built to spec vehicles like ambulances & RVs there are companies that will put them together. This particular contract was builder in OH if IRC. As a matter of interest, these ambulances replaced F**d's with cummins/allison 4speed combo. I don't think they had any problems and probably why they spec'd for an allison on these replacement ambulances.


Didn't mean to wee wee on anyones Allison (have one myself) but thot the warranty stn comment might be news worthy and hopefully can find out more about it after the repair on the latest one. I have a hunch that its not really a 1000 series as we would know it as when I tried to get clarification the response was 'Yeah, because it's a 5 spd' http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Confused.gif Hopefully we can find out more. Edited by: ShumDit

I have worked in emergency services for YEARS, and I have not seen a Dodge chassis ambulance in a long, long time. http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Confused.gif

Might be one of these:


http://www.bolesfs.com/cgi-bin/imagescript.cgi?FTP149.jpg (http://www.bolesfs.com/cgi-bin/imagescript.cgi?FTP149.jpg)

From what I have read the aftermarket has given up on Dodge when it comes to emergency and wrecker fitments. Dodge's last chance was in the mid 90s with "The New Dodge". There ended up being a class action suit against them from some towing association regarding "chassis failures"

I have 10K miles on mine towing a 4000 lb trailer about 50% of those miles.


The transsmission is still good.


I use the tow-overdive selection when towing and it upshifts and downshifts perfectly. I couldn't time the shifts that good. In the down shifts it even revs the engine...They must of cloaned an 18 wheeler truck driver's brain in those computer chips http://dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Wink.gif

Just heard from the boy that the failure was related to loosely torqued TC bolts as our resident Master Mr Goodwrench (Eric) had indicated. Its the second one from the recently acquired fleet so ~ basically there is a quality issue w/the upfitter.


Still, in that I'm several parties removed I'll probably never know what was on their minds when Allison made the comment about the elevated failure trend.Edited by: ShumDit

I have worked in emergency services for YEARS, and I have not seen a Dodge chassis ambulance in a long, long time. http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Confused.gif





Ditto! Been a long time since I've seen one.

JohnnyO, I also noticed it revs the engine to match gears when down shifting, making for a smooth shift. I've always wondered if anybody else ever cought that. Guess so!http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Big Smile.gif


Steve

The pump in the Allison is not stout at all, doesn't need to be. It is there to pump fluid , nothing else. The 4L80E pump is bigger but the trans is not nearly as strong as the Allison. The 4L80E pump has been known to spike mainline pressure over 1000psi (thats why they brake cases and things sometimes). You will never see those kind of pressures from an Allison. The Allison is fixed pressure and runs about 110 percent of calculated requirement.