1989 Allison 4 spd Dexeron or Transyn?

[Gary Schenck]

I'm very excited about my 1989 Beaver Marquis 3208 4 spd allison.  But I have tons of questions.  I think we are running Dexron since there are containers with the coach.  Should I switch to Transyn?  I'm in Southeast KS, 1 hr west of Joplin, 100 North of Tulsa.  Does anyone have a recommendation for transmission service in this area?  What should I be checking on as far as transmission is concerned.  The coach has 141K miles and a rebuilt motor in past 3-4K miles.

[Gerald Farris]

Gary,
Allison recommends Transynd in all of their transmissions. If you are running Dexron III now it should be changed every 12 months. So when you service the transmission the next time I would recommend changing it over to Transynd.

Your transmission will run 15 to 20 degrees cooler on average on Transynd than on Dexron III and the fluid change interval will go from 12 months on Dexron III to 4 years on 100% Transynd. To get to 100% Transynd you will have to flush the torque converter and cooler also at fluid changeover or service the transmission again in one year. Most Allison shops will flush the torque converter and cooler when they service the transmission upon request.

I can not help you with a shop recommendation in your area, but someone else may be able to help here.

Gerald

[Joel Ashley]

Check this website, Gary, and see if any well-rated facility is nearby:

http://www.rvservicereviews.com/StateList.asp?state=KS


You can also check Allison's website for authorized dealers closest to you

http://www.allisontransmission.com/locator/


-Joel

[Gary Schenck]

Thank you for your replies.  I'm not sure that I'm running Dexron I just going by the containers that came with the coach.  I believe the hydraulic pump for power steering and radiator fan motor is running Dexron...at least the canister calls for Dexron on the label.  How can I know what is in the transmission?   This coach has 140K can I expect the tranmission to give me several more yrs of service?
Thank you again...I'm a novice but learning.

[Gerald Farris]

Gary,
With proper maintenance you Allison is not even half way through it's life expectancy. The only thing that is a negative for it is it's age, because the seals can fail from age as well as usage. Just remember that your transmission was designed for a truck were the 140K that your coach has, is only a year of use or less. So the miles on your transmission are not a real concern with proper fluid and filter changes if you watch out for any leaks that might develop.

If your dipstick is not marked that you are running Transynd the only sure way to tell is to see if your local Allison dealer can run a fluid analysis to check fluid condition. This will tell you the type of fluid you are running, as well as give you a little insight into the condition of your transmission.

Gerald

[Richard And Babs Ames]

Allison highly reccomends Transynd and when we changed our 1997  to it our operating temps dropped over 15 degrees.
=http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/24963117.cfm is a retired engineer on RV.net